Book Day @Time of the Writer

Book Day @Time of the Writer

The Centre for Creative Arts (UKZN) presents the 18th Time of the Writer from 16-21 March. This festival will be hosting a day-long programme with a focus on both aspiring writers and bibliophiles, aptly named, the Time of the Writer “Book Day” at the Open Plan Studio on Saturday, March 21 from 10:00- 14:30. The programme will feature a creative writing workshop, a range of publishing workshops, book launches and a storytelling programme for the kids by the Gcinamasiko Arts and Heritage Trust.

Open Plan Studio is a combined office, art, photo studio and event space situated on the 4th floor of a newly renovated light industrial building now known as The Design Factory that overlooks some of Durban’s most iconic features such as; the Lion Match Factory, both Kings Park and Moses Mabhida stadium, the Stables, Durban Club and the ocean beyond that. Through this conversion into studio space, Open Plan aims to become a new creative hub and precinct in the city of Durban.

Book Launches: There will be a number of book launches featuring a rich and varying lineup of books from local authors including: A Piece of Cake by Cecil Levin, Everyday Matters by Margaret Daymond, How to Teach Your Baby in the Womb by Hamza Moleleki, Letters to My Native Soil- Lewis Nkosi Writes Home by Lindy Stiebel, Poetry Potion Dear SA – Vol. 3, No. 8 by Poetry Potion, Rusty Bell by Nthikeng Mohlele, The Dream House by Craig Higginson and What About Meera by ZP Dala.

Publishing Forum: With publishing as one of the fundamental elements in the growth of a local literary culture, a rich line-up of speakers will participate in the Publishing Forum at this years’ Time of the Writer festival. The programme comprises various topics, including publishers discussing the publishing landscape, contemporary South African publishing, the process of compiling an editorial from contributors, and the process of self-publishing.

Creative Writing Workshop: An open workshop and discussion focusing on creative writing by three festival participants - Imraan Coovadia, Thando Mgqolozana and Craig Higginson

Storytelling with the Gcinamasiko Arts and Heritage Trust: The GAHT is founded on the success of its founding member, internationally renowned playwright, actress and storyteller, Gcina Mhlophe. The purpose of the GAHT edutainment is to promote a culture of reading and writing through skills-transfer workshops and performances at schools, the approach of the organization is to expose young emerging writers and performers at schools and communities to established writers and storytellers, so that they can learn skills from these well-known artists.

For more information contact the Centre for Creative Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal (031) 260 2506/1816 or  info@cca-ukzn.co.za. For the full programme go to www.cca.ukzn.ac.za or like the Facebook page: 18th Time of the Writer.

Organised by the Centre for Creative Arts (University of KwaZulu-Natal) the 18th Time of the Writer, festival is made possible by support from our funders; the National Department of arts and Culture, eThekwini Municipality's Parks, Recreation and Culture Unit, the Goethe-Institut, the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) and Adams Booksellers as well as support from our partners; Pan Macmillan, Daily News, Computicket and the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre. The Centre for Creative Arts is housed in the College of Humanities at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and is a special project of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Cheryl Potgieter.

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Flatfoot Dance presents "days like these"

Media Release

Flatfoot Dance Company presents “days like these”

Durban’s inimitable Flatfoot Dance Company begins its 12th year in 2015 with a full blown performance season of innovative dance to lure, cajole, amuse, provoke and sheer-out entertain audiences. “Days like these” has a one week run at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre from the 25 to 29 March 2015.

Always looking for new challenges, award-winning Durban based choreographer, Lliane Loots has delved into the theatre making methodologies of Verbatim Theatre to create “days like these”. Verbatim theatre, sometimes referred to as Documentary Theatre, asks the playwright to gather live testimony and the spoken word of real people to construct the dialogue of a drama. In this way the resultant theatre work achieves a degree of authenticity and truthfulness that allows real people a voice. With a history going back to the 60s, Verbatim Theatre has a long trajectory in creating edgy political theatre where these methodologies help create social dialogue.

Loots’s fascinating with Verbatim Theatre sparked and interest to see if there could be cross-over into contemporary dance. As Loots says; “the way that I work is essentially verbatim in that I am constantly asking the dancers to bring their own life experience – through their bodies – into the work we make. As a choreographer I have always thought of myself as a type of ‘collector of stories’; some of them are my own but others come from the dancers who I am working with”.

In “days like these”, Loots has asked the six resident FLATFOOT dancer and co-collaborators on this dance work (Sifiso Majola, Tshediso Kabulu, Sifiso Khumalo, Jabu Siphika, Julia Wilson and Zinhle Nzama) to go even deeper into this physical and spoken word storytelling and after a two week intensive and deeply personal workshop process around memory gathering, Loots then only set out to create the choreography around what she calls “a dance theatre work that takes everyday memories and begins to celebrate the sacred of what we all might feel is the commonplace of our lives”. She goes on to say, “what has resulted is an incredibly tender and beautiful interior dancescape that – for me anyway – will poignantly remind an audience of what it means to be human; and to be an African”.

Loots asked the dancers to dig for memories around three specific topics; food, politics and love/loss. As the process of re-membering went, Loots explains, “we sat with each other sometimes laughing till we cried and sometimes growing silent in a shared space of pain and solidarity. I am reminded again that the deeper we dig into the personal as artists, the more profoundly political our voices become”.

“days like these”, sees Loots return to a long time artistic partnership with award winning Durban theatre and filmmaker, Karen Logan. Logan’s videoscape for “days like these, sits at the heart of the work as it was her task to capture, verbatim, the final memories and stories collected.

Logan says, “working on “days like these” has me seriously excited. It’s always inspiring to work with Lliane Loots and the Flatfooters - this work in particular is meaty and uncompromising and is taking new leaps with the integration of the AV on multiple levels and surfaces and the melting of boundaries between documentary and dance. I think the results will be mesmerising, befitting the very personal layers of narrative that each dancer has woven into the work”.

“days like these” also features the subtle and imaginative lighting design of Wesley Maherry whose challenge was not only to help support the manifold projections, but to also find a way to light the dance that helped the stories unfold.

“days like these”, works with multiple projections and light, and as the images, the voices and the dancing bodies begin – in truth and vulnerability - to layer the stage space, so the remarkable magic of dance theatre starts to happen. We are reminded, in “days like these”, of the need for art and dance, to urge us, as audience, to unbury our own stories. Loots began this work in a response to Nigerian writer, Ben Okri’s comment;

"There is not a single person who is not touched by the silent presence of stories. A nation is as healthy and confident as the stories they tell themselves. Without fighting, stories have won over more people than all the great wars put together. The universe began as a story. Only those who have lived, suffered, thought deeply, loved profoundly, know joy and the pain of life, tell truly wonderful stories. Africa breathes stories."

Thursday’s performance (26 March @ 7.30pm) features a special after show “DANCE TALKS BACK” hosted by awarding winning arts journalist Adrienne Sichel in conversations with Loots and the dancers. This is a unique opportunity to listen to the dancers and choreographers unpack and answer questions about their work. Sichel comes to Durban as a guest from The Ar(t)chive at the Wits School of Arts.

Bookings are now open via Computicket. Ticket prices are R85 for adults, R50 for students/learners and pensioners. Block bookings of 10 or more people is also at R50 per ticket. 

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For more Information, interviews and pictures please contact:

Sharlene Versfeld
Mobile: +27 (0) 83 326 3235
Tel: +27 (0) 31 811 5628
Email: sharlene@versfeld.co.za
Website: www.versfeld.co.za

18th Time of the Writer

18th Time of the Writer - Participants Announced

16 - 21 March, 2015

Durban, South Africa. A select group of writers from South Africa and Africa will gather together for a week of thought-provoking literary dialogue and exchange of ideas at the 18th Time of the Writer Festival. Presented by the Centre for Creative Arts (University of KwaZulu-Natal) and made possible by support from the National Department of Arts and Culture, the City of Durban, the French Institute (IFAS) and the Goethe Institute, this 18th edition takes place in Durban between 16 and 21 March.

The theme for this year’s festival, Writing For Our Lives, calls attention to the urgent continuing struggle of all writers in speaking truth and bearing witness to the times through their words. Globally writers are combatting censorship when the truth is too hard to swallow, challenging the reader’s perspective and sparking a passion for literature in our youth.

During this activity-rich week, audiences can expect to engage with a multitude of award-winning writers, from a wide range of political and social contexts, on the creative and technical processes and perspectives which shape their writing.

Evening readings and discussions will take place at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre (Howard College Campus) while wide reaching free day programmes are spread across Durban and the surrounding areas as part of the festival’s ongoing efforts to promote and nurture a culture of creative expression through reading and writing. This includes school visits, a publishing forum and a range of seminars and workshops.

The lineup for the 18th Time of the Writer 2015:

NoViolet Bulawayo, Zimbabwe                  

Carol Campbell, South Africa                      

Imraan Coovadia, South Africa                    

ZP Dala, South Africa

Ousmane Diara, Mali                                     

Dilman Dila, Uganda                                      

Jacob Dlamini, South Africa                        

Ekow Duker, South Africa

Craig Higginson, South Africa

Mandla Langa, South Africa

Thando Mgqolozona, South Africa

Kirsten Miller, South Africa                             

M.J Mngadi, South Africa

Nthikeng Mohele, South Africa

Given Mukwevho, South Africa

Futhi Ntshingila, South Africa

Sue Nyathi, Zimbabwe

Charlotte Otter, South Africa

Margaret Von Klemperer, South Africa

Mzilikazi wa Afrika, South Africa

Ticket prices are R25 for the evening sessions and R10 for students on presentation of a student card. Workshops, seminars and book launches are free of charge. Book through Computicket Tel: 0861 915 8000 or 011 340 8000 or online at online.computicket.com or at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre from 18h00.

For more information contact the Centre for Creative Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal Tel: +27 31 260 2506/1816 • Fax: +27 31 260 3074 • Email: info@cca-ukzn.co.za

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Reunion with Franco

Reunion with Franco

Franco Human, Dean of the South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance (AFDA) Durban,  recently returned from the Reunion Islands after attending the annual Festival International du Film d' Afrique et des Iles (FIFAI) in October as a guest of honour representing  AFDA.

The FIFAI began in 2003 with an aim to promote auteur cinema and showcase film makers from the Caribbean, Africa and the Indian Ocean. Other guests included Joel Zito Araujo, a Brazilian filmmaker and David Constantine, a film director from Mauritius. Mohamed Said Ouma, the artistic director of the festival said “Reunion has a special interest in the South African film industry because it appears to be reaching maturity.” South Africa has created a name for itself at the festival. A South African film won in the first FIFAI and this year a film titled Nelson Mandela, the myth and me by Khalo Matabane  which won the Best SA Documentary Film at the Durban International Film Festival, was selected for this year’s festival. Ouma said “it was an honour to have Franco and Vincent Moloi, the South African director and screenwriter for television and film at the festival”.  

Le Port is one of Durban’s thirteen sister cities. These two cities have been linked by active projects since 2005. “My main objective was to establish relations with film and art schools in Reunion to detect possible connections and perhaps work on an exchange and/or reciprocating programme.” said Franco. “This would be a great start to getting co-productions in place between schools and the industry, as they are a part of France and therefore fall under our co-production treaty with them.  Developing students through a reciprocation programme will lay the foundations needed for co-productions in the future. ”

Amongst people Franco met was the mayor of Le Port Jean–Yves Langenier, who is  suppoprtive of developing the creative industries in his city. Additionally, he met with École Supérieure d'Art de la Réunion (ESA) and The Institute of Indian Ocean Image (ILOI). ESA is the only French speaking higher education art institution in the Indian Ocean region, which also provides a platform for meetings, exchanges, exhibitions, conferences and seminars and is aptly described as a “laboratory of cultures for culture”.  ILOI is a vocational training school in Reunion specialized in the fields of image and new media. It has international networks that include reputable animation schools and universities across France, China, Africa and Europe. “ILOI and ESA are two ongoing relationships I hope to build on next year .” said Franco.  The visit and relationships formed, I am sure will add huge  value going forward to our school and the students and naturally by extension, into the future co-productions with Le Reunion.  Reunion is not far away from Durban and we look forward to the potential that could be realised through developing relationships with them.”  

Franco said that he was pleasantly surprised by the film industry in Reunion. “Of course, it helps that there is one to start with and it seems to be a very expressive industry more than a commercial one.  They create beautiful images judging by the few films I was able to see.”

“Establishing and deepening relationships with other countries may yield beneficial outcomes for Durban, particularly its film industry.” said Franco.

The AFDA Durban Campus, headed by Human, has been open for 2 years and is making a significant mark on the local film industry through developing young film industry entrepeneurs who are now being seconded to work on films during their spare time and vacs.

For more information go to www.afda.co.za.

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AFDA brings top international technology to Durban

AFDA brings top international technology to Durban 

There’s great excitement brewing in Durban’s film and television industry over new developments at AFDA, the South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance in Durban. The school continually strives to keep up to date with the local film industry and at the cutting edge of film-making, and their latest advances are a testament to their efforts.

AFDA Cinematography students now have access to the ARRI Alexa Classic, the film industry’s leading name in digital cameras. ARRI film and digital cameras are used by the top directors and producers in the international industry. The films 12 Years a Slave and Gravity, which won three and seven Academy Awards respectively, were both filmed on this state of the art camera. AFDA Durban students will now be fortunate enough to have the opportunity to also work with the cameras used by these Oscar winners. Many top television series have also been shot on the Alexa, such as Downton Abbey, Vampire Diaries, Game of Thrones and more. “Having the ARRI Alexa available in Durban is a huge boost for the local industry,” says Richard Green, Producer and Head of the Film School at AFDA Durban. “Our Directors of Photography will now have the most up to date and professional cameras available to them. Our students at AFDA will be working with state-of-the-art equipment and will be well trained in the use of the ARRI Alexa when setting off on their careers.” In March 2015, AFDA Durban will be receiving a second ARRI Alexa which will then also be available for outside rental to the Durban film industry at large.

Also set to bolster AFDA’s equipment arsenal is an array of top quality, industry standard, lighting gear from Southern Lighting. Southern Lighting has been supplying lighting equipment and expertise to the Film and Television industry for the past 20 years from their branches in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Lagos, Nigeria. In a new arrangement with AFDA they will now have a local base at AFDA Durban, giving AFDA students and the Durban film industry easy access to a vast supply of world class lighting gear and technical expertise. “AFDA Durban is working to grow the industry with the industry, and in doing so boost our overall film scene in KwaZulu Natal. That is why we have invited the Southern Lighting gear rental company to join us in Durban”, says Franco Human, Campus Dean and COO of AFDA Durban.

Contact AFDA Durban on 031 569 2252 or log on to www.afda.co.za for more information. You can also follow AFDA and AFDA Durban on Facebook or Twitter, @AFDADURBAN and @AFDA_FilmSchool.

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AFDA ANNUAL FILM FESTIVAL

AFDA Annual Film Festival

The newest campus of South Africa’s #1 School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance, AFDA Durban, will be presenting its annual film, television and performance festival on Saturday, 22 November at the campus in Glen Anil.

Featuring the best of third year and postgraduate student films from AFDA Johannesburg and Cape Town as well first and second year student productions from AFDA Durban, the festival will highlight the work of SA’s top future film makers and entertainers. AFDA Durban Music and Stage students will also be performing live as well as the Television School’s shows being presented in a relaxed TV lounge set up in the school’s library.

Food and beverages will be on sale to keep festival goers’ stamina up for the movie marathon they’ll be enjoying. There will also be a bar for over-18’s and an outside chill area where film watchers can take time out between screenings, grab a bite and enjoy the open mic stage where Sonic Roisin will perform at 17:00, with AFDA music students also showcasing their talents.

A once-off entry fee of R20 grants you access to the entire festival, including all screenings and live performances. The festival opens at 09:30 with the first screening at 10:00 and the last finishing by 21:00. There will be film screenings throughout the day as well as first and second year stage performances being held in the Actor’s Studio at 18:00 and 20:00 respectively, whilst the live music performances will be outside.

Contact AFDA Durban on 031 569 2252 or log on to www.afda.co.za for more information. You can also follow AFDA or AFDA Durban on Facebook or Twitter @AFDADURBAN and @AFDA_FilmSchool.

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POETRY AFRICA FINALE AT RIVERTOWN BEER HALL GALLERY

18th POETRY AFRICA FINALE AT RIVERTOWN BEER HALL GALLERY

Durban: The Centre for Creative Arts (UKZN) is excited to announce a move to a new venue for the 18th Poetry Africa festival finale. This year, the Rivertown Beerhall Gallery, a satellite of the Durban Art Gallery will play host to a festival programme consisting of workshops, open mic performances, book launches; as well as musical and poetry performances, including the finale performance from South African music veteran Hip Hop Pantsula.

Located in 102 Florence Nzama Street (formerly named Prince Alfred Street) , the Beer Hall was established in the first part of the 20th century as a means of the Municipality of Durban to monopolize the brewing and selling of beer. This came as a result of the enactment of the Native Beer Act (No 23) of 1908 which allowed the town councils of Natal to be the sole brewers and sellers of sorghum beer. Beer sales and profits were used to finance the establishment of the municipal Affairs Department in 1916 and the system of African control, which became known as the Durban System. The Rivertown Beer Hall served this function until 1968, after which it was rented out to various commercial firms.

The Rivertown Beer Hall Gallery is a key part of the eThekwini Municipality’s on-going inner city regeneration programme. The site was recently activated as a social hub 100 years after its initial opening, as part of XXV International Union of Architects World Congress which took place in August 2014.

The 18th Poetry Africa is proud to make use of this historical Durban landmark as it evolves into a new and exciting cultural precinct, a development that forms part of the City’s urban renewal project.

 “The eThekwini Municipality supports the growth of cultural precincts in the city as these give not only space for creative expression in the city but move us closer to seeing a city that boasts a creative economy for its Citizens. We are very excited that Poetry Africa will be closing the festival in this neighbourhood.”  said Thembinkosi Ngcobo, Head of Parks, Recreation & Culture at eThekwini Municipality.

The Poetry Africa festival finale programme will begin with the free Creative Writing workshop featuring festival poets Vangi Ganthso and Croc E Moses. This will be followed by open mic and musical performances as well as the launch of three poetry publications – the Uhlanga and Poetry Potion anthologies and the isiZulu poetry book, ‘ Izithunzi zemizwa” by Musa Nhlumayo. The evening programme will kick off with the annual Slam Jam event where Durban slam poets will compete for the title of Poetry Africa Slam champion.  There will then be final performances from Poetry Africa participants before the programme concludes with a performance from award winning South African artist Hip Hop Pantsula (HHP), backed by a full band.

Tickets are available at the door for R80 and through Computicket  at a discounted R70. For more information go to www.cca.ukzn.ac.za or call 031-2602506.

Organised by the Centre for Creative Arts (University of KwaZulu-Natal), the 18th Poetry Africa is funded by the eThekwini Municipality, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture, Goethe Institute and the French Institute of South Africa. The Centre for Creative Arts is housed in the College of Humanities at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and is a special project of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Cheryl Potgieter.

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GO!Durban creates "Believe Tree" at Sustainable Living Expo

Media Release

GO!Durban creates "Believe Tree" at Sustainable Living Expo

GO!Durban, the City’s new integrated rapid public transport network has created a fantastical "Believe Tree” for the Sustainable Living Expo at the Durban Exhibition Centre which starts today.

The Sustainable Living Expo aligns with one of the most important aspects of the Integrated Rapid Public Transport (IRPTN) roll out - future sustainability of the city through efficient, safe and affordable public transport. The “tree” has been created as a symbol of hope and dreams for the future of an environmentally friendly and sustainable Durban. Visitors to the Expo are encouraged to write their hopes and dreams on a leaf and place it on the “tree”. For every leaf “planted” on the tree, GO!Durban will plant a corresponding real living indigenous tree in areas most in need of greening along the different IRPTN corridors.

“It is indeed exciting times, as we watch as all the years of planning of GO!Durban start to come together. With construction well underway on the first corridor, our MUVO card system installed with 88 000 cards issued, and the ongoing developing of the brand GO!Durban, the dream is becoming the reality.  We first imagined it, now we can believe it and in 2016 we will be experiencing it.” says His Worship the Mayor Cllr James Nxumalo.

GO!Durban looks at the future of a city that has integrated, seamless transport. With a well run public transport system there are many aspects to the rejuvenation of community, living and working spaces. GO!Durban’s programme includes utilising a system of planning for transport to enable future spatial development to not be affected by the unnecessary road expansion in response to increasing traffic needs.  Around each station there will be a mixed-use transit-oriented development, which will aim to reduce the need to use cars and encourage people to walk and cycle.  This will also include developing green zones. GO!Durban will have the sustainability theme as  a golden thread through the programme, as the network will incorporate solar energy, harvesting rain water, recycling, and for the new transport fleet the use of biodiesels and a new more environmentally friendly type of engine with less emissions.

GO!Durban will also soon launch the NMT (Non-Motorised Transport) programme which enables and encourages people to walk and cycle through the city on dedicated walkways and cycle lanes.

At the Expo, the “Believe Tree” has been made from recycled materials. The base and main structure is mild steel and the branches are made from frames and forms of non-motorised transport, ie; used bicycle frames, wheels, cranks. cogs, chains, used skateboards and scooters and more. The branches and tree boughs and frons were made from weathered and aged mild steel cables and wire.

The designer Jonathan Katz from Fuelcon South Africa used this as an opportunity to up skill three men Simon Gwabeni, Deon Stephens and Jabulani Khumalo, who were taught basic welding skills as well as general safety with power tools of the welding trade. This has enabled them to take new skills with them that will empower them to make simple items like burglar guards, fences etc.

Members of the public of all ages are encouraged to attend the Sustainable Living Expo at Durban Exhibition Centre where they can not only see and make wishes at the “Believe Tree” but can also see other exhibits that speak to sustainability in the City.

The EXPO is open from 9am – 5pm today, Saturday and Sunday at the Durban Exhibition Centre. Entry is free.

DIFF Announces Audience Award Winners for 2014

Durban International Film Festival Announces Audience Award Winners 
for 2014 After Another Successful Festival

The Durban International Film Festival has announced the winners of its audience awards for 2014. The winning feature is The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared from Swedish director Felix Herngren. Based on the internationally best-selling novel by Jonas Jonasson, this energetically oddball black comedy begins with irrepressible pensioner and dynamite expert Allan Karlsson’s escape from a retirement home. His subsequent cross-county shenanigans are interspersed with flashbacks to a past studded with extraordinary events and famous historical figures. Highly entertaining, its pastiche of history refracted through the life of an eccentric is reminiscent of a darker take on Forrest Gump. The film received nearly unanimous votes of excellent from the DIFF audience.

The DIFF 2014 audience award for best documentary goes to 1994: The Bloody Miracle, directed by Meg Rickards and Bert Haisma. As South Africa celebrates the 20th anniversary of the advent of democracy, the film chronicles the countless deaths and widespread mayhem which nearly brought South Africa to its knees in the early ‘90s and speaks to the hard men who did their best to thwart the transition to democracy and who have now made an uneasy peace with the ‘Rainbow Nation’.

More than 700 industry guests from around the world attended DIFF and its sister event the Durban FilmMart (DFM). With 202 films spread over 9 venues, and more than 350 screenings, the festival was once more a great success. With just over 30 300 seats occupied, including workshop and attendance at DFM, attendance at the festival increased slightly, with the number of sold-out venues increasing dramatically.

More than 2800 people attended the beach screenings, including the annual Wavescape opening event as well the additional four outdoor screenings funded by the British Council and the National Film and Video Foundation. In terms of the festival’s visual literacy programme, the festival once again presented a programme of youth-oriented films for more than 4000 students from schools in the region, who were provided with transportation to Suncoast CineCentre’s Supernova theatre.

DIFF together with the Durban Film Mart accommodated more than 300 guests and 1500 room nights at the newly renovated Tsogo Sun Elangeni and Maharani Complex, with hundreds of additional festival visitors paying their own way at the many hotels along the Durban beachfront. 72 temporary jobs were created, resulting in more than 5 000 job hours, while DFM hosted more than 900 meetings between local filmmakers and producers, financiers and distributors from around the world.

While DIFF and DFM provide a world class film event with a strong African focus, it is also an integral part of economic development within the local and national film industry and is an increasing driver of tourism. An Economic Impact Assessment study on the festival and the market will be released later this year.

The 35th Durban International Film Festival is organised by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (a special project of the Deputy Vice Chancellor of the College of Humanities, Cheryl Potgieter) with support from the National Film and Video Foundation, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development & Tourism, KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission, City of Durban, German Embassy, Goethe Institut, Industrial Development Corporation, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture and range of other valued partners.

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Sharlene Versfeld

Versfeld & Associates

083 326 3235

Million Dollar Arm closing night film of The 35th Durban International Film Festival

Million Dollar Arm closing night film of The 35th Durban International Film Festival

The Durban International Film Festival (July 17 – 27) is extremely happy to present as its closing night film Million Dollar Arm (USA, 2014) from director Craig Gillespie, starring Jon Hamm. The screening will take place on Saturday the 26 July at 7pm and the Suncoast CineCentre Supernova.

Million Dollar Arm follows a once-successful sports agent named JB Bernstein who finds himself edged out by younger, slicker competitors. While watching cricket being played in India on late night TV, he comes up with an idea so radical it just might work. Why not go to India and find the next baseball pitching sensation? Setting off for Mumbai, JB stages a televised, nationwide competition. 40 000 hopefuls compete and two 18-year-old finalists, Rinku and Dinesh, emerge as winners. But JB’s job really begins when he returns to America to try to get the two young men signed to a major baseball league.

Talking about the film, Festival Manager, Peter Machen, saiys, “Million Dollar Arm is a film that is both accessible and engaging, as well as being beautifully crafted and filled with great performances, making it a strong festival title, as well providing an enjoyable note on which to close the festival after ten days of intense viewing"

The winning films in a variety of categories at Durban International Film Festival 2014 will be announced prior to the screening if the film.

The Durban International Film Festival ends this Sunday, July 27 . The festival includes more than 200 theatrical screenings and a full seminar and workshop programme, as well as the Wavescape Film Festival, the Wild Talk Africa Film Festival, and various industry initiatives, including the 7th Talent Campus Durban (in cooperation with the Berlin Talent Campus) and  the 5th Durban FilmMart co-production market (in partnership with the Durban Film Office).  For more information go tohttp://www.durbanfilmfestival.co.za/

The 35th Durban International Film Festival is organised by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (a special project of the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Humanities, Cheryl Potgieter) with support from the National Film and Video Foundation, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development & Tourism, KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission, City of Durban, German Embassy, Goethe Institut, Industrial Development Corporation, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture and arange of other valued partners.

The Durban International Festival Commemorates 35th Edition with Festival Poster Retrospective Exhibition at KZNSA

The Durban International Festival Commemorates 35th Edition with Festival Poster Retrospective Exhibition at KZNSA

In celebration of its 35th year, the Durban International Film Festival is delighted to announce a retrospective exhibition of its iconic poster design over the course of its existence. The exhibition will be presented for the duration of the festival at the KZNSA gallery cafe, which also serves as a hub for this year’s short film programme.

Since its inception in 1979, DIFF has grown from strength to strength, and is firmly cemented as a premiere event on the cultural calendar not only in the City of Durban, but across the country, continent and world. Every year, the high anticipation surrounding the ten day feast of cinema is marked by excitement around the release of the invariably innovative and recognizable poster design. For the first time in history, these posters have been brought together into a single collection that narrates the story of the longest-running film festival in the country through its pictorial history. Long-time festival goers will be treated to a nostalgic journey, while first-timers can enjoy an induction into the vivid world of the well-loved event through its graphic design, culminating in this year’s striking poster by Wesley van Eeden. The digital archive of posters can be found at http://www.cca.ukzn.ac.za/index.php/diff-archive.

Opening hours at KZNSA Gallery (166 Bulwer Road, Glenwood, Durban) are Tuesday to Friday: 9am - 5pm; Saturday: 9am - 4pm; Sunday, public holidays: 10am - 3pm. Closed on Mondays. Entrance is free, except during short film screenings (R20 entrance).

The Durban International Film Festival takes place from 17 – 27 July 2014. The festival includes more than 200 theatrical screenings and a full seminar and workshop programme, as well as the Wavescape Film Festival, the Wild Talk Africa Film Festival, and various industry initiatives, including the 7th Talents Durban (in cooperation with Talents Berlinale ) and  the 5th Durban FilmMart co-production market (in partnership with the Durban Film Office).  For more information go to www.durbanfilmfest.co.za 
 

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DURBAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
 

1st DIFF (1979)             First DIFF takes place. Tickets to screenings cost R1.50. The founder and festival director is Ros Sarkin.

3rd DIFF (1981)            Poster design by Floris Eloff. Screenings take place at West Kine in West St, Durban.

4th DIFF (1982)            Poster design by Maria Criticos. Festival moves to the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre.

5th DIFF (1983)            Poster designer unknown. Festival struggles to acquire films as commercial distributors unaccustomed to film festivals refuse access to films. They even threaten to deny cinema space to other companies who supply the festival with films. Government censorship is     also broadened.

6th DIFF (1984)            Poster design by Pippa Lea. Presented for the first time by the University of Natal (now UKZN).

7th DIFF (1985)            Poster design by Louise Baily. Festival expands to other venues across the city, as well as to Umlazi and other township areas.

8th DIFF (1986)            Poster design by Neville Trickett. First ever section devoted to South African cinema, with ten local documentaries.

9th DIFF (1987)            Poster design by Neville Trickett. South Africa in State of Emergency. DIFF screens Cry, The Beloved Country, and Alan Paton speaks. The programme includes a section on films devoted to Civil Rights and Justice. Corporate sponsors are introduced, including Natal Video, Legends restaurant, Southern Sun Hotels among others.

10th DIFF (1988)          Poster design by Georgia Sarkin.  Venues expanded to include Kine 600, the Playhouse Theatre and UKZN Shepstone 1.

11th DIFF (1989)          Poster design by Zahid Hoosen. The festival states that its policy is “to select films of superior quality which are not readily available in South Africa; films which highlight the problems and shortcomings of our own system; and films which promote political and social change in South Africa.”

13th DIFF (1991)          Poster design by Georgia Sarkin. DIFF creates association with progressive groups such as the National Organisation of Video and Allied Workers (NOVAW) and the Film and Allied Workers Organisation (FAWO).

14th DIFF (1992)          Poster design by Georgia Sarkin. Introduction of workshops and seminars to the programme.

15th DIFF (1993)          Poster design by Georgia Sarkin. Cultural boycotts against SA fade, and DIFF programme expands as a result.

16th DIFF (1994)          Poster design by Georgia Sarkin. DIFF celebrates first festival under democracy. Initiates schools programme and expands to include screenings in rural areas surrounding Durban on a year-round basis.

17th DIFF (1995)          Poster design by Georgia Sarkin. DIFF celebrates one year of democracy and 100 years of cinema.

18th DIFF (1997)          Poster design by Gulam Mather. DIFF returns after one year’s absence, and is scaled down and housed within the Centre for Creative Arts at UND (now UKZN). Gulam Mather takes over as Festival Manager. All screenings take place at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre.           

19th DIFF (1998)          Poster designer unknown. Festival dedicated to Prof. Teddy Sarkin, after the husband of long-time festival director and co-founder, Ros Sarkin, passed away.

20th DIFF (1999)          Poster designer unknown. DIFF celebrates 20 years, and the fact that it is the longest-running film festival in the country. Peter Rorvik takes over officially as director of the CCA, while AJ Nel joins Gulam Mather as Festival Manager.

21st DIFF (2000)           Poster design by ND Mazin (Andy Mason) and D Hadlow. Reintroduction of outreach screenings - in KwaMashu, Ntuzuma and Shongweni. Berea CineCentre is introduced as a new screening venue after its support of Cinema Sublime – a regular Durban screening of arthouse cinema on Sunday evenings.

22nd DIFF (2001)          Poster designer unknown. Nashen Moodley takes over as Festival Manager. Expansion of workshop programme. City of Durban comes on board as principal funder. The festival features a retrospective of films by Djibril Diop Mambety and Oliver Schmitz.

23rd DIFF (2002)          Poster design by Disturbance. Further expanded workshop programme. The closing night film is Amandla!.

24th DIFF (2003)          Poster design by Disturbance. Festival introduces four new venues: Ster Kinekor Nouveau, Gateway, Nu Metro CineCentre - Suncoast, Cinema Screen Entertainment at the Workshop and the Ekhaya Multi-arts Centre, Kwamashu. The festival receives support from the National Film and Video Foundation and the National Lottery. Outreach programme expanded.

25th DIFF (2004)          Poster design by Disturbance. DIFF celebrates its 25th year, and ten years of democracy. It also outlines its principal objectives as such:

“to produce a world class, professionally implemented cinema event; to present a broad selection of culturally diverse, quality films from around the world; to create a special focus on Africa and South Africa and provide an internationally recognized platform to promote South African film and filmmakers; to devise a relevant seminar and workshop programme aimed at filmmakers, aspirant filmmakers and general public; to develop a comprehensive and meaningful outreach screening programme; to strategise effective audience development in all areas and levels; to make KwaZulu-Natal an integral part of the South African film industry.”

26th DIFF (2005)          Poster design by Disturbance. Festival adds Ster Kinekor Musgrave to venues. Wavescape Surf Film Festival comes to DIFF for the first time, including an inflatable screen on the Bay of Plenty lawns.

27th DIFF (2006)          Poster design by Disturbance.  Introduction of the Amnesty Award for films focused on social justice. BAT Centre added as a venue.

28th DIFF (2007)          Poster design by Disturbance. 77 countries represented in the DIFF programme – the most ever. Poverty and Inequality Challenge Film Festival presented as part of DIFF to raise awareness about inequality created through poverty.

29th DIFF (2008)          Poster design by Disturbance. “Love Film/Hate Xenophobia” included as a major theme of the festival following the 2008 xenophobic crisis in South Africa. The first edition of Talent Campus Durban takes place.

30th DIFF (2009)          Poster design by Disturbance.  The festival celebrates its 30th year. The festival hub is located at the Royal Hotel.

31st DIFF (2010)           Poster design by Disturbance. The inaugural Durban Film Mart takes place in association with the Durban Film Office.

32nd DIFF (2011)          Poster design by Disturbance. The festival is dedicated to oppressed Iranian filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof. Nashen Moodley leaves the position of Festival Manager to run the Sydney Film Festival.

33rd DIFF (2012)          Poster design by Disturbance. The festival presents a programme of 175 films (as opposed to the 30 films in 1999). Peter Rorvik retires as the director of the CCA.

34th DIFF (2013)          Poster design by Disturbance. Peter Machen takes up the position of Festival Manager. Wild Talk Film Festival and Conference is introduced to the DIFF programme.

35th DIFF (2014)          Poster design by Wesley van Eeden. DIFF celebrates its 35th year, and South Africa celebrates twenty years of democracy.

The 35th Durban International Film Festival is organised by the Centre for Creative Arts at the 
University of KwaZulu-Natal (a special project of the Deputy Vice Chancellor of the College of Humanities, Professor Cheryl Potgieter) with support from the National Film and Video Foundation, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development & Tourism, KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission, City of Durban, German Embassy, Goethe Institut, Industrial Development Corporation, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture and range of other valued partners.

Award winning documentary PLOT FOR PEACE to premiere at Durban International Film Festival

Award winning documentary PLOT FOR PEACE to premiere 

at Durban International Film Festival

In celebration of twenty years of South Africa’s democracy, the Ichikowitz Family Foundation (IFF) launches its African Oral History Archive (AOHA) initiative to pay tribute to those who lie at the heart of the events that shaped South Africa’s modern history. The film Plot for Peace is the first of a series of political and historical documentaries produced by AOHA that will roll out this year, and will be showcased for the first time on African soil at the Durban International Film Festival which takes place from July 17 to 27. This highly acclaimed documentary lands off the back of a successful tour of the international film festival and commercial circuit, winning no less than eight awards including; Best International Feature Documentary at the 25th Galway Film Festival and the Special Jury Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

The production team is led by multiple Emmy award-winning, South African filmmaker Mandy Jacobson.  The team uncovered the secret story of Jean-Yves Ollivier, aka ‘Monsiuer Jacques,’ whose behind-the-scenes bargaining was instrumental in bringing about regional peace and heralding the dawn of South Africa’s long walk to freedom.

Exclusive interviews from current and former heads of state including President Joachim Chissano, former South African president Thabo Mbeki, President Denis Sassou Nguesso, and other key role players including Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Pik Botha, Jorge Risquet and Chester Crocker bear vivid testimony to the secret dealings that were able to secure regional peace and end the system of segregation that threatened to bring South Africa to its knees.

“In this narrative, we discover a story that Jean-Yves Ollivier kept secret for over thirty years.  It was like finding a character straight out of a John LeCarre novel and we were thus able to craft this true life historic story as a political thriller,” said Producer and Director Mandy Jacobson.

As a result of his contribution to democracy, Jean-Yves Ollivier received one of South Africa’s highest honours twice, the first time by last stalwart of apartheid, P.W. Botha, and the second time by the first President of the new South Africa, Nelson Mandela.

 Seen in commercial cinemas in France, United Kingdom and Spain thus far, Plot for Peace was produced by AOHA, a heritage preservation initiative funded by the IFF.

Ivor Ichikowitz, chairman and founder of the Ichikowitz Family Foundation notes, “The inspiration for this film emerged from hundreds of hours of original testimony around the liberation of South Africa gathered by the AOHA and demonstrates the importance of documenting our Continent’s acclaimed and unknown history makers. Subscribing to best journalistic practice, AOHA adopts no single point of view in its work, but rather, provides the raw material for open storytelling, the hallmark of democratic societies.”

The premiere screening at the Durban International Film Festival, will be attended by protagonist Jean-Yves Ollivier, Director and Producer Mandy Jacobson and Founder and Chairman of the Ichikowitz Family Foundation, Ivor Ichikowitz.

 Plot for Peace at DIFF screening details

·       Date: 23 & 24 July 2014

·       Time: Premiere Screening at 18h00 on July 23

·       Venue: Sun Theatre 7, Suncoast Cinecentre, Suncoast Entertainment World

·       Note: Q&A session will follow the screening.

Plot for Peace opens for one week theatrical release

Fresh off the DIFF circuit, Plot for Peace will then move to Johannesburg for a one week theatrical release at the Cinema Nouveau in Rosebank starting on Friday 1st August and running until Thursday 7th August. Tickets will be available online and at the cinema.

 Second AOHA film to be screened at DIFF

Another of the AOHA’s Tribute series, Rainbow Makers: Tribute to Frontline States, will also be screened at DIFF on 20th and 23rd July.

Presented by the inimitable Shaka Sisulu, a child of exile himself, this portrait recognizes the extraordinary alliance known as “The Frontline States”, whose generosity and bravery provided a home in exile to the longest-lived revolutionary movement on the African Continent. Featuring interviews with over seven heads of state including Zambia’s Kenneth Kaunda and the intimate stories from Max Sisulu, Albie Sachs, Mac Maharaj, Pallo Jordan and Ruth Mompati, along with other exiled icons.

Watch the press for further details on both screenings.

 http://www.durbanfilmfest.co.za/2014/documentary-films/

ENDS

About the Ichikowitz Family Foundation and its heritage initiative

The Ichikowitz Family Foundation was founded by Ivor Ichikowitz, a South African Industrialist and Philanthropist with a passion for Africa and its people. The Foundation carries forward a long family tradition of innovation, entrepreneurship and community engagement.

The Foundation is committed to being:-

• a torchbearer for innovation through education and skills development
• promoting understanding of our complex history by spreading the good news about Africa
• building self-believe and confidence among Africans

·       conservation of the continent's biodiversity.

The Foundation’s African Oral History Archive (AOHA) initiative aims to safeguard Africa’s dynamic heritage for future generations. In a global effort, over 150 interviews have been recorded, giving unprecedented access to all those who have been instrumental in shaping South Africa’s modern history. The Archive charts the incremental changes, revolutions, set-backs and victories in Africa’s complex history and brings these stories to audiences across the globe

For the Celebrating Twenty Years of Democracy initiative, a six-part series called Rainbow Makers marks this historic event and will be shown on SABC during Heritage Month in September 2014.

The 35th Durban International Film Festival announces Hard to Get for its opening night film

The Durban International Film Festival (July 17 – 27) is extremely happy to announce that the opening film at DIFF 2014 will be Hard To Get from first-time feature director Zee Ntuli and produced by Junaid Ahmed and Helena Spring.

The film tells the story of TK, a handsome young womanizer from a small community who falls for a sexy, reckless young thief named Skiets. Thrust into Joburg’s criminal underworld TK realises that his best bet is to trust her and hang on for dear life.

The action romance explores the universal theme of love in the very specific context of contemporary South Africa. At its heart, it is simply a story of two young South Africans embarking on the universal adventure of falling in love, symbolically set against the dangerous, unpredictable, cruel and ruthless backdrop of Joburg’s criminal underworld. Says Zee Ntuli, “The criminal gauntlet parallels the emotional journey of TK and Skiets, providing a metaphor for how scary falling in love can be. Ultimately it is a hopeful story, one which carries the message that love is worth fighting for.”

Talking about the film, Festival Manager, Peter Machen, said, “I am very excited about Hard To Get. It’s a beautifully made film that works on every level and will satisfy commercial and art-house audiences alike. I also think that it’s going to make instant stars of its two leads Thishiwe Ziqubu and Pallance Dladla, who are both electrifying, as well as director Zee Ntuli, who is virtually guaranteed a bright future on the global filmmaking stage on the basis of this first feature.”

Machen continued, “With the production team of Helena Spring and Junaid Ahmed behind the film, I have a strong suspicion that this is going to be the one that cracks open local audience’s desire to watch strong local film products. I have no doubt that audiences will walk out of the theatre electrified, and will be filled with excitement about the rest of the festival. All of this makes Hard To Get the perfect opening film for DIFF 2014. Co-producer Helena Spring said, “Junaid and I are thrilled to be launching major new talent with Hard to Get. We are incredibly proud of the work that director Zee Ntuli, his team and cast, have delivered. There is already a great deal of buzz around the film and we have no doubt that a bright future awaits them.”

Junaid Ahmed mentioned that Hard To Get is the first of a slate of films that he and Spring are producing which showcase the talent of previously marginalised black filmmakers in South Africa. Ahmed went on to praise the assured and distinctive directorial debut of Ntuli, as well as that of co-writer TT Sibisi. “Hard To Get heralds the arrival of exciting new voices in South African cinema”. 

Although, Hard To Get is Ntuli’s first feature, he has already made his mark on the local film scene. He has written for the award-winning hit show Intersexions and has directed a humorous 40sec advert entitled Grandfather for Ster-Kinekor’s Vision Mission initiative. He has also directed music videos for the bands Crash Car Burn and Wrestlerish, as well having worked on Soul City and the crime drama Mshika-shika. Ntuli studied at AFDA, the School Of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance, winning the award for Best Film during all four years of studies. His 24 minute short film, Bomlambo (Those Of The Water), won the award for best fantasy film at the New York International Film Festival. Ntuli was nominated for best short film at the 2012 SAFTAs and has already had his short films screened at festivals in South Africa and around the world. His 12 minute short In Return (Emasisweni) was nominated as the South African candidate for the Student Oscars in 2010.

The Durban International Film Festival takes place from 17 – 27 July 2014. The festival includes more than 200 theatrical screenings and a full seminar and workshop programme, as well as the Wavescape Film Festival, the Wild Talk Africa Film Festival, and various industry initiatives, including the 7th Talent Campus Durban (in cooperation with the Berlin Talent Campus) and  the 5th Durban FilmMart co-production market (in partnership with the Durban Film Office).  For more information go to www.durbanfilmfestival.co.za

The 35th Durban International Film Festival is organised by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (a special project of the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Humanities, Cheryl Potgieter) with support from the National Film and Video Foundation, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development & Tourism, KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission, City of Durban, German Embassy, Goethe Institut, Industrial Development Corporation, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture and arange of other valued partners.

AFDA Annual Experimental Film, Television and Performance Festival and launch of Taxi Radio in Durban this weekend

AFDA (The South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance) Durban is hosting the AFDA Annual Experimental Film, Television and Performance Festival on Friday 13 and Saturday 14 June.

The two-day festival will consist of film screenings, theatre and musical performances, as well as a live television broadcast each day at the newly upgraded campus. The screenings will be a combination of films made by AFDA Durban first and second year students as well as third year Cape Town students. All performances and television broadcasts will be done by AFDA Durban students as part of their term project for evaluation.

Soli Philander’s online Taxi Radio, which is based in Cape Town, will be launched in Durban and will be broadcasting live from the AFDA campus during the festival.  AFDA Durban will host the station in Durban and will broadcast a live show every Friday from 4 to 6pmanchored by Dean of AFDA Durban, Franco Human (also known from his appearances on SABC’s Expresso as “The Guy in the Green Shorts”.). The show will focus on gigs and events and all things trending and taking place in Durban and will eventually be produced and anchored by students on the AFDA campus as an extracurricular activity exclusive to AFDA Durban.

The AFDA festival is open to all and tickets are available at the door at R30 for a two-day combined ticket or R20 for a one-day ticket. Food and refreshments will be on sale.

The Festival takes place from 2pm to 7.30pm on Friday, June 13 and from 11am to 7.30pm on Saturday, June 14.

For more details check out the Facebook  - AFDA Durban and Twitter @AFDADurban  For more info on AFDA contact 0315692252, go towww.afda.co.za.

Flatfoot Dance Company @ artSPACE durban

For the week 23 – 27 June 2014, Durban’s inimitable FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY will be resident at artSPACE durban. In a meeting of dancers and fine artists, FLATFOOT will work in artSPACE durban giving local artists an opportunity to paint, draw and create around the dancers as they rehearse, dance and create choreography.  FLATFOOT will continue to work in their normal day routine and will open up their daily work process.

The week will involve session where artists can watch and engage the dancers in their daily rehearsals but there will also be specific sessions where the dancers will be a little more still to promote portraiture (see schedule below). 

The week will culminate in a final performance called “SOUTHERN EXPOSURE” by FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY on Friday 27 June at 6.30pm (with bar facilities open) and curator Karen Bradtke will select some of the art works generated over the week to put on display in the gallery at the Friday event.  FLATFOOT will perform two works; “UGUHBU” by Sifiso Khumalo and “the inheritance of loss” by Lliane Loots.

Fees for artists to participate are 100 per day or R350 for the week and on June 25 there is a special portraiture session from 5.30pm - 7.30pm and the cost os R100.  Tickets for the performance on the 27 June are R50 or R25 for those taking part in the artist residency.

For enquires and bookings for the art residency, please contact artSPACE durban: 031 – 312 0793.

For enquires about the Friday night performance, contact Clare on 082 – 875 6065.

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AFDA Durban to host Open Day

The AFDA Durban Campus will host an Open Day next Saturday, June 7 from 10 to 12noon at the Glen Anil campus, for prospective students and their parents to obtain more information about AFDA’s Undergraduate BA degree in Motion Picture Medium or Live Performance.

This new, state of the art, campus established in 2013 has seen substantial growth and upgrades to accommodate the students’ needs in the first and second year of the Undergraduate degree. The Bachelor of Arts degree is designed as a platform to nurture and develop the necessary skills to enter the industry and to create sustainable, quality and entertainment productions after they graduate. The Open Day will offer the opportunity to view selected AFDA student films, followed by a brief presentation by the Campus Dean about the Undergraduate degree. The open day will then proceed with guided tours around the campus with live demonstrations of disciplines within each of the Film, TV and Performance schools. 

On Friday, June 6, the Durban campus will also host an Interview Day from 1:30pm until 5pm. Prospective students are invited to book a slot to meet with the Campus Dean, a Head of School or a lecturer from the campus within the area they may be interested in. This is an opportunity to ask any questions and seek advice on the course or a career in the Entertainment industry. There are also limited slots available for appointments on Open Day, June 7.

AFDA Durban will host the AFDA Experimental Festival in Film, Television and Performance, which will showcase student films, performances as well as a live television recording on Friday and Saturday, June 13 and 14. Follow the Facebook (AFDA Durban) and Twitter (@AFDADurban) pages to get all the details..

Contact the campus directly for more information on the Open Day or to make an appointment: 0315692252 / milenag@afda.co.za /puritys@afda.co.za. 

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Vusi Mahlasela for Action in Autism Benefit Concert

Ernie Smith

Action is Autism in partnership with the eThekwini Municipality, will host a Benefit Concert for Autism with Vusi Mahlasela on Saturday, 14 June at the Durban City Hall from 19:00.

Action in Autism is a non-profit organisation established to act as a lobbyist, support and fundraising body for parents of children diagnosed with autism. The central focus of the organisation is to improve the quality of life for people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and their caregivers. One of Action in Autism’s flagship projects is its Early Learning Intervention and Resource Centre which has been running for the past 5 years and is temporarily based at 74 Keal Road, Sydenham, Durban, 4001. The Early Learning Intervention Centre provides a pivotal space of excellence in early intervention and therapy for infants and children aged between 2 and 6 years old. Each child enrolled at the centre receives daily one on one intervention, weekly speech-language and occupational therapy from a staff of 10 full time and 2 part time professionals in the field of autism.

Born and raised in the Mamelodi Township, just outside Pretoria, self taught guitarist Vusi Mahlasela built his first guitar from fishing line’s and a cooking oil can.  In 1976, Vusi’s political education began as he witnessed the devastating massacre of more than 200 black South Africans in the Soweto Uprising.  Vusi responded through his music, inspiring other musicians and listeners around him. Vusi began to write songs of justice, of freedom, of revolution, of love, of peace and of life.   He joined a poetry group, The Ancestors of Africa, and also joined the Congress of South African Writers, a group of like-minded artists and writers, including Nobel Laureate Nadine Gordimer who paid for Vusi’s first guitar lessons.  At this point, his political activism truly began.

This past year, the SAMA Awards (South African Music Awards) chose to honour Vusi with a Lifetime Achievement award to recognize his accomplishments both at home and abroad.  The honor made the troubadour take a look back and realize that in what felt like a blink of the eye, it had been twenty years since the release of When You Come Back.  In celebration, he got the band together and put on a big show at the Lyric Theatre in Johannesburg—and recorded it.

Opening act is Durban’s music hero Ernie Smith whose mix of Jazz, African and R&B references will no doubt get the crowd revving up for Mahlasela.

“International statistics indicate numbers as high as 1:110 people being diagnosed with Autism. The focus of the benefit concert is to raise public awareness for Autism Spectrum Disorder whilst at the same time raising much needed funds to build an Autism Centre to cater for those most in need” says Director and Founder of Action in Autism, Liza Aziz.

Tickets are R180 to R250 and are available on Computicket. Corporate packages for 10 or more tickets are available. For more information on Action in Autism, the Benefit Concert, to block book a corporate package or how you can get involved in assisting the centre you can contact Kirsten Miller on (031) 2074858 or info@actioninautism.org.za

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AFDA Johannesburg launches new 75-seater theatre

AFDA Johannesburg launches new 75-seater theatre 

The AFDA School of Live Performance opened its new 75-seater Red Roof Theatre @AFDA on Friday, May 9 with a festival of four award-winning professional theatre productions.

The impressive set of plays that have been presented over the 10 day festival include the internationally acclaimed cult production THE EPICENE BUTCHER AND OTHER STORIES FOR CONSENTING ADULTS; Gina Shmukler's docu-drama THE LINE with Khutjo Green (Naledi Award Winner for Best Actress) and Gabi Harris; Amanda Strydom's multilingual cabaret, STATE OF THE HEART, that pokes fun at the Afrikaner soul and gives a glimpse of the history of South Africa from the twenties to the late seventies; and Phillip M Dikotla's Fleur du Cap winning performance in SKIERLIK.

In 2012 AFDA reintroduced its theatre-training programme that had been dormant since 2006. It also added a programme in Music Performance that trains singer / songrwriters. Greg Homann joined AFDA at the beginning of last year and under his headship the Live Performance School has rapidly grown in numbers. Joining the staff of Justin Strydom, Drikus Volschenk and Coenraad Rall, the school employed new staff members Camilla Waldman and Heidi Edeling, along with an impressive list of professional practitioners who serve the school as part-time teachers. These include Daniel Buckland, Ameera Patel, Prince Lamla, Gina Shmukler, and Robert Coleman.

At the beginning of this year the AFDA School of Live Performance in Johannesburg confirmed three Chairs in its discipline training of Screen Acting, Stage Acting and Music Performance. These chairs are Linda Sokhulu, David Dennis and Judith Sephuma respectively.

The festival ends this weekend with SKIERLIK being performed on Friday 16 and Saturday 17 May at 7.30pm. SKIERLIK, written and performed by Phillip Dikotla, was the winner of best production at the Zabalaza Theatre Festival 2013, and a Standard Bank Ovation Award at the 2013 National Arts Festival in Grahamstown. 

Tickets are R80 (R50 for students). To book call  011 482 8345 or at the theatre box-office.

E N D S

For further media info and enquiries email Greg Homann (gregh@afda.co.za)

Durban Film Selected for Cannes

Media Release
Durban Film Selected for Cannes

A film produced and written by Durban filmmaker and AFDA Durban Scriptwriting Lecturer, Janet van Eeden, A Shot at the Big Time, the short, has been selected for the Cannes Court Metrage, the short film corner of the official Cannes Festival 2014. It was chosen out of over a million entries. 

“This honour is something my co-producer, Magda M. Olchawska, and I have dreamed of since we joined forces to make A Shot at the Big Time, the short,” says Van Eeden. “We met online when I ran the Indiegogo.com crowd-funding campaign in 2011. I’d given up on the dream recently and am working hard at present raising funds to make the feature film by the end of the year, so when Magda let me know late on Thursday night that we’d been accepted I was over the moon.”

Van Eeden launched the crowd-funding campaign for Shot on 11th of the 11th 2011, on Remembrance Day, in remembrance of her brother, Jimmy, who was killed on the border in mysterious circumstances after being there for only three days in 1979. 
“I’d never been able to forget Jimmy’s tragic life, and after being challenged by film and theatre critic, Robert Greig, to write about my own life instead of writing plays about literary greats, I finally had the courage to put pen to paper and tackle one of the saddest experiences of my life,” she explains.

“Jimmy was my idol in the small town of Odendaalsrus. He was a rock star in the eyes of all the youngsters as he was the lead singer in a band which dreamed of making the big time. When he received his call-up papers when he was only seventeen, his dream was put on hold. Especially after he had a traumatic incident in basics which made him go AWOL, steal a rifle and fire rounds of bullets into the rubbish dump with the members of his band. A terrible accident happened and Jimmy had a breakdown and was classified as mentally unfit for military service. He tried to put his life back together again but he was broken by the events,” says Van Eeden. “Three years later the army forgot about the fact that they’d classified him as unfit and called him up to do Border duty. He was part of the infantry but he did not want to kill anyone. There are conflicting stories of what happened to him on the border on that fateful day, but all we know for sure is that three days after arriving on the border, my parents received a phone call telling them that Jimmy had been killed by a ricochet bullet.” 

The feature film script of A Shot at the Big Time is based on the the story of the tragic loss of Van Eeden’s brother which she says is Oedipal in its intensity. When she couldn’t get funding for the feature without giving away the rights to the film completely, and thereby compromising on the integrity of the story, she decided to do a crowd-funding campaign after listening to US expert Peter Broderick at the Durban Film Mart in 2011. She decided to produce the film herself. She didn’t raise enough money for the feature on Indiegogo.com but received so much support, including finding gifted young director from Australia, Stephen de Villiers and London producer Magda M. Olchawska, that they decided to shoot the short film instead. The lead actors auditioned online as part of the crowd-funding campaign and “the best actors I could’ve dreamt of” were found in Brad Backhouse as Jimmy and Sean C. Michael as the antagonist Van Staden. De Villiers flew out in July 2012 to film Shot the Short. Even an executive Producer, Athol Williams, was found through the campaign and he gave whatever he could to make the short film happen.

A Shot at the Big Time was one of the projects selected for the Durban Film Mart in 2012 and the short film premiered at the Durban International Film Festival in July 2013. It was awarded an eThekwini Film Award in November 2013. 

Producer, Magda M. Olchawska will represent A Shot at the Big Time at Cannes, as there has not been enough time to raise sponsorship for Van Eeden’s visit. However, she hopes the whole team  will represent Shot next year when they enter the feature into the festival.

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NOTE:

“At Cannes, short films are represented at the Competition, at the end of which the short films Jury awards a Palme d’or, and at the Short Film Corner, a professional area for meeting people, exchanging ideas and promoting films. Cannes Court Métrage brings these two entities together in a complementary dynamic in an attempt to offer an all-encompassing panorama of the young production worldwide, as well as to stimulate the creativity of short film professionals by bringing them together at workshops and conferences in an area set aside for this purpose at the Palais des Festivals.”  http://www.festival-cannes.fr/en/festival/CannesShorts.html

Launch of the Awesome iLembe Arts Festival

In celebration of 20 years of freedom and democracy, the first Awesome iLembe Arts Festival will take place across the iLembe region on the North Coast of KwaZulu-Natal from 8 to 10 August 2014. An innovative and far sighted initiative by the Department of Arts and Culture in partnership with producers Awesome Africa Festival Productions, this multi-cultural event will take the music to the people – and directly into the communities themselves at venues in Mandeni, Ndwedwe, Maphumulo and KwaDukuza.

The Festival will feature around 40 local, national and international artists in the disciplines of music, theatre, dance, poetry, storytelling and arts and crafts, with the main focus falling on music this year. Audiences will be enthralled by contributions from various music genres and themes including jazz, gospel, pop, rock, pan-african, maskandi, isicathamiya, hip hop, Indian traditional, Bollywood, and various “world music” styles. The Festival will also include the “Funk it Up” DJ Experience, as well as a focus on South African legends and a Songwriters’ Hall of Fame.

As the Festival falls over the “Women’s Day” weekend, there will be a strong focus on women artists, and in the special concert commemorating legends, the first artist to be featured will be the incomparable Ray Phiri with his “The Man, The Music, The Friendships” concept. 

In keeping with the Festival’s aim of showcasing local talent, it is envisaged that up to 50% of all talent will be drawn from the iLembe region. The international artists will be chosen for their passion and dedication in collaborating and transferring skills to local artists, and renowned KZN based mentors will work alongside local talent and local event managers to prepare them for the festival.

Says MEC for Arts & Culture Mrs Ntombikayise Sibhidla-Sapetha, “We are very proud and excited to associate ourselves with this unique brand and concept, that goes far beyond providing great entertainment. Besides many pro-active socio- economic elements, the Festival also addresses the vital aspects of social cohesion and nation building in our country. No longer will iconic events and artists be the domain only of the big cities. We pride ourselves in taking the music and the arts back to the people – in essence straight into the communities who have supported our fight for freedom and democracy. We have recently had big names such as Carlos Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Eminem and other international stars only performing in the big cities, and even Durban has been excluded. Many people are asking us why we are bringing a legend like Kirk Whalum deep into the rural areas – and our answer is that we believe that we need to “give back” to our people in the communities, who have never had the opportunity to see these kinds of stars right in front of their eyes, despite relating and supporting their music for a long time – and in this instance especially Kirk Whalum, whose brand of gospel and jazz speaks directly to the soul of our people and our sense of Ubuntu.

So what better time to launch this than in 2014, the year of our celebration of twenty years of freedom and democracy. In years to come, it is envisaged that the number of venues included in the Festival will increase to include historical sites along the King Shaka Heritage route and the Luthuli Museum (which was a home for the first South African Nobel Peace Prize winner Chief Albert Luthuli), Ndondakusuka Hills and the Nhlangakazi mountains. We see this Festival growing organically in the future, and enticing tourists not only from South Africa, but also the world to come and share our community spirit and talent”.

Festival Director Princess Nandi Zulu says, “The Festival aims to be an iconic event that will last into posterity, and the added components of a local talent search and a capacity building programme will address inherent societal issues such as economic development, job creation, skills transfer and talent identification, making it a truly unique event. The festival, is expected to attract an audience of around 20,000 people over the three days, and will provide between 400 direct and 1,000 indirect jobs. The festival will actively target an eighty percent share of festival staff and festival related spend to flow into the iLembe region thus stimulating economic development. In time, we aim to stimulate tourism along the ILembe Region which boasts majestic hills, warm beaches and a rich cultural mix of Zulu, European and Indian people and historic heritage sites”.

The Festival will be launched in style on the 27th March at the Sibusisiwe Community Centre in Mandeni, with the example of “taking the music to the people in the communities”, being taken quite literally with a unique “concert of a lifetime” by US Jazz legend Kirk Whalum, who will bring his much celebrated series “The Gospel According to Jazz” to Africa for the very first time. The tenor saxophonist has collaborated with industry greats such as Al Jarreau, Quincy Jones and Barbara Streisand and it is his passionate sax solo that is heard on Whitney Houston’s mega-hit, “I Will Always Love You”. Kirk considers himself as a “man of the people”, and is the recipient of numerous awards and acknowledgements for his musical excellence, and won his first Grammy award for Best Gospel Song “It’s What I Do”, featuring Lalah Hathaway. He recently recorded the next chapter in his series (Chapter IV) in New York to be released worldwide in September. He will preview some of those new songs as well as perform his anthems from the past.

For further information on the Festival, or for anyone in the ILembe region who would like to be involved, please visit the web site www.awesomefestivals.com or call Gabi Nkabinde on 084-3578860.

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