Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) set to return onsite for its 44th edition after going online for the last three(3) years due to lockdown
The Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) is back with physical events for its 44th edition set to commence on July 20 and run through till July 30 in Durban, South Africa.
After a three-year break due to lockdown, the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) is back with physical events for its 44th edition set to commence on July 20 and run through till July 30 in Suncoast CineCentre, Durban, South Africa. With films such as “1960”, “Bangarang”, “Bantu Mama”, “Prayers for Sweet Waters”, “Sixteen Rounds”, “Wind Blows the Border” and “Batata” winning in different categories in the last edition, this edition will showcase 90 films from 54 countries comprising of an impressive variety of shorts, features, documentaries and student films.
In a press release, DIFF stated that, “The 44th edition of the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) has received an impressive number of 3 316 films from 137 countries after submissions closed on the 28th of February.” Festival Manager, Andrea Voges said, “The 2023 DIFF programme will showcase the works of filmmakers who place their imaginations, voices, creativity and lenses at the centre of creating films that inspire, confront, challenge and provoke audiences. The programming team will look out for innovative storytelling that will connect storytellers with audiences.”
The festival proactively promotes the development of the African film industry. It provides a strategic exhibition platform for local products alongside international films within a professionally implemented and reputable cultural experience. DIFF aims to celebrate excellence in film-making by unearthing and showcasing films that provide a memorable and enriching cinematic experience for audiences with courageous untold narratives or new ways of retelling often-told narratives.
To open the 44th edition of the festival this year, DIFF announced it will be screening Sira, the internationally celebrated film which won the Panorama Audience Award for Best Feature Film at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival in February this year. The widely acclaimed drama feature film, Sira, written and directed by Apolline Traoré follows a young nomad who takes a stand against Islamist terror. The film is a powerful feminist counterpoint to current reporting from the Sahel region.
In a statement to DIFF, Apolline Traoré said, “I am so very honoured that my film Sira will open the Durban International Film Festival. It’s really a miracle. A year ago, during our difficult production we thought the film would never see the light. And here we are today, opening one of the greatest film festivals in Africa. It’s a blessing.”
For the closing of the festival, DIFF will be screening the film, Banel and Adama, a 2023 French-Malian-Senegalese romantic drama and debut feature film directed by Senegalese screenwriter, Ramata-Toulaye Sy. The film premiered, in competition, at the 76th Cannes Film Festival in May 2023. The film centres around Banel and Adama who are young adults in their late teens who live in a remote village in northern Senegal. The film is a feisty tale about romance, family relationships and the chaos that ensues when Adam.
The feature film jury for this year’s award selection is made up of high standing industry members such as Jean Marie Teno (Cameroon / France), Lisa Aziz (South Africa), and Lesedi Moche (South Africa). The festival’s jury is drawn from 8 countries and a total sum of R250 000 in awards is up for grabs across the various competition categories.
Films produced by filmmakers from 15 countries will compete for awards during the festival and award winners will be announced on Saturday, 29 July 2023.
This edition of DIFF will also witness the 6th edition of isiPhethu, a developmental programme that includes the isiZulu Scriptwriting Workshop, Industry Programme, and screenings in community centres. Also, the 2nd International Student Film Festival, the first of its kind on the continent, will showcase 30 student films from all over the world, at the KwaZulu-Natal Society for the Arts (KZNSA) free of charge.
About Durban International Film Festival (DIFF)
Presented by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of Kwazulu-Natal with support from the National Film and Video Foundation, Kwazulu-Natal Film Commission, the Durban Film Office, the National Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Avalon Group, the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) is South Africa’s longest-running film festival. The festival is widely regarded as a leading film festival on the African continent and a highly anticipated event on the international film calendar.
About Isiphethu Industry Development Programme
The DIFF’s Isiphethu Industry Development Programme promotes and highlights opportunities and possibilities for local film production, and it stimulates the growth of the local film industry. The programme consists of seminars and workshops that stimulate industry development whilst a community outreach programme reaches out to bring historically marginalised audiences into enjoying a festival experience.
The Isiphethu International Student Film Festival is open to filmmakers currently enrolled at any tertiary institution whose film celebrates innovation, wild imagination, courage, conviction and bravery to tell stories in new, exciting and innovative ways. The Isiphethu International Student Film Festival celebrates tomorrow’s generation of legendary filmmakers today as they shape their careers and make their first real films.
Visit DIFF’s website or follow them on Instagram for more information on the festival. Tickets can be booked at cinecentre.co.za.
