Highlights and winners at the 44th Durban International Film Festival
"It was inspiring to see audiences coming to the cinema. It shows us that there is huge enthusiasm from our South African audiences for high-quality arthouse films at the festival."
From July 20th to 30th, the 44th edition of the Durban International Film Festival, South Africa’s longest-running film festival, was held at the Suncoast CineCentre, Durban, South Africa. 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 festival was presented by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu- Natal.
With the submission of 3316 films from 137 countries as of the closing of submission in February for this year’s edition, ninety (90) feature films, documentaries, and short films were selected to be screened while nine (9) feature films were selected to compete for Best Feature Film, Best Direction, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Actor and Best Actress.
As earlier reported, the premiere of the widely acclaimed drama feature film, Sira, written and directed by Apolline Traoré, which story follows a young nomad who takes a stand against Islamist terror, launched the opening of the 44th edition of the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) at the opening night of the ten (10) days of film screening, discussion, and workshops. The opening film screening witnessed the gathering of esteemed and celebrated filmmakers, actors, film industry professionals, and arthouse film enthusiasts at the Suncoast Cinema.
According to report, the opening night had guests from organisations such as BASA, Goethe Institut, French Institute of South Africa, KZN Film, National Film and Video Foundation, Netflix, and the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Filmmakers and producers such as Carolyn Carew, Gabriella Blumberg, Ian Gabriel, and Layla Swart, were said to be present. Actors including Abdul Khoza, Angel Zuma, Baby Cele, Melusi Mbele, and Nolwazi Ngubeni were also reported to be in attendance.
Renowned film producer, Layla Swart led a Q&A following the screening of SIRA. “It humbles me that a few years ago, I had my short film screened here and tonight, we are here, and our featuring film is opening DIFF2023” said Apolline Traoré, film director.
Winners at the 44th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF)
With an international jury comprising of Jean Marie Teno (Cameroon / France), Lisa Aziz (South Africa), and Lesedi Moche (South Africa), winners were announced across various categories. They include:
Best Feature Film: RICEBOY SLEEPS directed by Anthony Shim
Best Director: Lila Avilés for her film TÓTEM
Best African Feature Film: OMEN directed by Baloji
Best Screenplay: THE BURDENED by Amr Gamal and Mazen Refaat
Best Cinematography: JORAM directed by Piyush Puty
Best Actor: Manoj Bajpayee, Lead actor for JORAM
Best South African Feature: RUNS IN THE FAMILY directed by Ian Gabriel
Best Documentary: THE MOTHER OF ALL LIES directed by Asmae El Moudir
Best African Documentary: LE SPECTRE DE BOKO HARAM directed by Cyrielle Raingou
Best South African Documentary: MILISUTHANDO directed by Milisuthando Bongela
Winners in the short film category are:
Best Short Film: WILL YOU LOOK AT ME directed by Shuli Huang
Best African Short Film: APOSTLES OF CINEMA directed by Darragh Amelia, Gertrude Malizana, Jesse Gerard Mpango, and Cece Mlay
Best South African Short Film: MIRROR MIRROR directed by Sandulela Asanda
Winners for the 2nd edition of the Isiphethu International Student Film Festival were also awarded, they are:
Best Student Film: A ROADSIDE BANQUET directed by Chinese student Peiqi Peng.
Best South African Film: HIBERNATION, the Afrikaans Student Film by Leandros Brown and Daniel Howells
BEYOND UTOPIA by Madeleine Gavin was awarded the Amnesty International Durban Human Rights Award for raising awareness of the long-hidden gross human rights violations in North Korea.
“It was inspiring to see audiences coming to the cinema. It shows us that there is huge enthusiasm from our South African audiences for high-quality arthouse films at the festival. It encourages us to continue to develop and we look forward to DIFF2024,” said Andrea Voges, Festival Manager and Head of Programming while expressing her appreciation for the audiences who attended the festival.
“It was such a joy to be able to come support and celebrate African film! I had an amazing time! Congratulations to all the incredibly talented folks involved in the festival! Lililililiii!!!,” wrote Nondumiso Tembe.
Also, the festival management and features jury jointly awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award to MAPANTSULA. “The film is a cultural touchstone for South Africa and continues to inspire younger generations of filmmakers. This award serves to not only recognise the talent of the filmmaker but also acknowledge the lasting contributions that Mapantsula has made to South African cinema. It is a reminder that films can be vehicles for inspiring social change,” the award’s citation states.
To close the festival, the management declared the festival will be back next year and promises an even more exciting and bumper 45th-anniversary edition of the festival in 2024.
Visit DIFF’s Instagram to catch more highlights of DIFF2023.
