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The travelling brand

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 12:51

Screen Africa has received wonderful invitations to attend two prestigious international festivals – the Golden Horse Film Festival in Taipei, Taiwan and the Dubai International Film Festival in the United Arab Emirates, proving that the Screen Africa brand has a healthy profile overseas.

While in Taipei in the fourth week of November, as part of an international press group, I will meet with Taiwanese film directors Cheng-sheng Lin, Albert JL Huang and Ta-Pu Chen, as well as with the Central Motion Pictures Corporation, which has done much to promote cinema in Taiwan. I will also meet with the famed local movie critic, Professor Peggy Chiao of the School of Film and New Media at the Taipei National University of the Arts and visit the Chinese Taipei Film Archive.

Not much is known in South Africa about the Taiwanese film industry other than the work of the Oscar-winning director Ang Lee, who made such cinematic masterpieces as Brokeback Mountain; The Ice Storm, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon; Lust, Caution; and Ride with the Devil, among others. Lee is part of what is known as the second wave of Taiwanese filmmakers.

 My colleague, Linda Loubser (formerly Krige), is to attend the Dubai Film Festival in mid-December and will interview the South African contingent attending, including Sara Blecher (Otelo Burning) and Khalid Shamis (Imama and I) and Johannesburg-based Akin Omotoso (Man on Ground). Nigerian filmmakers Andrew Dosunmu (Restless City) and Branwen Okpako (The Education of Auma Obama), as well as Rwandan Kivu Ruhorahoza (Grey Matter) have also been selected for Dubai.

The Africa programme of the Dubai festival is curated by Nashen Moodley, currently manager of the Durban International Film Festival and from January, the director of the Sydney Film Festival. Nashen will continue to curate the Dubai festival once he takes up office in Sydney. Anyone who has ever met Nashen will know that he is a true cinephile and absolutely passionate about film, so his exciting new post is well deserved.

But now, it’s time to travel…

Joanna Sterkowicz



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