The 28th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), taking place from 20 June to 1 July, will, together with SANPAD (South Africa-Netherlands Research Programme on Alternatives in Development), present a special series of films around the issues of poverty and inequality.
The Poverty and Inequality Film Festival will take place in conjunction with the SANPAD Poverty Challenge Conference, which is funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and takes place in Durban from 26 to 29 June.
The conference is a global forum to discuss, debate and make recommendations on key issues relating to poverty such as poverty and inequality, social welfare, corruption in government, land distribution, agriculture, natural resources, employment, the labour market, education policies and the feminisation of poverty. The conference will bring together key thinkers and writers on poverty, as well as young researchers. Visiting speakers include Jeffrey Sachs, Thandika Mkandawire, James Ferguson and Pallagumi Sainath.
The Poverty and Inequality Challenge Film Festival opens on 27 June at Nu Metro Cinecentre, Suncoast, with a screening of Abderrahmane Sissako’s “Bamako’, an impassioned and intelligent film in which African civil society takes the World Bank and IMF to court, on charges of being responsible for Africa’s poverty.
Says Peter Rorvik, Director of the DIFF: “We have always made an effort to present films that take a close look at the world and make a stand against poverty, inequality and injustice. The SANPAD Poverty Conference offers an ideal opportunity for the festival to present such films within a special focus. We are very pleased to be associated with the Conference and its important objectives.”
Dr Anshu Padyachee, CEO of SANPAD, comments: “This year marks the 10th anniversary of SANPAD’s presence in South Africa. The Poverty Challenge conference being held at the Elangeni Hotel from the 26 – 29 June will showcase some of the finest and cutting edge research on poverty and inequality globally. To incorporate a unique film festival focusing specifically on poverty and inequality is an innovative and creative way of taking an important message such as this and making it accessible to the world. We hope that the films shown at the film festival together with the research presented at the conference will assist in pushing the debate on poverty further and that frank discussions on effective strategies can be had, which at this time, is crucial for developing countries in the South”.
Alongside “Bamako’, the festival has brought together a fascinating and though-provoking selection of feature films and documentaries from around the world. Feature films included in the programme include “Dreams Of Dust’ by Laurent Salgues, “Antonia’ by Tata Amaral, “Suely In The Sky’ by Karim Ainouz, “Bog Of Beasts’ by Claudio Assis, “On The Wings Of Dreams’ by Golam Rabbany Biplob and “Sounds Of Sand’ by Marion Hansel.
Amongst the enlightening documentaries in the selection are: “In Debt We Trust’ by Danny Schechter, “El Ejido, The Law Of Profit’ by Rhalib Jawad, “What Would Jesus Buy?’ by Rob Van Alkemade, “Damned By Debt Relief’ by Ceri Dingle, “The Struggle For Livelihood In Mining Communities’ by Sebastian Bohm and Vivian Schuler, and “A World Without Water’ by Brian Woods.
Screenings of these films will take place throughout DIFF, but there will be a concentrated screening schedule at Nu Metro Cinecentre Suncoast from 27 to 30 June.
The DIFF runs from 20 June to 1 July at a variety of theatres and venues across Durban. The full programme will be available at the end of May on www.cca.ukzn.ac.za. Contact the Centre for Creative Arts on 031 260 2506 for further information. For further information on the SANPAD Poverty Conference, visit www.povertyconference.co.za
Organised by the Centre for Creative Arts (UKZN) the DIFF is funded by National Film & Video Foundation, National Lottery Distribution Fund, HIVOS, Stichting Doen, and the City of Durban, with support from SANPAD and a range of valued partners.
