Three short films by emerging filmmakers will be shown at the next Off The Shelf screening event, which takes place at Private Practice, Johannesburg on 30 August at 6.30pm. The screenings will be followed by a Q&A session with the filmmakers.
Brandon Oelofse’s Kammakastig Land tells the story of Fourie (H.O.Meyer), a young Afrikaans man who sets out on a journey from Johannesburg to Cape Town to scatter his fathers’ ashes into the ocean at Cape Point. Along the way Fourie discovers a true sense of the man his father was, and by confronting the past ultimately finds his future in the process. The film is described as a meditation on the current identities that have emerged out of the transition towards the new South Africa and in particular the psyche of the white Afrikaans male. The narrative uses a number of devices – the classic American Western, the Road Movie and parallel narratives to guide its translation, meaning and style. The film was completed in 2007 and as an AFDA honours graduate film garnered 10 awards at the AFDA Johannesburg film awards, including for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor. Kammakastig Land was produced by Anthonie van der Walt and Peter Adolphis,
Nine Miles Beautiful, produced by Peter Blackbrn and Graham Young, is tagged: “Rebuilding faith, love and family is the long journey home”. After a stint in jail, Darren arrives at his run-down family home to confront the aftermath of the tragic event that tore his family apart 18 months ago. He finds a resentful brother confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, a worn-down mother at breaking point and the rusting wreck of the car that he was driving when their lives changed forever. Now Darren must find a way to bridge the gap between guilt, anger, despair and forgiveness to bring his family together again, and begin the journey towards healing they must all share.
Thabang Phetla’s Love in the Time of Blackouts explores the manifestations of love through small actions and constant presence rather than the flashy gestures and poetic praise. The audience spends a day with two lovers and their roommate and discover that sometimes love is best expressed by putting up with your lover’s poorer judgement calls and still being there to help clean up afterwards.
Private Practice can be found at 195 Jeppe Street (entrance on Bree Street).
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