Some 430 films from around the world were submitted for the 2013 edition of the Encounters South African International Documentary Festival, which runs from 6 to 16 June in Cape Town and Johannesburg.
Says festival director Lesedi Moche: “We strive to bring the most discussed films in the world to Encounters and also to be a platform for South African films. While it’s been a really excellent year for international films, we haven’t seen quite as many strong films come from South Africa and Africa.
“Interestingly, the South African films we did receive are largely based in townships or deal with history, which shows local filmmakers are fascinated with poverty and the country’s past.’
Moche believes the public profile of documentaries has increased over the years and points out that when Encounters first started 15 years ago, it had 2 500 visitors, while the 2012 edition attracted 11 000 people.
She continues: “I think the big, theatrically released international documentaries about famous people, such as the Oscar-winning Searching for Sugarman and Beyonce: Life is But a Dream, have helped the public understand documentaries.
“In our 2013 Encounters line-up we have two Oscar-nominated films – The Gatekeepers and How to Survive a Plague. The Gatekeepers is fascinating because you hear about Israel from the perspective of the people who protect the country against terrorism – the Shin Bet intelligence agency. Filmmaker Dror Moreh has made a very powerful story around citizenship and presents a picture of an organisation where not everyone is in agreement. Significantly, this is the first time the Shin Bet has been interviewed.
“There are lots of films about HIV / Aids activism being made but How to Survive a Plague focuses on the civilians who took on the US government and successfully lobbied to turn Aids from a death sentence into a manageable condition.’
South Africa filmmaker Riaan Hendricks’ The Devil’s Lair, fresh from screening at Hot Docs in Canada, was selected to open Encounters. Hendricks is a product of the former Encounters Laboratory, which some years ago nurtured emerging filmmakers.
Moche continues: “Riaan has made films consistently since then so opening Encounters with his latest film is a celebration of a prolific career. With all the films that are shot on the Cape Flats about gangsters, this is the first one shot in this intimate way, following only one character. So the audience sees the human being behind the gangster.’
For more information about the festival, visit www.encounters.co.za
By Joanna Sterkowicz
screen africa magazine – june 2013
