Adding to its many worldwide accolades, South African director Roberta Durrant’s feel-good movie Felix has won three more awards at international film festivals.
Since it started showing on the festival circuit in October 2013, Felix has won 13 awards locally and internationally.
Felix won the youth jury prize for best film at the Reel 2 Real International Film Festival for Youth in Vancouver, Canada; the best film award at the Kikife International Children’s Film Festival in Schwabisch Gmund in Germany; and the adult jury prize for best picture at Germany’s Augsburg Children’s Film Festival.
Aged between nine and 12, a representative of the Canadian youth jury said they voted for the film because it showed happy people working together to achieve a good end-goal. Another juror said the film is “really engaging, it made you share his hopes along the way. I liked getting a window into current South African culture and the way Felix never gave up’.
The Augsberg Children’s Film Festival ran from 31 March to 13 April and director Roberta Durrant and actor Hlayani Mabasa, who plays the role of Felix, travelled to Germany to receive Die Goldene Klappe Award for best picture by an adult jury. They were guests of honour at the launch of the festival, which opened with a screening of the movie.
Written by Shirley Johnston, who recently won the Writers’ Guild of South Africa’s Muse Award for best script, Felix is currently in competition at the Toronto International Film Festival for Kids, which runs until 21 April.
