The Durban International Film Festival concluded on 27 July with the unveiling of
a new statuette, the Golden Giraffe, and the announcement of winning South
African and African films which featured at the festival.
Peter Machen, Festival Manager said: “I was extremely happy with the success
of DIFF 2014, and it was very gratifying to witness both the large amount of
sold-out screenings and also the huge enthusiasm for the festival, both from
local audiences and from the hundreds of guests attending the festival from
around the world.’
Machen added that the new trophy, which was designed by Caryn Tilbury, is a
good representation of what DIFF encompasses, “We are extremely pleased that the festival finally has an iconic award. Venice has the Golden Lion, Berlin has the
Golden Bear and now Durban has the Golden Giraffe. Caryn Tilbury’s beautifully
idiosyncratic design is perfectly representative of the slick but edgy nature of the
festival.’
The International Jury consisted of: Cannes Film Festival Critics’ Week
programme manager Remi Bonhomme, African Diaspora Film Festival co-founder
and co-director Diarah N’Daw-Spech, South African writer and director Andrew
Worsdale, as well as Isango Ensemble co-founder, activist and actress Paulina
Malefane.
Timbuktu, by Malian director Abderrahmane Sissako, won the Best
Feature Film award and was praised by the jury for being “an impressively well-made film that makes us aware, in an extraordinarily human and gentle way, of
the fight for dignity and freedom of individuals against oppression and violence.’
The film examines the occupation of Timbuktu, a city in Mali, by militant Islamic
rebels and is somewhat inspired by the true story of a young Malian couple who
were stoned to death for having children out of wedlock. Sissako’s film was
awarded a cash prize of R50,000. In addition, Ibrahim Ahmed shared the award
for Best Actor for his role in Timbuktu with Tony Kgoroge, who was
given the award for his role in Cold Harbour.
Love the One You Love, a South African film directed by Jenna Bass which tells the parallel stories of individuals from different walks of life, won the award for
Best South African Feature Film, which carries a prize of R25,000. Chi Mhende
was also presented with the Best Actress award for her role in the film.
Rehad Desai’s Miners Shot Down won the award for Best South
African Documentary as well as the Amnesty International (Durban) Human
Rights Award, which granted the film with R10,000 prize money sponsored by
the Artists for Human Rights Trust. Mahdi Fleifel’s A World Not Ours
was selected as the winner for the Best Documentary and a Special Mention in
the Best South African Documentary category was given to Nelson
Mandela: The Myth and Me, directed by Khalo Matabane.
The following awards were also featured:
Best First Feature Film: Salvation Army by Abdellah Taia
Best Direction: Noaz Deshe for White Shadow
Best Screenplay: Love is Strange written by Ira Sachs and Mauricio
Zacharias
Best Cinematography: Sofian el Fani for Timbuktu
Best Actor: Ibrahim Ahmed for Timbuktu and Tony Kgoroge for
Cold Harbour
DIFF Award for Artistic Bravery: Petter Brunner for My Blind Heart
Best Direction in a South African Documentary: I, Afrikaner by
Annalet Steenkamp and Special Mention: Fatherland by Tarryn
Crossman
Best Short Film: Out of Place by Ozan Mermer
Best South African Short Film: Keys, Money, Phone by Roger
Young
