The silent short film Thread, by Silver Bullet Productions and Best
Light Films, has won 11 awards at the 2014 Cape Town 48-Hour Film Project
(48HFP) closing ceremony, which took place on 14 November. Cape Town was one
of a 125 cities worldwide to participate in the competition, which requires
filmmakers to produce a film in just 48 hours.
Director Diana Keam credits the film’s success to “a really beautiful collaborative
effort,’ a sentiment echoed by judge Sean Drummond, global co-ordinator of the
Shnit Film Festival. “We were looking for coherence of vision, and a film that
showed that each member of the team excelled at what they did,’ said Drummond,
“We were looking for films that took us on a journey, that kept up the momentum
and that displayed that sort of synchronicity that is the hallmark of a good
film.’
The film received awards for Best Film, Best Director, Best Production, Best
Actress, Best Editing, Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design, among
others.
Thread examines a mother-daughter relationship under strain in the
wake of the death of a family member. Benchfilms co-producer Hisham Samie
described it as, “an example of strong storytelling told so subtly through great
visuals, an amazing score and performances that will keep you glued till the end.
The director’s vision and mark is clear across all departments.’
The all-female cast included Terry Norton, Gabriella Pinto, Erica Schofield and
Debra Saint. The film was produced by Ariane Questiaux and shot by director of
photography Wayne de Lange of Silver Bullet Productions, while music was produced
by Andrew Hoole and Gregory Abrahams at Sound Foundry, and the theme song
performed by Jon Savage.
As the top winner Thread will also compete in Hollywood at
Filmapalooza, the 48HFP international awards where the top 12 films from
participating countries around the world will be selected to screen at the Cannes Film
Festival Short Film Corner.
