This year’s edition of the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) sees a special
focus on British Cinema. Supported by the British Council and its Connect ZA
programme, the focus is part of the SA-UK Seasons 2014 & 2015 cultural season
taking place over the next two years.
In recognition of this season, DIFF presents a diverse snapshot of contemporary
British cinema – including the strangely compelling Lilting, which tells the
story of the triangular relationship between two gay men and one of their
mothers, ’71 which is set in Belfast at the beginning of The Troubles and
the highly endearing Frank, which chronicles the misadventures of a
band of outsider musicians.
Other features include How I Live Now, a post-apocalyptic tale set in
rural England in the wake of a nuclear bomb, and The Selfish Giant, a
Dickensian tale of two working class boys who live on the knife’s edge of
poverty and adolescence. Gone Too Far! offers a nuanced look at race in
contemporary Britain, while Only Lovers Left Alive is the UK-produced
downbeat vampire masterpiece from Jim Jarmusch.
British documentaries include InRealLife, which explores our relationship
with the internet and social networking technology, the real-life heist drama
Smash and Grab: The Story of the Pink Panthers, 20 000 Days on Earth,
which documents a fictitious day in the life of much-loved musician Nick Cave,
Coach Zoran and His African Tigers which tells of the birth of the South
Sudanese national soccer team, and the UK/SA co-production One
Humanity, which documents the global anti-apartheid movement from the
perspective of the two tribute concerts to Nelson Mandela that took place in
London in 1988 and 1990.
In addition to this focus area in DIFF’s programming, the DIFF UK Focus also
includes free public screenings of British films, preceded by a programme of short
films from young South African filmmakers presented by the National Film and
Video Foundation. These screenings will take place on Friday 18 July, Saturday
19 July, Friday 25 July and Saturday 26 July on the Bay of Plenty lawns on
Durban’s Marine Parade.
Said Festival Manager, Peter Machen, “The collaboration between the British
Council, the NFVF and the Durban International Film Festival for DIFF 2014 will
help the festival to expand its festival base, attract diverse new audiences. The
beach screenings at the Bay of Plenty will help to make the festival more
inclusive by increasing the number of free screenings offered to the public. Set
against the gorgeous backdrop of Durban’s beachfront, the event will also do
much to infuse the festival with the spirit of freedom and the sharing of culture”
The Durban International Film Festival takes place from 17 – 27 July 2014. The
festival includes more than 200 theatrical screenings and a full seminar and
workshop programme, as well as the Wavescape Film Festival, the Wild Talk
Africa Film Festival, and various industry initiatives, including the 7th Talents
Durban (in cooperation with Talents Berlinale ) and the 5th Durban FilmMart co-
production market (in partnership with the Durban Film Office). For more
information go to www.durbanfilmfest.co.za
The UK Focus is supported by the British Council, while the beach screenings
form part of the British Council’s Connect ZA programme, and are presented in
conjunction with the National Film and Video Foundation.
The 35th Durban International Film Festival is organised by the Centre for
Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (a special project of the Deputy
Vice Chancellor of the College of Humanities, Professor Cheryl Potgieter) with
support from the National Film and Video Foundation, KwaZulu-Natal
Department of Economic Development & Tourism, KwaZulu-Natal Film
Commission, City of Durban, German Embassy, Goethe Institut, Industrial
Development Corporation, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture and
range of other valued partners.
