One of the officially selected projects for the 2011 Durban FilmMart (DFM), Imbabazi: the Pardon, recently had its world premiere at the Goteborg Film Festival in Sweden. The film has been selected for two other major international film festivals.
Imbabazi: the Pardon tells the story of the Tutsi genocide through the friendship and separation of two protagonists and carries a deep reconciliation message.
The movie, produced and directed by Rwandan filmmaker Joel Karekezi, was one of the features that was selected for the 2011 DFM where it was awarded the CineMart Rotterdam Lab Award. Through the DFM, Karekezi received accreditation, accommodation and transportation to attend the Lab, an event specifically created for producers of new projects. The Lab ran concurrently with the 2012 International Film Festival of Rotterdam.
Imbabazi: the Pardon had its US premiere at the San Diego Black Film Festival in January 2013 and screens at the prestigious Pan-African Film Festival in Los Angeles this month.
The Pardon, Karekezi’s 2010 short film, won the award for best short film at the Silicon Valley African Film Festival (SVAFF) in California. In 2012, his second project, The Mercy of the Jungle, was awarded the Canal France International (CFI) Award for the Most Promising Project.
“As an African and Rwandan director, I am proud to have helped bring this story to a wider audience,’ says Karekezi who is himself a genocide survivor. “I hope that audiences will embrace the message of hope and forgiveness that is at the heart of the film.’
“Over the past three years, we have seen how the DFM has provided important stepping blocks for film projects,’ comments Toni Monty of the Durban Film Office. “The process of creating film is long and arduous, and it is vital that emerging filmmakers and projects are given the creative space to be able to develop their ideas and vision in the right kind of environment. Joel has clearly grasped all the opportunities presented to him to develop this film. So we are truly pleased to see this, one of our selected projects, make it through to multifestival releases.’
The 4th DFM takes place from 19 to 22 July 2013 during the Durban International Film Festival (18 to 28 July) and is open for documentary and fiction project submissions.
The DFM is a joint programme of the Durban Film Office (DFO) and the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF).
Visit www.durbanfilmmart.com for more information on the DFM and to submit a project.
Contact info@durbanfilmmart.com for further enquiries and submission correspondence.
