Carly Barnes

The 9th Wavescape Surf Film Festival at Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) celebrates almost a decade of bringing Durban an annual feast of surf culture, spearheaded by the world’s best surfing documentaries and shorts.

An outdoor screening on the lawns at the Bay of Plenty takes place on Sunday 20 July followed by five days of indoor screenings at Ster-Kinekor Musgrave from 21 to 26 July.

“Our 2014 edition features the most diverse and geographically disparate collection yet,” said Steve Pike (Spike) co-founder of the festival and editor of wavescape.co.za, who will be introducing the films.

“We have a whopping line-up of 19 films, comprising 13 features and six shorts. Of particular interest to our audience are three documentaries featuring pioneering journeys into the wave-rich but unknown wildernesses of Alaska, Russia and Patagonia. Surfers have always enjoyed the spirit of exploration and these should sate that wanderlust.”

Wavescape this year also offered subject matter ranging from gay surfing to extreme ski BASE jumping. Out in the Lineup chronicles the story of gay surfers in the US and Australia who challenge the establishment while travelling the surfing world to hear stories of transformation and hope.

The story of Shane McConkey, in the film simply entitled McConkey, chronicles the tragically heroic story of the American ski icon who evolved BASE jumping to a thrilling new level when he mixed skiing, BASE and wingsuit flying into a heady, hi-octane mix of adrenaline and acute danger.

“Geographically, the 2014 edition of Wavescape covers just about every corner of the surfing universe, with films also shot in Angola, Namibia, Mozambique, Indonesia, Spain, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, USA, South Africa and Chile.”

“We have a strong feature documentary component, with a smattering of pure surf movies that feature cutting edge cinematic techniques, huge boosts in surfing moves and the hottest new soundtracks. These include Jordy Smith’s film Now Now, and Taylor Steele’s movie Innersection Black.”

Several films focused on women surfing, including South African professional surfer Bianca Buitendag in Disguised in Nature; world champion Stephanie Gilmore in Stephanie in the Water; and 3 Killas y un kiwi – a fascinating look at Latino professionals (and one Kiwi) from South America, Spike said.

There’s also Tide Lines, about a crew of South African surfers who sail the world collecting garbage, visiting the famous garbage gyre of the Pacific Ocean to highlight the need to conserve our oceans. The Old, the Young and the Sea covers the famous surfing routes of Europe in an eclectic mix of culture, kombis and crisp cold perfection.

“We even have a documentary about alternative rock band Switchfoot, who surf and play gigs on their 2012 world tour to Australia, New Zealand, Africa and Bali,” Spike said.

Visit the DIFF website for more information.

On 17 July the 35th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) launched with a star studded red carpet event and the premiere of Zee Ntuli’s action packed romance Hard to Get. The festival, which is a highly anticipated and pivotal cultural gathering, brought together South Africa’s major filmmaking players to honour and celebrate an industry which is growing from strength to strength.

Festival director Peter Machen delivered inspiring words which denoted the extent to which South Africa as a nation has blossomed in the wake of 20 years of democracy. He also commented on how film has the power to catalyse change and spread awareness on a number of issues the country, and the African continent at large, is facing, “Film changes us on a personal level, it changes the world too, even as the world changes.”

This sentiment is evident in the DIFF film line-up which features a number of provocative South African documentaries such as Miners Shot Down and Soft Vengeance as well as a variety of feature films that not only align with the celebration of 20 years of democracy but are rich with cultural and emotional relevance, good story-lines and impressive filmmaking techniques. One such film is the festival’s opening movie, Hard to Get. Featuring the electrifying talent of lead actors Thishiwe Ziqubu and Pallance Dladla, Hard to Get has set the tone for an engaging and impressive feast of film viewing at DIFF.

A.B. Moosa, CEO of the Avalon Group which co-founded the festival, spoke about the journey which DIFF has taken and how it was, and continues to be, a pioneering platform for diversity. He honoured “all of us who stood against the system’ and recounted DIFF’s ability to prevail, “at a time in the history of the country when other cinemas were for whites only.’

Visit the DIFF website or the Durban FilmMart website for more information on screenings, events and the ample activities happening at the festival between 17 and 27 July at venues around KwaZulu Natal.

From 10 to 14 August 2014 the South African State Theatre in Pretoria will host the first edition of the Tshwane One City Film Festival, which aims to celebrate African cinema from around the world.

Basil Dube, festival founder and director says, “Our mission is to consolidate and further support the development of the South African film industry by creating a vibrant platform for networking and exhibition.’

Tanya Kersey, a US filmmaking career coach and founder of the Hollywood Black Film Festival, will be in attendance to deliver a series of workshops geared at local writers, producers and directors.

“We are indeed honoured to host such a high profile personality who has worked with some of the worlds’ most celebrated movie stars including Morgan Freeman, Angela Basset and Samuel L Jackson,’ says Dube.

Supported by the South African State Theatre, GMP Productions and the Federation of Pan-African Filmmakers, the festival will feature a line-up of African documentaries, short films, music videos, and feature films.

Contact Dube on 012 753 3428 or 071 502 0564, or via email at basidube5@gmail.com for more information.

Entries for the Cape Union Mart Adventure Film Challenge close on 30 June 2014, giving filmmakers just one more week to submit their South African outdoor culture and lifestyle films for the chance to win a R10, 000 cash prize, R2, 000 worth of K-Way gear and the opportunity to have their film feature in the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour.

Both amateur and professional filmmakers are invited to submit their five-minute films on topics like mountain culture, sports and the environment but Nick Bennett, Marketing Manager for Cape Union Mart and K-Way, adds that judges will be looking for more than extreme adventures and stunts. “It’s all about the story for us. That’s more important than technique, special effects or the type of equipment used to make the film. We’re looking for films about people, their personalities, the places they visit and their activities and experiences… these capture the essence of the outdoor and adventure lifestyle that is so quintessentially South African.”

The film Vultures Chose Me, shot and directed by Michael Raimondo, won the 2013 challenge and was commended for having a strong story which creatively incorporated paragliding in telling of the work by the Vulture Conservation Project (VulPro). Raimondo offers some advice to participants: “Don’t write a script. The story is key, so go and find something interesting. It doesn’t matter what fancy equipment you have, the most important thing is to find an authentic engaging character. Try and capture someone doing something for the first time. Stories are everywhere. Especially in South Africa we are spoilt for choice”.

Entrants are required to upload their videos to YouTube, and include the link to their submission in the entry form.

Visit the Cape Union Mart Adventure Film Challenge website for competition terms and conditions as well as more information.

Visit the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour website for more information.

View Vultures Chose Me film.