Durban International Film Festival Press

Talents Durban, previously named Talent Campus Durban, will feature at the 2014 Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) from 18 to 22 July as a skills, development and networking platform for emerging African filmmakers.

In collaboration with the Berlinale Talents programme of the Berlinale Film Festival and with support from the KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission, the German Embassy, the Goethe-Institut and the Gauteng Film Commission, the programme will bring together 40 filmmakers from ten African countries for hands-on training and networking with renowned international film professionals.

French documentary and fiction producer Denis Vaslin (40 Days of Silence, Solo) will deliver a co-production master class drawing on his experience as a filmmaker, the head of Dutch production company Voyla Films and co-owner of French production company Madra Films.

Julia Overton will offer her knowledge as Development and Investment Manager at Screen Australia in a Documentary Finance master class. Overton has been significantly involved in helping filmmakers gain local or international support in order to get their projects produced. Her achievements include contributing to the development of The Snowman, A Good Man, Forbidden Lies, First Australians, Contact and Salt.

Pitching expert, Stefano Teadly (Mostar United, No Man’s Island), is a South African-born, Italy-based producer and director who holds a number of accolades including: European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs programme graduate, director of the Documentary in Europe workshop, Chair for the European Documentary Network and national coordinator for the International Public Service Television Screening Conference. Teadly will also present a master class as part of the Talents Durban programme.

The hands-on training programme includes a number of coaching and mentoring sessions to aid filmmakers in refining their pitches and developing their projects.
Three documentary projects in development will form part of Doc Station, a training programme which gives guidance and mentorship to filmmakers participating in The African Pitch at the Durban FilmMart, an industry finance and coproduction market which takes place alongside DIFF.

Similarly, Script Station, a script development programme for short films, will pair script editors with four selected participants who will receive guidance and advice on how to better define their story and get to a finalised draft of their script.

Fipresci, an association of international film media and critics who promote film culture and the safeguarding of relevant professional interests, will partake in Talent Press by providing four critics to cover the films and events of DIFF for publication.

Peter Machen, DIFF festival manager hopes the selection of Talents at DIFF will follow in the footsteps of masters of African cinema and concludes, “The Durban International Film Festival welcomes these filmmakers to the Industry Programme and is proud to present them as the future of African Cinema.’

Visit the DIFF website for more information.

South Africa’s largest and longest-running film festival, the Durban International Film Festival, hosted by the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for Creative Arts, (a special project of the Deputy Vice Chancellor, College of Humanities, Prof Cheryl Potgieter) presents its 35th edition from 17 to 27 July 2014. This year, the ten day celebration of world class cinema will see over 200 screenings of new films from South Africa, the continent and the world, with a number of world premiere screenings of local and international films.

Industry initiatives include a programme of seminars and workshops with notable industry figures from across the globe, the 7th Talents Durban, in cooperation with the Berlin Talents (which seeks to incubate African talent through master classes and networking opportunities), and the 5th Durban FilmMart coproduction market in partnership with the Durban Film Office, which is currently open for delegate registration.

Thematically, this edition of DIFF will reflect on South Africa’s 20 years of democracy with a focus on film that explores the many diverse facets of the nation’s history over the past two decades. Other focus areas for this year include African cinema, British cinema, the Wildtalk Wildlife Film Festival, Wavescape Surf Film Festival and a programme of cinema centred on architecture, in acknowledgement of the city of Durban’s hosting of the International Union of Architects Congress 2014. Among this year’s plentiful offerings, viewers will get the chance to watch Khalo Matabane’s Nelson Mandela: The Myth and Me, Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, Mickey Dube’s One Humanity, Annalet Steenkamp’s I, Afrikaner, Carey Mackenzie’s Cold Harbour, Diao Yinan’s Black Coal, Thin Ice and Jane Pollard and Iain Forsyth’s 20 000 Days on Earth, to name just a few.

While DIFF will once more light up screens in numerous venues across the city with a programme of fresh and exciting global cinema, the festival is delighted to announce that the festival hub, which houses both screenings and industry events, will now be located at the new, lavishly renovated Tsogo Sun hotel on Durban beachfront’s Golden Mile.

Mike Jackson, Director of Operations for Tsogo Sun KZN said, “Tsogo Sun, the leading hotels, gaming and entertainment company in South Africa, is proud to be associated with the forthcoming Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) and the Durban Film Mart (DFM). This is the first time that Tsogo Sun has been appointed the official event and accommodation partner for this prestigious event and we are proud that our mega-complex – Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani – is the chosen venue. We see this as a fantastic opportunity to showcase Durban to national and international film producers, buyers, sales agents, broadcasters and film financiers, with great networking opportunities for local talent. We look forward to welcoming both national and international visitors to our Province to enjoy the warm hospitality at our hotels.’

Festival manager, Peter Machen, is looking forward to the move, which is, according to him, “both strategic and practical. Both the festival and market have grown tremendously over the years and we needed to consider a venue that could accommodate the size of our current set of programmes, as well as allow for growth in line with future plans”.

The festival is a key event for the African film industry and is an unmissable date on any film lover’s calendar. Keep an eye on durbanfilmfest.co.za for details and screening schedules. Follow on Twitter @DIFFest or Facebook on DurbanInternationalFilmFestival.

The 35th Durban International Film Festival is organised by the Centre for Creative Arts (University of KwaZulu-Natal) with support by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (principal funder), National Film and Video Foundation, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development and Tourism, City of Durban, German Embassy, Goethe Institut, Industrial Development Corporation, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture, the KZN Film Commission and a range of other valued partners.

The Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) invites filmmakers to submit their entries for its 34th edition which takes place from 18 to 28 July 2013. DIFF, the largest film festival in Southern Africa, features over 250 screenings of cutting-edge cinema from around the world with a special focus on films from South Africa and Africa.

The festival hosts a film competition component and also presents screenings in township areas where cinemas are non-existent.

Films completed in 2012 and 2013 will be considered for the festival and there is no charge for entry. All submissions must be entered via the Eventival online system at http://vp.eventival.eu/cca/diff2013. Please create a visitor account to submit. The deadline for all entries, including receipt of samples, is 15 March 2013 for short films and documentaries; and 5 April 2013 for feature fiction films.

The extensive seminar and workshop programme featuring local and international filmmakers and industry professionals includes the 6th Talent Campus Durban (19 to 23 July) in cooperation with Berlinale Talent Campus, and the 4th Durban FilmMart (19 to 22 July) in partnership with Durban Film Office.

For more information visit: www.durbanfilmfest.co.za or email diff@ukzn.ac.za Follow the festival on twitter: @DIFFest

The festival is supported by the National Film and Video Foundation, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development and Tourism, the City of Durban and other valued funders and partners.