Bro Kwazi's First Splashy Fen

THE first time I ever heard of Splashy Fen was in my matric year, a few years ago. All I knew is that Splashy Fen was a music festival that only played punk, rock and metal.

09 April 2013 | Kwazi Ngubane

Going to Splashy Fen on Thursday 28 March I did not know what it was that I was in for although I had asked question upon question about what Splashy Fen was all about, researched the website and scoured the internet for photos, incidences etc about the event.

I wanted to be sure about what it was that I was getting myself into. I arrived on Thursday evening around 11pm and, with nothing much to do, we set up camp and started a fire and went to sleep. It was only in the morning that we learnt we had camped in a family camp site and had to look for a new site to set up camp.

Waves of campers

It did not take us long to find the right area as we were attracted to noisy cars and a group of peers our age. We were quick to set up the tent and as soon as we were done, we set out exploring Splashy Fen.

The waves of campers coming through the gates were endless, the age groups could not be more different and the number of stalls, tents and stages blew us all away.

It was clear to us why Splashy Fen had such a huge following; it is a place that has a culture of its own. Everyone was friendly and helpful and when they knew it was your first Splashy Fen, you were greeted with smiles, hugs and wishes that you enjoy your first experience.

Diverse music

The mornings were laid back with many choosing to go swimming in the lake, stay at their camp sites, walk around or drive to the town of Underberg, 18kms away, to explore what the town had to offer.

The afternoons would be a hive of activity with three major tents hosting shows till midnight. The busy muddy roads would be filled with youth rushing to the respective tents, stalls or the place where everybody hung out, the bar.

The acts on stage could not be any more diverse in colour, genre and personality and included commercial bands such as Mi Casa shared the stage with acts such as City Bowl Mizers, Matthew Mole, Asleep In Transit, Desmond & the Tutu's, Mean Black Mamba, David Jenkins & Maqhinga Radebe, and the list goes on.

The shows were not only limited to music but also included stand-up comedy showcase with the likes of Paul Snodgrass, Glen Bo, Dusty Rich, Bobby Collins and Lil' Paul (who is not that lil') partaking in shows such as Whose Line is it Anyway, the world’s worst job enactments and plenty more.'

Rocking the stage

For those that longed to hit the dance floor, with heart pounding bass music and blinding disco lights, there was the Uber Cool Tent.

This tent had a mixture of punk, rock, pop, dance and hip-hop music with acts such as German bass, Arnold Ewood Philips; PHfat and more rocking the stage.

I must say that Splashy Fen is the premium music festival in KZN, it has everything that a music festival suppose to have. It's well-organised and safe with around-the-clock SAPS supervision, wonderful tents and stalls to buy from and music that will keep you dancing till the morning.

Use the list

The only precaution that I would advise is to know how to set up your tent, know how to find the right spot to set up camp or you shall be as unlucky as I was and have both your tents flooded with water two nights in a row.

Also when embarking to Splashy Fen, make sure to take note and pack all the advised ’things to bring’' items listed  or you shall have a super cold evening sleep and be running around for utensils, charcoal, gas-cookers etc.

Make sure to go onto www.splashyfen.co.za for the dates for next year’s 25th edition. See you there next year.

DURBAN FILMMART PROJECT SELECTED FOR HOT DOCS 2013

DURBAN FILMMART PROJECT SELECTED FOR HOT DOCS 2013

Devil’s Lair, one of the award-winning projects from last year’s Durban FilmMart has been selected for this year’s Hot Docs, the Canadian International Documentary Film Festival in Toronto in April/May this year.

Produced by Neil Brandt of Fireworx Media and directed by Riaan Hendricks of A Season of Film (who also did the cinematography and editing) this feature documentary uncovers the conflicting worlds that exist amongst the troubled communities of the Cape Flats in Cape Town South Africa. It is an intimate portrayal of one gang leader and his young family as they navigate a violent and contested physical and psychological landscape, one in which honour, love and betrayal are all too often sides of the same coin.

Devil’s Lair, which will have its World Premiere at Hot Docs on May 1, was a featured project at last year’s Durban FilmMart, where it selected by as one of the “Most Promising Documentary Projects”, and as a result Brandt and Hendricks also received a travel and accommodation grant from WorldView/IDFA enabling them to attend IDFA, and pitch the project at the IDFA Forum in November last year.

“One of the key objectives of the DFM, which is a joint programme of the Durban Film Office (DFO) and the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), is to act as a feeder platform in bringing African projects to other established international co-production markets. “ explains Toni Monty of the Durban Film Office. “We are delighted to hear that Devil’s Lair has been selected to premiere at Hot Docs. Results like this for any film helps to foster and encourage a confidence in developing projects, as often, at ideation stage stakeholders are cautious as to what tangible results can be obtained. This helps to demonstrate the potential and possibilities that do exist.”

Speaking from Johannesburg Brandt was excited about the selection and for the opportunity of holding their world premiere at Hot Docs. “It’s at once fantastic and terrifying.” he said. “Hot Docs is North America’s largest documentary festival, conference and market with about 200 documentaries from around the world, so the competition is tough, but we are really looking forward to the experience and to working hard at making sure our film gets the best start to its festival life possible.”

For Brandt and Hendricks the experience at IDFA was hugely beneficial in the further development of the film. “Everything in the creation of this film worked as a complex puzzle, all working simultaneously.” says Brandt. “We originally received a production grant from the IDFA Bertha Fund, who have been tracking the film. Then we were invited to the IDFA Summer School in June last year, just before the Durban FIlmMart where the project was well received resulting in us pitching the film at the IDFA Forum in November 2012. Here we were able to pitch a more developed film to broadcasters and investors and pick up sales agent Journeyman Pictures. Funding had also been received from the Hot Docs Blue Ice Fund, which has also been tracking the film since the Durban FilmMart. So there has been an incredible amount of support and interest in the film from international funders, which is encouraging, as difficult politically-charged films from Africa are often not easy to finance. Local funders include the Open Society Foundation, Sabido Productions and the NFVF. TVO Canada has just bought the first license and we are in discussions with numerous further broadcasters.”

The 4th Durban FilmMart will take place from 19 to 22 July 2013 during the 34th edition of the Durban International Film Festival (18-28 July) and will present an official selection of about 10 fiction projects and 10 documentary projects.

For more information on the Durban FilmMart visit www.durbanfilmmart.com.  Entries to this year’s DFM are now closed.

For further enquires contact info@durbanfilmmart.com

Trailer link :   http://www.hotdocs.ca//film/title/devils_lair

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Durban - The warmest place to be presents a feast of music at the Rainbow Restaurant - 24 March

In recognition of Human Rights Day in South Africa and as one of the official welcoming events for delegates to the Fifth BRICS Summit, Durban - The Warmest Place To Be presents a feast of music at the Rainbow Restaurant in Pinetown on Sunday, March 24 at 2pm.

The first performance starts at 2pm with deep jazz as Burton Naidoo's Musical Democracy quintet takes to the stage. This will be followed by a set from five-piece afro-beat outfit Tanga Pasi who hail from the Kalanga region of Zimbabwe and who will be making their third appearance at the Rainbow. For this performance the audience will get to hear the sounds of their debut full length album, Ntolontolo - A Long Time Ago. From there it’s "sho't left" to the unique sounds of Dr. Fly and The Nurses, an a capella trio in the tradition of the Andrew Sisters featuring the vocal talents of Sophie Basckin, Jessica Sole and Natalie Shama. Then it will be time for a "beega party" with electro-percussion trio Napalma fronted by Mozambican born/Brazilian raised vocalist Ivo Maia with Brazil's Cid Travaglia driving hard on djembe.

“The best part of it all is that with the kind and generous support of the Ethekwini Municipality we are able to use this event as a fundraiser for the Rainbow's charity of choice, the Open Door Crises Centre which is based in Pinetown and offers invaluable assistance to the victims of human trafficking and abuse. All monies raised from ticket sales will be donated to Open Door.” says Neil Comfort of the Rainbow.

Doors open at 1pm and tickets are R40 at the door. For more info contact the Rainbow on 083 706 2294 or 083 4638044.

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Flatfoot Dance Company's 10th Anniversary Season - Last Thoughts at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre

FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY celebrates its 10th anniversary year with a special season of dance theatre entitled Last Thoughts at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre from March 13 to 17.

“Reaching 10 years as a professional South African dance company is a huge milestone for Flatfoot Dance Company!” says Lliane Loots, founder and artistic director of Flatfoot Dance Company. “It is a testament to our city of Durban who has been our home and to the people of eThekwini who have supported us and watched us grow; and to some rather amazing local and international artists, dancers, technicians, administrators and musicians who have been part our history. It is a gracious testament to all those who have seen fit to fund the work we do. I can’t say we haven’t been poised on a knife edge many times – and will be in the future – but this is a moment for all of us to collectively honour our achievement and to say thank you in honouring the many bridges we have walked on to get here.”

“For our 10th anniversary season we wanted to do something that really celebrated our geography; our beautiful ocean facing city of Durban, to honour some really amazing artists and guests who have worked with us in the past. We return to the amazing Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre where we, 10 years ago in March 2003, hosted our first season as a professional company”. 

“LAST THOUGHTS” offers the world premiere of two new dance theatre works made for the six resident Flatfoot dancers, Sifiso Khumalo, Tshediso Kabulu, Sifiso Majola, Jabu Siphika, Julia Wilson and Thobi Maphanga. 

The first work on the programme is “Ngichaze/Define Me” is a poetic and lyrical work created by guest choreographer Sifiso Kweyama. “Kweyama has made numerous dance works on Flatfoot these past 10 years, works that have travelled with Flatfoot all over the world including Cameroon and Holland, and so it felt right to invite him back to make this special piece of dance theatre for our 10th anniversary”. Says Loots;  Kweyama, though a Durbanite, is now working with Johannesburg based Moving Into Dance Mophatong (MIDM) and so this is also a long time celebration of Flatfoot’s working relationship and friendship with MIDM. 

Kweyama’s work, “Ngichaze/Define Me”, sees the six Flatfoot dancers confront themselves in a deeply emotional work that looks into how society defines us. Kweyama’s much praised African contemporary style is fused with a lyrical poeticism that Flatfoot is often known for. Kweyama’s ability to weave together dancing stories and his reputation for being a “dancer’s choreographer” is again realised in a work that both challenges the dancers but which will also delight and enchant audiences. 

The second half offers Loots’s newest dance theatre collaboration with spoken word poet Ian “Ewok” Robinson. Poetically titled “Last Thoughts” like the season itself, this work is a type of zeitgeist moment of memory, history and future for both Flatfoot but also for all those involved in the work. Alongside the six resident Flatfoot dancers, this collaboration also features two of Durban (and South Africa’s) best breakdancers, Preston “Kayzo” Kyd and Byrone “Bizzo” Tifflin, both of whom have also done numerous collaborations with Flatfoot over the past 10 years.  Seamlessly fusing the BBoyz style of breaking with the lyrical flow and energy of Flatfoot’s inimitable style, Loots’s “Last Thoughts” is a type of Hip-Hop opera that takes time to honour the legacy of ambient influences like Allen Ginsberg, Bob Dylan, and most importantly a long time working relationship with “Ewok”.

Loots’s award winning style of creating layered dance theatre also sees her continue her long time collaboration also with Durban filmmaker Karen Logan, who has created soulful video installations that give “Last Thoughts” an edgy feel and look. 

Referencing Ginsburg’s 1954 poem “Song” and his call to “return to the body where I was born”, Loots’s “Last Thoughts” is, finally her own unfailing belief in the dancing body as the only political truth that we can ever know. As she says, ““Last Thoughts” might seem like a rather dark title for a 10 year celebration but it echoes all sorts of recollections around personal and political rights and re-membering; and for me this is the missing governance and silent voice of our age”.

Flatfoot’s 10th anniversary season, “LAST THOUGHTS” runs from 13 to 16 March with shows at 7.30pm and on Sunday 17 March with a matinee at 3pm.Tickets cost R80 with discount for pensioners and students at R60.  Opening night, 13 March, is a special gala fundraiser with champagne and birthday cake after the show. Tickets for this gala cost R150 and all money raised will go towards supporting the dance education and development work being done by Flatfoot in Umlazi, KwaMashu, Newlands East, and Tugela Mouth.  Booking is through Computicket.

“Last Thoughts” is a proudly Durban celebration of the transformative power of dance, dance education and development and of Flatfoot Dance Company who have spent 10 long years creatively re-shaping their home city of Durban – not to be missed!

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Talent Campus Durban Calls for Filmmakers and Film Critics

Talent Campus Durban Calls for Filmmakers and Film Critics

Talent Campus Durban is looking for 40 of the most innovative voices of African cinema to take part in the 6th edition of this leading networking and developmental event held at the 34th Durban International Film Festival.

Talent Campus Durban seeks to provide selected participants with an opportunity to meet with international industry professionals and experts in various aspects of the filmmaking business through participations in a 5-day programme of masterclasses, workshops and industry networking events. The continent of Africa is a source of a myriad narrative which offers possibilities to be re-imagined, re-told, overlapped and adapted within numerous contexts. Under this year’s theme of “Memetic Africa”, Talent Campus Durban calls for African filmmakers to participate in this programme and be inspired by stories shaped by varying innovative patterns, ideas, customs, traditions, practices and skills that enforce the legacy of the African film context.

Talent Campus Durban also calls for participants for Talent Press, a mentoring programme for three African film critics in collaboration with FIPRESCI and Goethe Institut, which makes a welcome return in its second year. Talent Press mentors will offer their expertise to guide selected participants in the art of film criticism with access to all the screenings of the 34th Durban International Film Festival. 

The five-day programme also includes the 3rd edition of Doc Station, where three selected documentary projects submitted by accepted talents will be finessed and packaged for presentation within the DOC Circle pitching forum at the 6th Durban FilmMart. Applications for Doc Station are open to selected participants for Talent Campus. Mohamed El Amine Hattou of Algeria was one of the three Doc Station participants in the 5thTalent Campus Durban who, after presenting his project at Doc Circle, also had the invaluable opportunity to meet one-on-one with potential investors. Describing his experience, Hattou says, “Doc Station is a great opportunity to gain in maturity, networking, and dive into a promiscuous and professional African market. After my pitch on Doc Station, I had some positive and interesting feedback on my project. It was also an easy way to know about new funding and co-production opportunities. Durban Talent Campus is a unique way for African filmmakers to connect, meet and share their stories.”

Held in co-operation with the Berlinale Talent Campus, and with support from the German Embassy of South Africa, Goethe Institut of South Africa, and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development and Tourism, Talent Campus Durban runs from 19 to 23 July 2013. Apart from the main event in Berlin, Talent Campus partnerships also take place at selected festivals in Buenos Aires, Guadalajara, Tokyo and Sarajevo. Opportunities for participating talents are enhanced through Talent Campus networks and the Berlinale’s global information platform.

Application is open to filmmakers and critics who are resident in Africa. Applicants are encouraged to apply well before the deadline in order to submit their work samples timeously. Application can be done online on www.cca.ukzn.ac.za and applications close on 1st April 2013.

For DIFF and Talent Campus Queries +27 (0)31 260 1650 / 2506

Email both: talentcampusdurban@gmail.com / talent@ukzn.ac.za

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Talent Campus Durban is a partnership project between the Durban International Film Festival in cooperation with the Berlinale Talent Campus and the Berlin International Film Festival, and is supported by the German Embassy in South Africa, the Goethe-Institut, and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development and Tourism. Apart from the main event in Berlin, Talent Campus partnerships also take place at selected festivals in Buenos Aires, Guadalajara, Japan and Sarajevo. Opportunities for participating talents are enhanced through Talent Campus networks and the Berlinale’s global information platform.

The Durban International Film Festival is organised by the Centre for Creative Arts (University of KwaZulu-Natal) and is supported by the National Film and Video Foundation, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development and Tourism and the City of Durban. Durban FilmMart is a partnership project between the Durban Film Office and the Durban International Film Festival.

Issued on behalf of the Durban International Film Festival by:

Sharlene Versfeld/Kwazi Ngubane

SA Arts Journalism Awards - Call for Entries

SA Arts Journalism Awards - call for entries

The National Arts Festival and Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) are calling for entries to the South African Arts Journalism Awards.

The awards will be presented for the first time in 2013.

Festival CEO Tony Lankester says: “The awards will recognise journalistic practice across all media platforms - print, online and broadcast.” He added that the arts sector “needs robust, healthy, insightful and articulate commentary and criticism from the media to keep it moving forward”.

The awards will identify excellence, expertise and creativity. In doing so, they will promote the practice of arts and cultural journalism, strengthen its national profile and celebrate its importance, range, diversity, fluidity and vitality.

Gold and Silver awards will be made in the following categories:

- Reviewing

Reviews of theatre, music, visual/plastic arts, dance, literature, film, comedy or any other arts and culture phenomenon.

- Features

These may include interviews and profiles, behind-the-scenes stories, arts-related investigative journalism or other forms of arts and culture reportage in any medium.

- Opinion pieces

Comment, analysis and provocation – in any medium – relating to specific artistic disciplines, the arts sector more broadly or arts-related policy and business stories.

Professor Chris Thurman has been invited by the organisers to convene an independent panel of judges who, apart from the above categories, may also choose to nominate recipients for the following awards:

- Best New Voice

- Special Contribution to Arts Journalism

- Best New Media Exponent

- Arts Photography

- Special Merit Award

"Business and Arts South Africa continues to support a better understanding of the arts, and advocates an arts culture in our society. Rigorous and innovative coverage of the arts is crucial in the argument highlighting the value of the arts to all South Africans. It is for this reason that we are excited to be partnering with the National Arts Festival on these Awards," says BASA CEO Michelle Constant.

Winners will be announced during the course of this year’s National Arts Festival and a range of cash prizes will be awarded. Additionally, one journalist will be awarded the opportunity to travel to the vibrant Amsterdam Fringe in September, from where they will report on South African productions being presented at that Festival as part of the World Fringe Alliance showcase.

“There are times we need to be challenged, times we need to be applauded, and times we need someone to hold a mirror up to us just as our artists hold a mirror to society. These awards will seek out those journalists who practice their craft with integrity and who stimulate debate and passion in their readers, viewers and listeners. They are a celebration of excellence and of passion, and we are delighted to partner with BASA in bringing them to life," elaborates Lankester.

Competition rules and other important information can be found on the Festival’s website at www.nationalartsfestival.co.za.

ABOUT THE AWARDS:

Entries

The following submissions procedures must be adhered to:

- The deadline for entries is Friday 8 March 2013

- Those submitting written work may enter one or more article(s) totalling no more than 3000 words.

- Those submitting audio or video material may enter either a compilation of clips or a single programme/instalment, no longer than 25 minutes in duration. The presenter, the producer, sound/visual editor and other members of the production team should be clearly indicated.

- Photographic material should be limited to a portfolio of 15 images.

In all cases, entries should be accompanied by a brief letter of motivation in which the entrant specifies which category(ies) he/she is entering, provides some background to his/her work and indicates the context of publication or broadcast of the material submitted: date, time (if applicable), title, publication/station/channel/website. Material may only be submitted if it was published or broadcast in the 2012 calendar year. Judges reserve the right to request the entrant to provide proof of publication or broadcast.

Electronic submissions are preferable. Applicants may submit material as an e-mail attachment sent to: artsjourn@nationalartsfestival.co.za. Alternatively, hard copies may be posted to: National Arts Festival, PO Box 304, Grahamstown, 6140 provided that they are postmarked no later than Friday 8 March 2013.

Finalists will be announced in April in Johannesburg, with Gold and Silver and other category winners announced in June in Grahamstown.

The judging panel for the awards comprises:

Chris Thurman (Convenor), Andre le Roux, Fred Khumalo, Shado Twala, Adrienne Sichel, Ryland Fisher, Victor Dlamini, Avril Joffe, Gwen Ansell, Pitika Ntuli.

The judges’ decisions will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.

About the National Arts Festival: The National Arts Festival, now in its 39th year, has proved its sustainability and has grown to be one of the leading arts festivals in Southern Africa. Its objectives are to deliver excellence; encourage innovation and development in the arts by providing a platform for both established and emerging South African artists; create opportunities for collaboration with international artists; and build new audiences.

The National Arts Festival is sponsored by Standard Bank, The National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, Eastern Cape Government, Department of Arts and Culture, City Press and M Net.

NOTES FOR EDITORS 

About Business and Arts South Africa NPC:

Business and Arts South Africa NPC is an internationally recognised South African development agency which incorporates the arts into, and contributes to, corporates' commercial success. With a suite of integrated programmes, Business and Arts South Africa NPC encourages mutually beneficial partnerships between business and the arts. Business and Arts South Africa NPC was founded in 1997 as a joint initiative of government and the business sector, to secure the future development of the arts industry in South Africa, through increased corporate sector involvement. Established as a Non Profit Company, Business and Arts South Africa NPC is accountable to both government and its business members.

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Lakin Morgan : BASA: info@basa.co.za

AFDA FILM NOMINATED FOR STUDENT OSCAR

AFDA FILM NOMINATED FOR STUDENT OSCAR

Kanye Kanye, a fourth year student’s film is the AFDA- (the South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance) nomination for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Student Short Film.  Kanye Kanye is a romantic comedy that deals with a forbidden love affair between two young township teenagers.  The film is directed by Miklas Manneke whose 3rd year film Electricity won a number of awards in 2012.

“The wonder of film is the ability to change the world by creating another.” says Miklas Manneke, who is thrilled with the nomination. “It is an honour for everyone involved in the making of Kanye Kanye, to be selected on this international platform to represent AFDA film school as students at the beginning of our careers, especially considering the high standard of the Student Oscars. It is great to know that my voice has had an impact on an audience and that I could bring a drop of enjoyment to the world from a South African point of view.”

Kanye Kanye won 9 AFDA GOLD Awards at the annual awards including sound design, visual effects, editing, production design, costume- make-up- and styling, screenplay, directing, acting and cinematography.   

“Kanye Kanye is a reflective short film by a student director and team whose attention to detail has made it a work of art which will resonate world-wide.” says Gina Bonmariage, Postgraduate Course Director AFDA Johannesburg.

The Academy Student Awards are held in Los Angeles in June at the Academy of Motion Picture and sciences building,  the same building where AFDA received their first OSCAR award in 2006 for best foreign student short film Eleleni. 

Kanye Kanye has also been nominated as the AFDA candidate for best fiction film for the CILECT (International Film School Association) Awards, along with the AFDA Cape Town documentary Crumbs in the documentary category and the third year Cape Town animation Like Clockwork in the best animation category.

“Although the Oscar award is by far the most prestigious of all student awards, the CILECT Award is possibly one of the most difficult awards to win as it is contested by over 100 of the world’s top film schools, “ says AFDA co-founder and CILECT executive board member Garth Holmes, “but our congratulations to all the films that have been nominated – it’s a rare honour and we look forward to the results in the near future.”

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Vieux Farka Toure - Hendrix of the Sahara for Durban Concert and Free Workshop

Vieux Farka Toure - Hendrix of the Sahara for Rainbow Restaurant

The Alliance Française de Durban and the French Institute of Southern Africa presents one of the world’s rare musical talents and guitar virtuosos Malian-born Vieux Farka Toure at the Rainbow Restaurant on Sunday, January 20 at 3pm. The eKhaya Multi-Arts Centre in KwaMashu will also present a workshop and press conference on Monday, January 21 from 11am.

Often referred to as “The Hendrix of the Sahara”, Vieux Farka Toure was born in Niafunké, Mali in 1981. He is the son of the late legendary Malian guitar player Ali Farka Toure.
Ali Farka Touré came from a historical tribe of soldiers, and defied his parents in becoming a musician. When Vieux was in his teens, he declared that he also wanted to be a musician. His father disapproved due to the pressures he had experienced being a musician. Rather, he wanted Vieux to become a soldier. But with help from family friend the kora maestro Toumani Diabaté, Vieux eventually convinced his father to give him his blessing to become a musician shortly before Ali passed.

Vieux was initially a drummer / calabash player at Mali’s Institut National des Arts, but secretly began playing guitar in 2001. Ali Farka Touré was weakened with cancer at the time that Vieux announced that he was going to record an album. Ali recorded a couple of tracks with him, and these recordings, which can be heard on Vieux’s debut CD, were amongst his final ones. It has been said that the senior Touré played rough mixes of these songs when people visited him in his final days, at peace with, and proud of, his son’s talent as a musician.

Vieux’s self-titled debut album was released by World Village in 2007. On this first album, Vieux pays homage to his father and follows Ali’s musical tradition, giving new versions of the West African music that is echoed in the American blues. On his second album, Fondo on Six Degrees (2009), Vieux branched out and presented his own sound: while remaining true to the roots of his father’s music he uses elements of rock, Latin music, and other African influences. 

In June 2010, Vieux performed at the opening concert for the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. That month Vieux also released his first live album, LIVE. Then in 2011 Vieux released his 3rd studio album, The Secret which features South African-born vocalist Dave Matthews, Derek Trucks on electric slide guitar and jazz guitarist John Scofield. 

In April 2012, Vieux released The Tel Aviv Session (Cumbancha), a collaborative project with Israeli superstar Idan Raichel dubbed ‘The Toure-Raichel Collective’ that has been hailed by fans and critics alike as a masterpiece and one of the best collaborative albums in the history of international music, drawing comparisons to Ali Farka Toure and Ry Cooder’s legendary Talking Timbuktu album. 

“We are really pleased to be hosting one of the world’s top guitarists at the Rainbow Restaurant here in Durban.” says Sarah Doignon, Director of The Alliance Française de Durban. “Vieux is an exciting young voice of Africa that is described as rare and innovative whilst humbly paying homage to the past. We believe the concert will be a great opportunity for music lovers to indulge in the emotive rhythms of West African inspirations.”

His live performances are highly energized and Vieux is known for dazzling crowds with his speed and dexterity on the guitar, as well as his palpable charisma and luminous smile, both of which captivate audiences from all countries in spite of any language barriers (though Vieux does speak 8 languages).

Vieux will also be conducting a workshop at eKhaya Multi-Arts Centre in KwaMashu on Monday, 21 January at 11am. The workshop will be approximately two hours in duration and is free. Besides demonstrating his guitar skills and talking about his musical influences, Toure will also address the very current issue of musical censorship in his native Mali where, in the north of the country, Tuareg and Islamist insurgents have taken control. The Islamist faction of Ansar Dine has imposed strict Sharia Law including bans on music - even the music of Malians like Toure senior and junior.

Anyone wanting to attend the workshop should book with Kwazi Ngubane on 0734429347.

The Rainbow concert starts at 3pm on Sunday, January 20. Doors will conditionally open at 1pm, dependent on the completion of a sound check by the band. Besides Toure on guitar, the group also features Mamadou Sidibe on bass guitar and Tim Keiper on drums and calabash.

Tickets for the concert are R50 at the door and can be pre-booked by phone on 083 706 2294 or 083 4638044 or by email at bandwagon@artslink.co.za.

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AFDA Announces Core Staff for its New Durban Campus

AFDA, the South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance, which opens its third campus in South Africa, in Glen Anil in Durban in January 2013, has announced the appointment of some of its core senior staff.

Heading up the Live Performance School is the respected, multi-talented award-winning playwright, director and actor Rajesh Gopie. His counterpart in the Film School is award-winning, film director and producer Richard Green. Janet van Eeden, also an award-winning scriptwriter and educator has been appointed Head of Academic coursework and assessment.

The Dean of the Durban Campus is experienced producer and film-maker Franco Human, who currently the head of the producing department of AFDA Cape Town and the Undergraduate course director. 

“Accepting this position as head of live performance is a bold step for me.” says Rajesh Gopie, whose professional career up until now has been as a “sole agent” in the tough world of live performance, “But this heralds an exciting new phase in my life and I am looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead and growing a new generation of live performance practitioners.”

Richard Green, the Durban-based director/producer, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the mix. Green has a string of well-known films to his name including Spud, District 9, Otelo Burning with his most recent being assistant director on Anant Singh’s Long Walk to Freedom, which is currently in post-production.

Janet Van Eeden, who is currently doing her PHD in English at UKZN, has written 12 screenplays and 6 stage plays. In 2011 she won the Vodacom Journalist of the Year Award for the northern/southern regions as a Columnist for The Sunday Independent. Van Eeden, like the founding members of AFDA Garth Holmes and Bata Passchier, believes that the story/ narrative is everything to the success of making films.

Franco Human, is excited about the possibilities the new school will offer students and the film and theatre industry in Durban.  Human, who has been with AFDA for 10 years, started at the Johannesburg school as production co-ordinator and later took up a position as a junior lecturer in the producing department before moving to Cape Town. He has produced many short films, theatre musical productions, a celebrity campaign for M-Net and the SABC, a television series for CTV and an Afrikaans horror feature film as part of his Masters of Fine Art degree (which played to rave reviews), to name a few.  He has worked with the lifestyle show “Expresso” on SABC 3 and you may just recognise him as “the guy in the green shorts” doing Zumba and has other funky moves.  

Other core staff include junior lecturers Damien Tomaselli and Stuart Strydom. Tomaselli, has an Honours degree in Media and Communication Studies and Dramatic Performance and has worked as a performer, editor and producer across both theatre and film genres. Strydom graduated cum laude from the Durban University of Technology with a Bachelor of Technology (Video) and has extensive experience in video and sound editing.

The Production Design Lecturer is Sam Kelly, who worked for UK’s Channel 4 and BBC for a decade before running her own production company in Cape Town for four years. She now resides in Durban where she says she realized that the art department is her passion as her main interest lies within character analysis and how that gets interpreted into film.

The Co-ordinator and Administrative Assistant post will be held by Jessica Singh, who has a BA Degree in Communication Science  & English and is currently studying towards her Honours in Communication Science.

“We are really pleased with the strong core staff contingent we have appointed.” says Chairman of AFDA, Garth Holmes. “All these positions have been filled with people who have both academic and practical industry experience on many levels, and we trust that they will bring a dynamic and hands-on approach to the learning processes at the school. Students can always draw their information from a myriad sources, but being taught and guided by people who have worked in their respective fields, adds a richness to the experience of learning that no book or website can match.”

The school’s academic year starts on February 4th, 2013. For more information about AFDA contact Milena Gevers on  milenag@afda.co.za or call  031 569 2252.

Victory for Anant Singh - Durban Film Industry Set to Benefit

NATAL COMMAND: ULTIMATE VICTORY FOR SINGH

November 29, 2012

Yesterday the Constitutional Court of South Africa handed down judgement in favour of Anant Singh’s Rinaldo Investments in the matter of the purchase of the Natal Command site on the Durban beachfront. Singh has emerged victorious after an epic legal battle that has spanned more than eight years.

The Constitutional Court in its unanimous, comprehensive judgement by the full bench of the eleven judges of the Court, also dealt with the standing of Giant Concerts saying, “The inference that Giant was merely toying with process, or seeking to thwart a propitious public development because it had been made available to someone else, is therefore one the Court is entitled to draw. The consequence is that Giant lacks standing, since its interest remains incipient and has never become direct or substantial.”

Singh, currently in London, commented, “We welcome the decision of the Constitutional Court.  We are vindicated by the judgement which endorses the fact that due process was followed in the transaction.  The long legal process has delayed the project which would have a positive impact on the economy of the City and Province.  We now look forward to proceeding with the exciting opportunities that this development brings to the region in the film, media and entertainment sectors.”

The proposal for the project, together with concept drawings for the film studio complex were presented to the City nine years ago wherafter it was presented to City’s Exco and was subsequently unanimously approved by a full sitting of the eThekwini Council and endorsed by the Provincial Authorities.

Representing Singh and Rinaldo Investments were Sudhir Pragjee (Videovision Entertainment’s Director of Business Affairs), attorney David Levin of Nicolson Stiller and Geshen, and Advocates Peter Olsen SC and Andrea Gabriel SC.

Summarising the judgement, the Constitutional Court said:

Today the Constitutional Court delivered a judgment dismissing an appeal against a decision of the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA).

In 2003, through a law allowing a municipality to sell land by private sale rather than a public tender, the Ethekwini Municipality sold prime property on the Durban beachfront to Rinaldo Investments (Pty) Ltd (Rinaldo) as part of its plan to promote Durban as an international destination for film production. Rinaldo is a property-holding company ultimately controlled by film-maker Mr Anant Singh. The applicant, Giant Concerts CC (Giant), objected to the proposed sale and the Municipality rejected the objection.

Giant asked the KwaZulu-Natal High Court, Pietermaritzburg to set aside the sale. The High Court decided in favour of Giant, holding that the decision was unlawful, procedurally unfair and unreasonable. It declared the agreement between the Municipality and Rinaldo void.

On appeal, the Supreme Court of Appeal reversed the finding of the High Court. It found that Giant had failed to establish legal standing to challenge the decision to sell the land to Rinaldo since it had not shown a sufficient interest in the subject matter of the dispute. Giant claimed to act in its own interest in terms of section 38(a) of the Constitution.

In a unanimous judgment for the Constitutional Court, Cameron J noted that Giant did not claim to act in the public interest or on behalf of a group or association or anyone who was not able to bring proceedings themselves. It therefore had to show standing on the basis of its own interest alone. The Court affirmed that constitutional own-interest standing is broader than traditional common law standing. A litigant must nevertheless show that his or her rights or interests are directly affected by the challenged law or conduct.

The Court concluded that even on a broad approach to standing, Giant did not show that it had interests that were capable of being directly affected. This was because Giant never demonstrated that it had any serious commercial interest in the venture. In fact, Giant had failed to establish anything more than a hypothetical or academic interest. The Court found that Giant had no standing.

It held that when a party does not have standing, it is not necessary to consider the substance of the dispute, unless there is at least a strong indication of fraud or other gross irregularity in the conduct of a public body. There was nothing of the kind in the case before it. The appeal was therefore dismissed with costs.

-Ends

For more info on this contact Nilesh Singh

Nilesh Singh

031 2046050

nilesh@videovision.co.za

Alain Benatar hosts Positive Alignment Anusara Workshop and Introductory Class

Well-known Los Angeles-based yoga instructor Alain Benatar will be conducting an one-off introductory class into the Anusara System of hatha yoga and a Positive Alignment Ansusara Workshop at The Breathing Space on Friday, 30 November and Sunday, December 2 respectively. 

Durban-born Alain began his practicing Yoga at City Yoga, Los Angeles in 2000 and quickly found the yoga mat as his place of calm and tranquillity. Having discovered the physical and emotional body, through his acting and movement training Alain was able to find a practice where his martial arts training could come together seamlessly with his yoga practices.

Alain has had the privileged to study with some of Los Angeles foremost yoga teachers during his time at City Yoga and completed his 200 hour Teacher Training in 2008, and began teaching yoga in 2010. Since then he has been a regular scheduled teacher at City Yoga and after 12 years in the business he is still one of Los Angeles most respected teachers, as is his studio. Alain’s training is hatha based meaning that it draws on the alignment principles of the Anusara System, the strength of a hatha practice and the steady flow of Vinyasa.

In the workshop, participants will be taught to explore the nature of postural awareness and what it means for them and their yoga practice. Whilst also deepening the understanding of the body’s me’chanics and discovery of the muscles needed to support posture, and guidance on movement both in class and in life. 

The cost for the open introductory class on Friday November 30 from 4.30pm to 5.45pm is R60 and for the positive alignment workshop on Sunday, December 2 from 10am to 1pm is R150. Booking for this workshop is essential on (031) 201-7282.