Realness Institute & Netflix Launch Development Executive Traineeship

Realness Institute and Netflix  Extend Episodic Lab Entry Deadline and Launch New  Development Executive Traineeship 

Realness Institute’s newest program, Episodic Lab, created in partnership with Netflix, has received an overwhelmingly positive response from members of the industry online and offline. The deadline has thus been extended. submissions. Online submissions will now close upon receiving 150 additional applications or on the 8 February 2021, whichever comes first. 

The Episodic Lab offers African writers from South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria the opportunity to nurture their concepts into the series format, receive feedback and pitch them with the possibility of further production with Netflix. 

As part of the partnership, Realness Institute and Netflix will also run a Development Executive Traineeship (DET). While the Episodic Lab is open to applicants from Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa, the DET will be open to applicants from across Africa and the Diaspora. It is aimed at film professionals with an interest of being trained as story consultants or to gain insight into the story development process, working with writers and directors in the development of their stories. 

“Development is a crucial part of the creative process in storytelling. At Netflix, we’re fully committed to partnering with organisations like Realness Institute to achieve our goal of ensuring Africa’s creative professionals are equipped with all the skills necessary to deliver the quality best-in-class stories from our continent,”  - Dorothy Ghettuba, Netflix Manager for African Originals.

Trainees will shadow and work alongside the creative producers and creative consultants as they run the Episodic Lab and be active contributors in the writers’ rooms. They will also engage with guest experts in story development and have separate sessions from the group of writers. 

“The biggest strength of this initiative is the living breathing journey they will embark on. Different writers work in different ways and trainees will have the opportunity to witness and learn from this with projects in active development” - Elias Ribeiro, co-Founder and Head of Creative Studies. 

“No one is thinking about training development executives in Africa yet these executives are critical for increasing the quality and volume of production in local markets. So this program is filling an incredibly important gap in the local media ecosystem.” – Mehret Mandefro, Director of Development and Partnerships 

Trainees will receive a stipend of $2000 a month for the three months, to be able to dedicate their full time to the programme. DET will take place at the same time as the Episodic Lab from 1 June until 31 August 2021.

To qualify for the Development Executive Traineeship, you will need: 

●      Development experience, as a story consultant, creative producer, commissioning editor, reader for a funding body, or a writer interested in becoming a consultant (either in Film or television)

●      Open to holders of an African passport. 

Apply online at realness.institute/DET

-       1 paragraph bio (max. 200 words)

-       CV

-       Note of Motivation - How your work would benefit from participating in this program and how your personality would fit with working with writers (max. 500 words)

-       Max. 2 professional recommendations 

-       List of projects that you have worked on as a development consultant (if applicable)

-       Proof of payment for 30 Euro Application Fee (R550 Wire Transfer fee for South African applicants)

Applications to DET will close on the 28 February 2021, Midnight SAST

‘Mission Accomplished’ for the Mzansi Edge Expedition

During these dark days of Covid, an expedition of hope to embrace the outline of South Africa and help those in need.

With adventures and exploits reminiscent of Jules Verne’s 1872 novel ‘Around the world in 80 days’, the Kingsley Holgate explorer team have completed the Mzansi Edge Expedition travelling in new Land Rover Defenders, by mountain bike and even on foot, on a marathon humanitarian mission that delivered over 250,000 nutritional meals to needy families still affected by the Covid-19 lockdown and clocking up more than 16,000 kilometres in 80 days.

Starting at Kosi Bay mouth in northern KwaZulu-Natal in mid-September with the filling of the Holgate’s traditional Zulu calabash that travels on every humanitarian and geographic journey, the expedition achieved the extraordinary feat of tracking South Africa’s total land borders with Mozambique, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia, circumnavigating land-locked Lesotho, and following the entire length of the Atlantic and Indian Ocean coastlines from Alexander Bay in the Northern Cape back to Kosi Bay. 

The expedition ended at Kosi Bay - where it all began 80 days earlier.

Geographic objectives of the expedition included staying as close to the land borders as possible and reaching South Africa’s most eastern, northern, western and southern geographic points. The team also erected symbolic ‘isivivanes’ (stone cairns) at the six points where South Africa’s border meets two other countries and collected thimblefuls of water from 50 important water sources on Mzansi’s Edge in the Zulu calabash. Staying true to the coastal edge of the expedition’s route, they also reached 50 lighthouses along South Africa’s shoreline.

“This expedition turned out to be one of the most exceptional journeys I’ve ever undertaken without leaving my home country,” said the world-renowned explorer and author Kingsley Holgate, who with his team has completed over 30 geographic and humanitarian expeditions in Africa and beyond, many of them world-firsts. “Every day was a new adventure, and we were constantly amazed at the spectacular beauty, geographic diversity and rich history to be found all along South Africa’s borders and coastline, as well as the kindness and hospitality of people who ‘live on the edge’ of our magnificent country, and who fully embraced the expedition’s mission and pushed us along.”

The challenging route was also the first long-distance test for the recently launched Land Rover Defender on South African soil, with Kingsley and his son Ross Holgate putting two expedition-kitted new Defenders through their paces over some of the most difficult conditions on the continent. This included following the entire length of the Kruger National Park’s fence line with Mozambique; tracking the 500-kilometre straight-edge border with Namibia from Union’s End in the north of the Kalagadi Transfrontier Park to the Orange River; steep ascents and descents along the Lubombo and Makhonjwa mountain ranges and the high-altitude Drakensberg border with Lesotho; and navigating the precipitous cliffs of the Wild Coast.

“As a family, we have had the incredible opportunity to have adventured in every country in Africa but we never expected this homegrown Mzansi Edge expedition to throw so much at man and machine,” said expedition leader Ross Holgate. “Following a fence line day after day and week after week, is not easy. The road conditions were a complete mishmash: deep sand ruts, sharp jagged rocks, high Kalahari dunes, overgrown tracks and wash-aways were part of our everyday journey. We also experienced intense heat up to 50 degrees Celsius and days of endless mud and torrential rain.” 

At the Kruger National Park Mozambique border

Joining the adventurous father and son duo were Kingsley’s partner Sheelagh, Ross’s wife Anna, Kingsley’s 19-year-old grandson Tristan who is learning the ‘expedition ropes’, and expedition veteran ‘Shova Mike’ Nixon, one of only four people in the world to have completed every Absa Cape Epic, said to be the toughest mountain bike race in the world. He cycled over 4,500-kilometres of the Mzansi Edge expedition route, including a gruelling, solo 300-kilometre journey along the beaches and cliffs of the Wild Coast from Cintsa to Port St Johns. Other South African adventurers who joined the expedition for short spells included Project Rhino ambassador Richard Mabanga and mountaineers Andre Bredenkamp and Sibusiso Vilane, the first African to successfully summit Mt Everest.

Staying so close to South Africa’s borders created some interesting moments for the team. “With travel bans still in place, some of the fence lines were heavily guarded by the SADF and we had to get permission from the top military brass beforehand,” recalled Ross. “They were always supportive of the expedition’s mission, but sometimes the message wouldn’t get all the way down the line and we’d have to do some fast talking.  On one occasion, Shova Mike on his mountain bike was nearly shot when he crested a hill ahead of the Defender team and surprised a patrol unit on the lookout for border jumpers and vehicle smugglers.”

The expedition witnessed the illegal cross-border trade, particularly along the Limpopo border with Zimbabwe, where innumerable holes in the fence, well-worn tracks and a busy bush-taxi service showed it was alive and kicking. They also saw first-hand the devastation that Covid-closed border posts have wrought on local communities who rely heavily on tourism and the continent-wide trucking industry. 

“It was disturbing to see border posts like ghost towns,” said Kingsley. “No business at all – from the empty shisanyama and fruit stalls lining the road, to short-stay motels and upmarket game lodges – everything closed. The loss of income must be terrifying; it really brought home the severity of the Covid-19 lockdown and how people in these outlying areas are still struggling to put food on the table.”

“Building on our motto of using our adventures to improve and save lives, this expedition wasn’t just a geographic mission – it also had a strong humanitarian focus,” explained Ross. “Supported by Land Rover, the DoMore Foundation and our partners at Goodbye Malaria and Project Rhino, we were able to distribute well over 250,000 meals-worth of vitamin-enriched DoMore nutritional porridge, as well as thousands of facemasks, sanitizing soap and digital thermometers to early childhood development centres, orphanages and needy families all along the route, especially to those living close to game reserves who have been particularly hard-hit by the loss of tourism. It was a mammoth team effort, and we were amazed at the inner strength of so many South Africans, who seem more determined than ever to improve the lives of others during these difficult Covid times.”

SA Adventurer Sibusiso Vilane helping with humanitarian work near Songimvelo NR on Eswatini border

On the final dash from Durban Harbour to Kosi Bay, the expedition’s well-travelled Zulu calabash was borne up the coast on the National Sea Rescue Institute’s state-of-the-art ‘Alick Rennie’ vessel to Umhlanga Rocks and then flown by microlight from Ballito to the Tugela River mouth. Reuniting with the Defender convoy, it journeyed up the KwaZulu-Natal north coast, still collecting water from key river mouths and lakes in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. To mark the end of its Mzansi Edge odyssey, expedition members then carried it on a 14-kilometre beach trek from Bhanga Nek to Kosi Bay Mouth, where it was symbolically emptied at the exact point where the expedition started from 80 days previously, in a jubilant end-of-expedition ceremony. 

The expedition’s Scroll of Peace and Goodwill is full of inspirational messages from hundreds of remarkable people we met all along Mzansi’s Edge,” said Kingsley. “Especially in these difficult times, it’s been good to be reminded of the unique diversity of nature, culture and community that make up our country. Wherever possible, let’s get out there and enjoy the incredible adventure destinations South Africa has to offer, staying Covid-safe of course.”

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Durban FilmMart Institute – 2021 Project Submissions Call Out

Durban, South Africa: The Durban FilmMart Institute has opened the call for project submissions for the 2021 Durban FilmMart (DFM).

“Our vision is to stimulate the growth of the African film industry through the development of film projects, and to network African filmmakers within the continent, and the rest of the world,” says Magdalene Reddy, acting General Manager of the Durban FilmMart Institute. “The success of the DFM over the years can be seen in the many independent film projects that have reached festivals as well as big and small screens, and the connections and relationships that have been developed and forged over the years.”

 “In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the DFM took place as a virtual edition which attracted over 1000 online delegates from 64 countries. These delegates represented producers, directors, scriptwriters, distributors, broadcasters, sales agents, financiers, investors, festival programmes and other film industry representatives from around the world, and we are hoping to grow these numbers and attract more interest in our 12th edition.”

The DFMI independent adjudication committee will select ten feature-length documentaries and ten feature-length fiction film projects from the submissions. These projects will undergo a two-day packaging and mentorship programme during the DFM, followed by one-on-one meetings with a panel of film financiers, buyers, and distributors from across the globe.

Full-length fiction and documentary film projects with Africans in the major creative roles (writers, directors, and producers) seeking co-producers, financiers, sales agents, and funders are invited to submit. These are read and reviewed by an adjudication committee for consideration. A producer and director must be attached to the project. The deadline for submission is 21 February 2021.

For more about the Durban FilmMart Institute, project submission criteria, and how to submit your project, visit http://www.durbanfilmmart.co.za/ProjectSubmissions . The submission link is opened for applications.

For further enquiries contact: info@durbanfilmmart.com.

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Realness Institute opens call for submissions for Episodic Lab in partnership with Netflix

Media Release

Realness Institute opens call for submissions for Episodic Lab in partnership with Netflix

30 November: Realness Institute has opened its call for submissions for its latest offering, Episodic Lab, a series development lab presented in partnership with global streaming service Netflix.

Episodic Lab will be looking for screenwriters from Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa with authentic and original stories of all genres. The initiative is only open to writers from the 3 countries where Netflix is currently focusing its African Originals strategy.

The Lab will take place online from 1 June 2021 to 31 August 2021 where selected writers will work on developing pitch documents for their story concepts.

Six writers will be chosen to spend 3 months in a ‘writers room’ format where they will work with a script consultant and a creative producer to fully develop their story concepts into an episodic pitch. Along with creative training, writers will receive feedback from Netflix Originals’ development team.

Speaking from Cape Town South Africa, Asanda Biyana, Realness Partner and Project Manager of the Episodic Lab says, “Series give writers the space to make bigger worlds and more layered stories. There is no limit for what can be submitted, and we believe that with the pool of talent on our continent, and our incredible ability to tell stories, that we will see some extraordinary talent emerging from this process. We are excited and are preparing to work really hard to select the first cohort for the Lab.”

A stipend of US$2000 per month will be paid to the participants to cover living expenses as they dedicate their time to the process.  At the end of the Lab, each writer will have an opportunity to pitch their finished product to Netflix and have their series developed for production. If Netflix does not commission further development and/or production, the rights to the developed material default to the authors. Creators should not be committed to a producer or director to participate in the Lab.

To apply applicants must meet the following criteria: 

●     The Writer/writing team* must have either Film or Television experience, (*only one writer will be able to participate if selected.)

●     They can write in any genre of fiction

●     They must be able to communicate and work in English (although the story can be in a local language but would require translation for the Lab)

●     The concept must be set in South Africa, Kenya OR Nigeria

●     No producers or directors should be attached to the script

●     Pay a submission fee

To apply:

Applicants must complete the online application on the Realness Institute website at www.realness.institute/episodic-lab-application. Applicants are advised to read through the form before submitting.

Applicants will be required to pay a submission fee of 30 Euros via Paypal or 55 Euros via international wire transfer to cover the banking charges.

The deadline for submissions is the 31 January 2021 at midnight SAST.

Queries about the programme or application process can be directed to email submissions@realness.institute.

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Asanda Biyana, Realness Partner and Project Manager of the Episodic Lab prepares for the opening at submissions with Mehmet Mandefro - Realness Institute Director of Development and Partnerships.

Teboho Edkins’ Days of Cannibalism awarded top documentary prize at El Gouna Film Festival in Egypt

Teboho Edkins’ Days of Cannibalism awarded top documentary prize at El Gouna Film Festival in Egypt

South African film-maker Teboho Edkins’ documentary Days of Cannibalism took tops honours in the documentary competition section of Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival last week.

Still from Days of Cannibalism directed by Teboho Edkins

The film was awarded the El Gouna Golden Star for Documentary Film which comes with a cash prize of $30 000.

Days of Cannibalism premiered at the Berlinale International Film Festival earlier this year where it was nominated for best documentary. It had its South Africa premiere at Encounters in August 2020 where it was awarded second place in the documentary competition. It has since gone on to screen at the Durban International Film Festival, CPH:DOX, Visions du Réel, amongst others, and will be screened at Porto/Post/Doc and the New Directors / New Films in New York in December.

The Western-styled documentary is set in the bleak rugged terrain of a remote rural Lesotho, Southern Africa. It is here that economic pioneers are met with unease by local communities, and these self-made Chinese merchants negotiate their place alongside traditional Basotho cattle breeders.

Edkins, who works between Cape Town and Berlin, Germany was elated about the award: “After years of focusing on this film project, which explores the impact of globalisation in Lesotho where I grew up and more broadly on the African continent., it is so humbling to watch it being appreciated in the market place at festivals,” he said. “This was the first physical screening of my film in Africa. It is a great honour to see the film on an African stage and to be recognized with this prize. I would like to express my appreciation to the organizers for making the festival happen in these challenging times.”

The film has been picked up by Indie Sales. For more information go to www.indiesales.eu

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Note to Editors: More about the El Gouna Film Festival

One of the leading festivals in the MENA region, GFF aims to showcase a wide variety of films for a passionate and knowledgeable audience, while fostering better communication between cultures through the art of filmmaking. Its goal is to connect filmmakers from the region with their international counterparts in the spirit of cooperation and cultural exchange. The festival is committed to the discovery of new voices and strives to be a catalyst for the development of cinema in the Arab world.

Shabnam Palesa Mohamed reviews Mogul Mowgli - directed by Bassam Tariq, starring Riz Ahmed (European Film Fest SA)

MOGUL MOWGLI- reviewed by Shabnam Palesa Mohamed

(12 November - 22 November - online and free at European Film festival SA)

Making a film that has both art and commercial appeal is a stand-up and applaud feat. In fact, if I wasn’t watching this film from the comfort of my home, I might stand up in the cinema, and slow clap.

Riz Ahmed in Mogul Mowgli

Mogul Mowgli nails this Holy Grail appeal with authentic, out-the-box imagination. It’s a film about Zaheer Anwar – a British-Pakistani rap artist whose slam poetry speaks to being a POC, identity, the challenges of immigration, assimilation, and love - certainly some of the best rap lyrics written for screen. I was reminded of Eminem film, 8 Mile. Except this time, I could relate to the character better.

Anwar’s mother adores him, but it is his loving father who is his champion. On a trip home to visit his doting parents, who he hasn’t seen in two years, there are relatable scenes where he is called a “coconut” for changing his name from Zaheer to Zed. Just one week before he goes on a dream rap tour to Europe, Anwar increasingly loses feeling in his legs, gets into a scuffle with a fan, and collapses outside a mosque that he hasn’t been to, in years. There’s also an amusingly ridiculous debate scene involving a marijuana joint that Muslims and non-Muslims may understand. You decide who is right!

Still from Mogul Mowgli

His hospital chapter is fascinating. From discussions about chilli rituals to ward off nazr or the “evil eye” that made him sick, to his father arranging traditional cupping (hijama) treatment to heal his legs. But the scenes that stand out - because we are never told who he is - are Anwar’s hallucinations of a mysterious man with a flower veil who bizarrely stalks him.  As a child, Anwar saw this man at a Qawaali (Sufi style singing) event at his father’s modest restaurant. These scenes are interspersed with surreal, almost time travel-like scenes of Anwar on a train his father fled in after the British colonial partition of India. Because of this pain, Anwar seeks POC unity with African-American rappers.

It turns out Anwar has a hereditary auto-immune disease, which he is angry at his father for not telling him about. Meanwhile, his father does everything, from bathing him, to pray for him. His manager becomes stressed about the rap tour and brings in a replacement, a typical “Gucci gang” mumble rapper, who Anwar despises for polluting the art of conscious lyrics. Anwar is forced to sell one of his songs to the third eye tattooed fan, almost as painful for him as his mom working at a grocery store.

Riz Ahmed

Bismillah, Anwar has a biopsy. He is told his disease is degenerative and chronic. There is an experimental treatment, but it comes with chemo-like side effects and possible infertility. He is advised to save his sperm before the infusion treatment. His ex-girlfriend Bina phones just as he awkwardly stares at the ‘material’ intended to motivate him to release sperm - to be frozen just in case he wants kids. Bina doesn’t want to get back together; Anwar’s career has always been a priority.

Nelson Mandela makes an appearance, well, his name anyway. RPK the sex lyrics rapper says “Without apartheid, there would be no Mandela. Without you, there would be no me”. Ahmed’s acting is so brilliant, I could sense him wanting to mentally vomit. Gaunt and weak, there is a heart-breaking scene where Anwar, on the floor, has his stressed, arguing parents removed from his hospital room. Having recovered from a rare form of leukaemia myself, I could relate to his anguish, and his parent’s grief.

The closing scene, of his traditional father rapping with him as he sits on the toilet, is probably my favourite. But it’s the last shot that lingers in my mind. He looks towards the camera, and his expression changes. Did he see the veiled man again? Was it him or his father hiding on that train? Who was laying on the floor in the hospital? What was on his face after his seizure? The EUFF organisers chose the perfect film to whet my appetite to watch the other eleven! Bravo to the writers Riz Ahmed and Bassam Tariq. Does Zed recover? You will have to watch, and like me, will him to walk.

Catch this and 11 other films at the European Film Festival (12-22 November - online - click on this link to book - https://films.eurofilmfest.co.za/

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Shabnam Palesa Mohamed is an award-winning activist, author, poet, radio journalist, and former documentary filmmaker. She manages the Centre for Fine Art, Animation and Design in Durban.

Shabnam Palesa Mohamed

Climate Action Activities during European Film Festival

Sharpening the spear for climate justice and building back better after Covid-19

One of the films in this year’s European Film Festival is I am Greta the new documentary on Greta Thunberg, the Swedish teenager whose quiet yet laser-sharp focus has generated massive public attention on climate change, and inspired a generation of young activists.  The film will be screened online in South Africa, from 12 to 22 November, and will be augmented by a number of climate action activities including a live discussion on Friday, 13 November at 18:00 (SA Time).

Climate change is undoubtedly one of the greatest crises humanity has ever faced. In 2015, 196 countries signed the Paris Climate Accord to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow global warming. There are many who say the Paris Climate Agreement does not go nearly far enough to address the urgencies, or the imperative of climate justice. Another question is how effective the commitments are in practice. Signing a non-binding Agreement is one thing, but implementation is another – especially here in the world’s most unequal country, where an internal Global North way overproduces and overconsumes our fair share of the continent’s emissions. This hard-to-hear reality underscores the importance of both climate action and climate justice organisations and watchdogs. They monitor progress or shortcomings, and hold governments, corporations, the wealthy and multilateral transgressors accountable. 

Sharpening the spear

The festival’s climate programme includes screenings of the I am Greta documentary and awareness discussions in schools and community centres around the country and the live Zoom event Climate Justice South Africa: sharpening the spear.  This Zoom event brings pertinent experts together for a series of short presentations articulating the status of local climate change impacts, and outlining mitigation strategies, initiatives, and ways forward for South Africa.

In a presentation entitled From Climate (in)Action to Climate Justice, an author of numerous books and articles, Professor Patrick Bond of the University of the Western Cape School of Government, will offer an overview of climate politics and projects in South Africa. His critiques are razor sharp, and tackle the UN, national and municipal governments, corporations and activists, in turn. 

Ulrich Steenkamp of Earthlife Africa

From the renowned advocacy and activist group Earthlife Africa, Ulrich Steenkamp’s  presentation on Energy Democracy is framed against the democratic rights of the citizens of this country, the need for access to clean energy, and for participation in decision-making processes. 

Avena Jacklin of the Pietermaritzburg-based NGO groundWork/Friends of the Earth South Africa  addresses Environmental Protection Urgencies. She connects the dots from climate to the devastating water crises – droughts and periodic floods – and the importance of reshaping management of this basic resource. 

Ayakha Melithafa from the Africa Climate Alliance.

The younger generation is whose future is most at stake, as explained by Ayakha Melithafa from the Africa Climate Alliance. What innovative approaches do the youth bring to advocacy efforts and awareness campaigns, how does Youth Activism feed into policy and legislative processes so that South Africa is able to address the challenges with integrity, fairness and justice? What ecological and social rights do we need to recognise what must be ensured for future generations? 

All the member states participating in this European Film Festival are signatories to the Paris Agreement. South Africa is a signatory. Now that the United States is going to rejoin Paris, once Donald Trump vacates the White House next January 20, a global-to-national-to-local scan is vital. Greta Thunberg teaches us how to do this through the idealistic eyes of the youth, and we must turn a laser glare to addressing this greatest crisis humanity has ever faced, especially since the “Just Transition”, “decarbonisation” and “Build Back Better” refrains are still being heard from the South African presidency. This Live Zoom discussion is a reminder of the climate catastrophe and a call to action, to all of us. Access the event at 18.00 (SA time) on Friday 13 November through a link from the Special Events page on www.eurofilmfest.co.za.

Fikile Ntshangase, the anti-mining activist wy

This event is dedicated to the memory of Fikile Ntshangase, the anti-mining activist who was assassinated on 22 October. Ntshangase was the deputy chairperson of the Mfolozi Community Environmental Justice Organisation (Mcejo), which has stood steadfastly against the Tendele Coal Mine’s expansion in the Somkhele village area.

The European Film Festival 2020 is a partnership project of the Delegation of the European Union to South Africa and 12 other European embassies and cultural agencies in South Africa:  the Embassies of Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden and Wallonie-Bruxelles International, the French Institute in South Africa, the Goethe-Institut, the Italian Cultural Institute, and the British Council. The festival is organised in cooperation with CineEuropa and coordinated by Creative WorkZone.

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Free special events programme at the European Film Festival in South Africa

Special events programme at the European Film Festival in South Africa

A programme of free special events and filmmaker engagements will augment the European Film Festival which kicks off its 2020 edition on 12 November with free online screenings of new European films.  

To enrich the viewer experience a number of pre-recorded Q&A sessions with the directors will be available immediately after the screening of certain films.   In addition, a series of live online discussions will keep the conversations flowing during the festival footprint. “We live in a new world of COVID protocols so the pre-recorded interviews and online engagements are a good way to maintain the connection to the filmmakers, hear about the filmmaking processes, and discuss topical issues,” explains Magdalene Reddy, co-director of the festival.

 Online Engagements

To synergise with the new documentary on Greta Thunberg, an online event called Climate Action South Africa – sharpening the spear will focus attention on the climate crisis in this country.  This 6pm discussion on 13 November will feature presentations from Earthlife Africa’s Ulrich Steenkamp on Energy Democracy, Groundwork’s Avena Jacklin on Environment Protection Urgencies, African Climate Alliance’s Ayakha Melithafa on the crucial role of Youth Activism, and the University of Western Cape’s Patrick Bond on the shift from Climate Action to Climate Justice and the ways forward for South Africa.

Using the film Sweat as a starting point the discussion Social Media and Me – who is winning? with director Magnus von Horn and clinical psychologist Dr.Khosi Jiyane will take a prescient look at the impact of social media on individuals and society, and how we manage our actual and virtual realities. Catch it on 16 Nov at 6pm

On Tuesday 17 November (6pm)  Griet Op De Beeck, Flemish author of the award-winning book Kom Hier Dat Ek Jou Kus joins Sabine Lubbe Bakker and Niels van Koevoerden, the directors of Becoming Mona, which is based on the book, to explore the process of Transforming Books to Film. Also participating in this discussion is Oscar-winning Stefan Ruzowitzky whose film Narcissus and Goldmund is an adaption of Hermann Hesse’s legendary novel of the same name.

The following evening (18 November at 6pm) Op De Beeck will discuss her book on the occasion of the launch of its translation into Afrikaans as Kom Hier Dat Ek Jou Soen.

Wednesday 18 November (6pm) also brings Films and Fake News- an unfortunate true story where filmmakers and investigative journalists discuss the use of film in spreading fake news and exposing fake news.  It features Johannes Naber, director of Curveball, and German journalist Holger Stark, in discussion with Diana Neille and Richard Poplak, directors of Influence which has been winning awards around South Africa since its premiere at Sundance earlier this year.

The festival film The 8th focuses on the campaign to repeal the 8th amendment which criminalised abortion in Ireland. Expanding on the issue of reproductive rights in South Africa is a webinar entitled Making the Right to Choice a Reality taking place on Thursday 19 November  (2pm) and featuring leaders of the Irish campaign in discussion with local specialists.

On Friday 20 November (6pm) is the discussion Filming Unspoken Histories – Sylvia Vollenhoven in conversation with Lucas Belvaux. Here the director of Home Front discusses the making of his film with a focus on the uncovering of toxic or buried histories and its impact on societies and individuals.  

Community Centre and school programmes

There will also be a regulated programme of physical events at selected community centres and schools where screenings of the films I am Greta and Sweat will be followed by mediated discussions on the film topics of climate action and social media.  Participating community centres include Isivivana Centre in Khayalitsha, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation Youth Activism programme,  and Windybrow Arts Centre in Johannesburg, Wushwini Arts Centre and the Wilderness Leadership School in Durban.  The Climate Action programme at Isivivana Centre will also include three short films and discussion with local ocean activists, Loyiso Dunga, Faine Loubser and Mogamet Shamier, whose work highlights the wonders of the Cape ocean and the Great African Sea Forest.

For more information about the various special events visit the Events page on www.eurofilmfest.

The European Film Festival 2020 is a partnership project of the Delegation of the European Union to South Africa and 12 other European embassies and cultural agencies in South Africa:  the Embassies of Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden and Wallonie-Bruxelles International, the French Institute in South Africa, the Goethe-Institut, the Italian Cultural Institute, and the British Council. The festival is organised in cooperation with CineEuropa and coordinated by Creative WorkZone.

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ArtsAbility 2020 Festival during International Month of Persons Living with Disabilities

Media Release

ARTSABILITY 2020  - During International Month of Persons Living with Disabilities

The ArtsAbility Festival, presented annually by Cape Town’s UNMUTE Dance Company, is Africa’s premier inclusive arts festival which takes place online from 3 November until 3 December.

In its sixth year, ArtsAbility 2020 continues to present an exciting, innovative space for both disabled and able-bodied artists and performers, offering a plethora of performances, webinars, and creative works. This year the festival moves online to present this FREE virtual experience, which pays tribute to International Month of Persons living with Disabilities.  

Under the overarching theme, Spaces & Homes Invasion Festival of Transmission (SHIFT) ONLINE it has taken advantage of the constraints of the Corona Virus Pandemic, by using the virtual space to increase the usually six-day event to a month-long online feast of inclusive talent and creative genius. ArtsAbility 2020 has opened its doors to not only local South African creators, but also Africa and the World.

“The theme is a striving to taking inclusivity in the arts to community spaces and people,” says Nadine McKenzie, Unmute Artistic Director. 

“This year, with the virtual innovation, Unmute has taken the opportunity presented by a month-long on-line event to incorporate many more artists and performances. This has not been possible in previous festivals.”  

This year the objectives of the festival are three-fold, firstly to provide exposure for those young inclusive artists who are already producing works in communities. Secondly, to provide a platform for collaborative works between South African, African and global inclusive artists. And lastly, to provide learning opportunities through the Access Lecture, Inclusive Webinars, Sign Language lessons, and Integrated Dance workshop programme. 

“The golden thread running through ArtsAbility 2020 is the vision of Unmute; Inclusivity, Accessibility and Integration. The aim is to SHIFT perceptions, to aid society in a way that inclusivity becomes a daily practice and not a once-off event,” say McKenzie.

One of the must-see performances on offer is Access Denied; a video presentation/film where three artists from Unmute Dance Theatre explores different accessibility challenges these artists deal with daily in a society that overlooks persons with disabilities and their need to move around freely and independently. Other companies presenting work include Flatfoot Dance Company (South Africa), Axis Dance Company (USA), BewegGrund (Switzerland), and including new digital dance work coming out of a series of incredible residencies hosted by Unmute that include artists from Botswana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, DRC and South Africa.

To view the fest - “subscribe” (there is no charge) to the Youtube Channel : https://youtube.com/channel/UC7ZLr5TYIWE1TnofgYxOtwg 

ArtsAbility 2020 is made possible by the National Arts Council of South Africa, in partnership with Artscape Theatre Centre and Survé Philanthropies.

For more information follow the Unmute Dance Company on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artsabilityfes 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artsabilityfes/ 

Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC7ZLr5TYIWE1TnofgYxOtwg 

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For media queries contact candice@headsupcomm.co.za

or email nadine@unmute.co.za

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Durban holiday fun? Try eNanda Adventure Park!

Durban: It has been a long tough grind for those in the tourism industry hard hit by the COVID-19 regulations and travel bans. So it is not surprising that one small exquisite spot in Durban has begun to capture the imagination of local tourists, and things appear to be on the rise. 

Nestled in a far corner of the expansive Inanda Dam is the Green Corridors eNanda Adventure Park – a 30-minute drive from central Durban, and an ideal spot to enjoy now that holidays are upon us. This is one of the many “green spaces” managed by this NPO, which has as its vision for people and nature to connect and thrive together.  And an ideal spot to enjoy

This particular spot, with secure parking, is easily accessed via the M25, which runs east to west from the N2. The park boasts a picturesque picnic site on the dam for day-trippers, with accommodation in either rustic cabins, glamping-style tented camp, or in the Ezweni Lodge self-catering establishment set up on the hill overlooking the park. There are many exciting activities to choose from with trained and experienced local guides, including hiking and MTB trails, canoeing, and birding-watching. There is also a fast-action bike pump-track for the die-hard cyclists wanting to test their mettle on a world-class developed tarred circuit. There is something for the whole family here.

The Inanda Adventure Park is managed by businessman and owner of Ezweni Lodge, Futhi Sibiya, who says he has been “surprised at how local tourists have been discovering the beauty of their back yards.”

“The Green Corridors ethos is to act as an enabler for people to work within green spaces, and this goes hand in hand with the development of local skills and businesses which key to the community’s well-being,” says Sibiya. 

Recently Sibiya has introduced a small craft market, which operates every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, where one can get takkies/ sneakers washed, buy locally made jewellery, clothes, and food, and even get a back massage.

Seeing a gap in the corporate market for authentic adventure team building in nature, Sibiya has introduced several packages in which companies and organisations can spend a day in a beautiful rural setting, learning team-work skills and bond, with everything from catering to the programme included.

‘We have seen an incredible increase in local visitors booking hikes and enjoying the park, much more than in the past. I think people have become tired of being locked away in their homes. This is great news for us - the more people that visit this community, the more the local economy in this rural heartland will benefit.”

There is a nominal fee of R30 for day visit to the site which is falls away when guests pay for any of the other activities in the park. Hikes, trails, and canoeing also attract a nominal fee. There is no bike hire, so bring your own bike, and helmets must be worn. All Covid-19 protocols are adhered to. 

For more information go to https://durbangreencorridor.co.za/ or to book contact 031-3226062 or 073 189 6780.

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Snakes in the City - have a snake you need rescuing?

Call 063 234 6932 - Greater Durban Area - until 4 November 2020

There is nothing that motivates an adventurous spirit more than being in lockdown for months during the COVID19 pandemic, and passionate reptile-lovers and conservationists Simon and Siouxsie of National Geographic Wild’s globally popular reality series Snakes in the City, are no exception.

Back in South Africa, after returning home to the UK just before international borders closing earlier this year, this dynamic, adrenaline-loving couple hope to soon continue with the filming and are on standby to rescue, remove, or relocate snakes in and around Durban.

“We are loving being back as the Spring rains start to turn the KwaZulu-Natal countryside a gorgeous green, and the weather is warming up, bringing out the incredibly diverse range of snakes,” enthuses Siouxsie. “It was quite difficult for us, with our adrenaline-filled lifestyle, to bunker down for all these months, but we are very blessed to have got through it, and are over the moon about starting the filming process again.” 

“We look forward to meeting the many different people in and around Durban, many of whom, have a fear of snakes, and have no idea what to do when encountering them,” says Simon. “Filming our rescues, removals, and relocations, enables us to educate people about snakes, and that they are a vital part of the eco-system and, for the most part, are harmless. It truly heartens us when we manage to convince a person that killing a snake is not an option and that they are not as terrifying as they think.”

The series, which reaches a global audience, is produced by local production house Earth Touch, will be filmed using strict SA government COVID-19 guidelines and regulations. “We have developed a best practice and protocol plan that the whole crew and cast have been thoroughly briefed on, to make filming safe for the team, as well as the members of the public with whom they will come into contact whilst filings,” explains Graeme Duane, Creative Director: Earth Touch. 

Simon and Siouxsie are available to attend to a snake that needs to be rescued, removed or relocated, from properties of people living in the greater Durban area, including as far south as Illovo Beach, inland to Botha’s Hill, and north to Tongaat. There is no charge for a call out, and depending on the circumstances, the caller may (with permission of course) end up on the international reality TV series. 

The number to call is 063 234 6932.

Artify is a brand new e-commerce site for - well - ART!

Artify is a brand new e-commerce site specifically designed for the sale of visual art.

It was created, initially, by the Hilton Arts Festival as a part of the Virtual Celebration which took the place of the Festival this year. It can be viewed on either www.hiltonfestival.co.za (click on Artify) or artify.africa

Artify is an ideal platform for visual artists of all genres to make their work available to the public.  Although only two months old, the 55 artists who have already joined are thrilled with the ease with which the site works, the quality of the art for sale ad – most importantly – that there have already been sales. Feedback from the public has also been positive, with buyers finding the site easy to navigate and very secure. It is possible to search for work by artist name, genre and medium – so finding your favourites is easy! Artify offers a door to door courier service between buyer and seller.  Nothing could be easier!

Artify is profiling many well-known names in the art world from internationally acclaimed potter, Andrew Walford, and KZN’s own much loved oil painter, Anton Benzon’s, iconic landscapes to many artists offering the public a great variety wildlife, portraits, botanicals, abstract, architectural  and still life work. Mediums range from photography to watercolours, pottery to charcoal, acrylic to sculpture.   Plans are afoot to include sections on pop, graffiti, anime, bespoke craft and contemporary African work.

Art is an everlasting gift to give. As we approach the festive season of this extraordinary year in the history of mankind, choose art to give friends and loved ones, support those who are trying to generate their own income rather than global conglomerates with mass produced goods.

Art is the soul of the nation – be a part of this creative soul.

Artify can be found on artify.africa and on FB, Instagram and Twitter. It can also be accessed via www.hiltonfestival.co.za

European Film Festival 2020 Goes Virtual - 12-22 Nov

European Film Festival 2020 Goes Virtual - 12-22 November 2020

This year’s European Film Festival goes virtual with an excellent line-up of twelve brand new films, all of which are premiere screenings in South Africa. Of these eleven films are screened free of charge and one will collect a fee towards a worthy cause.  

Emphasising her support for the festival’s continuity despite the challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic, EU Ambassador to South Africa, Dr Riina Kionka, said: “Twelve films in eleven days shows the determination of this European partnership to overcome difficult circumstances. Since my arrival in South Africa this is my second European Film Festival:  I can tell you that it is a cultural highlight not to be missed. In addition, I invite you to participate in the various special events lined up during the Festival!”  

Old Worlds and New 

Invoking a moment of reflection, and the opportunity to reset our attitude to the world and our 2020 circumstances, this year’s 7th edition of the European Film Festival, is about Then and Now, with the films inscribing an arc from Old Worlds to New. 

Narcissist and Goldmund

Starting in the Middle Ages, this year’s Austrian film is based on the story of Narcissus and Goldmund, written by Nobel-prize winning author Hermann Hesse, and directed here by Oscar-winning Stefan Ruzowitzky (The Counterfeiters). It examines the powerful bond between two very different characters, amidst the dichotomy between religious monastic life and the passion and adventure of secular life. 

Moving forward a few hundred years, there are two reflections on wars of the 20th century.  

Homefront

After World War 2, when most countries around the world were focused on recovery and rebuilding, the small country of  Lithuania remained in a war situation as locals resisted Soviet occupation for about another 15 years. Sharanas Bartas’s film In The Dusk dramatically takes us into that desperate time and place.  From the same era, but focused in a different part of Europe and Africa, Home Front is a Belgian film directed by Lucas Belvaux, where painful memories of the time of the French colonial war in Algeria explode into the present, opening up chapters of a toxic past which is still not fully spoken of today.

In the Dusk

Marco Bellocchio's award-winning film The Traitor takes us into the 1980s when a whistleblowing  mafia boss-turned-informer triggers the largest prosecution of the Sicilian mafia in Italian history. A riveting insight into the operations of one of the world’s most notorious crime syndicates. 

The Traitor

The German film Curveball, directed by Johannes Naber, is a thriller that catapults viewers into the 21st century. In a sober warning about how terribly easy it is to slip into war, this is a fact-based story about how a lie regarding chemical weapons, sets in motion a chain of events that results in the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, forever changing the global political landscape.

Curveball

On a much lighter note, the Spanish film directed by Bernabe Rico, One Careful Owner, tells how a woman buys a new home with a certain ‘inconvenience’, namely that the 80-year old current owner will remain living in it until she dies. The two very different women in this story will form an unlikely friendship filled with tenderness, emotion and much laughter. 

Another film focusing on female relationships, and in this case a mother-daughter relationship, is the French film Proxima, by director Alice Winocour, about a French woman astronaut who is forced to consider her priorities of family versus career. 

There are two stories of unique emancipation and self-discovery – the first is the Dutch film, Becoming Mona, directed by Sabine Lubbe Bakker and Niels van Koevorden,  in which we follow, from childhood through to adulthood, Mona’s struggle to break free from the stifling constraints of a life lived in service of other people’s egos.  

Becoming Mona

The UK film this year is Bassam Tariq’s Mogul Mowgli, starring Riz Ahmed as a rapper on the verge of a big international tour when he gets cut down with a severe illness, causing him to confront his Pakistani/English culture, and himself. 

Mogul Mowgli

The Polish film Sweat by director Magnus van Horn focuses on a fitness motivator who has become a social media celebrity and influencer - it’s about how she wrestles with the nature of her popularity and what loneliness and intimacy mean in her world, all highly pertinent issues in this modern digital era.

Sweat

The festival also includes two powerful documentaries.   The Irish representative, The 8th, is about the highly emotive and divisive topic of abortion and women’s reproductive rights.  Here, three award-winning women directors, Aideen Kane, Lucy Kennedy, and Maeve O’Boyle, follow the grassroots activism of the campaign to repeal the 1983 8th amendment (which criminalised abortions) in a defining moment of Irish history. 

The 8th

Finally, bringing us right up to date, is a film which focuses our attention on one of the greatest crises humanity has ever faced, climate change. Nathan Grossman’s deeply personal Swedish documentary I am Greta follows the teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg from her one-person school strike to her astonishing wind-powered voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to speak at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York City. 

I am Greta

 “These films give us much to think about, a common theme in all of them being Relationship,” says Peter Rorvik, curator of the festival. “The wide range of relationships deal with antagonism, dominance, and dependency; with competition and conflict; with cooperation, friendship, and love; with class, race, and culture.  It is also about relationship with ourselves, and with our environment, and the eco-systems of which we are a part. We cannot always control our circumstances, but how we manage these exchanges will mark our place in the world.  This selection will not just entertain, but contribute to our awareness of relationships, guide our actions, and inform our ongoing journey of discovery of the world and ourselves.”

Free Screenings

The 2020 edition of the European Film Festival is virtual and accessible online across South Africa only.  The film screenings are free, except for I am Greta, whose entry fee of R50 serves as a fundraiser for a climate action group who will be awarded screening proceeds after the festival.

Look out for the full programme of screenings and special events on https://www.eurofilmfest.co.za/

Bringing the best of European film to South Africa’s home screens, the European Film Festival 2020 is a partnership project of the Delegation of the European Union to South Africa and 12 other European embassies and cultural agencies in South Africa:  the Embassies of Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden and Wallonie-Bruxelles International, the French Institute in South Africa, the Goethe-Institut, the Italian Cultural Institute, and the British Council. The festival is organised in cooperation with CineEuropa and coordinated by Creative WorkZone. 

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Sharlene Versfeld

Versfeld & Associates

Public Relations and Communications

Email: sharlene@versfeld.co.za

Trailers:

Curveball: https://www.eurofilmfest.co.za/portfolio-items/curveball/?portfolioCats=52

Homefront: https://www.eurofilmfest.co.za/portfolio-items/home-front/?portfolioCats=52

I am Greta:https://www.eurofilmfest.co.za/portfolio-items/i-am-greta/?portfolioCats=52

In the Dusk: https://www.eurofilmfest.co.za/portfolio-items/in-the-dusk/?portfolioCats=52

Narcissus and Goldmund: https://www.eurofilmfest.co.za/portfolio-items/narcissus-and-goldmund/?portfolioCats=52

One Careful Owner https://www.eurofilmfest.co.za/portfolio-items/one-careful-owner/?portfolioCats=52

Proxima https://www.eurofilmfest.co.za/portfolio-items/proxima/?portfolioCats=52

Sweat https://www.eurofilmfest.co.za/portfolio-items/sweat/?portfolioCats=52

The 8th https://www.eurofilmfest.co.za/portfolio-items/the-8th/?portfolioCats=52

The Traitor https://www.eurofilmfest.co.za/portfolio-items/the-traitor/?portfolioCats=52

A Wilderness Park for People to Connect to the Planet - a project of Green Corridors

It’s been a long tough road for many people, during the Covid-19 lockdown levels and now as people are beginning to move more freely, community spaces are looking forward to welcoming visitors who are eager to be outdoors once more to enjoy fresh air and recreation after many months of indoor isolation.

The Inanda Wilderness Park, in Durban, an initiative of Green Corridors, is one such inclusive public safe space that offers myriad appropriate activities and educational programmes to entice people to venture outside and enjoy being in nature.

Inspired by Kinderwildnis (“children’s parks”) in Durban’s sister city, Bremen in Germany, and under the management of Green Corridors, the Park offers an authentic natural experience for urban dwellers of all ages. Situated on Inanda Seminary’s environmentally restricted open space, which was previously home to criminal activities, and illegal dumping, it now boasts a thriving ecosystem with indigenous plants, insects, and birds. The area was cleared of alien plants, rubbish was removed, and a pond and open spaces were created; a jungle gym and an obstacle course were constructed and ablutions and a kitchen were built.

Last year, formal programmes for the elderly and learners were initiated, and slowly the team at the Park, with strict protocols in place will begin allowing small groups under supervision to start outdoor activities once more.  

Green Corridors in collaboration with the Occupational Therapy Department from UKZN Westville, has established regular visits to the site by final year students, and they are now utilising occupational therapy as the intervention to promote health and well-being with the elderly and school children. Six full-time site assistants maintain the park, and three youth mentors implement the programmes.

They are involved in promoting health, wellness, and community-based rehabilitation. An enthusiastic qualified Occupational Therapist (OT), Danielle Le Brasse, is employed as the site manager for this project to manage and plan therapeutic nature-based programmes. 

“I am passionate about making a difference in people’s lives,” enthuses Danielle. “I am passionate about physical and paediatric intervention and community-based rehabilitation as well as investigating how our South African history has shaped our township communities and the role I could play in improving quality of life. I love working here at the Wilderness Park as it provides me with the platform to put these passions to work and see positive results.” 

Pre-lockdown, the park had on average about 400 visitors per month comprising school groups, elderly groups, and individual sessions with people with impairments: physical disabilities, stroke victims, amputees, children with learning difficulties, and developmental delays. 

COVID stalled the programmes which will be getting back on track soon: there is a designated area for the elderly at the park, with seating made from donated pallets. The students and OT trained the youth mentors on how to work with the elderly, health-related precautions, and how to implement a dance exercise programme which runs every Wednesday at 10:00 with 15 elderly clients from the nearby old age home. 

Together with the regular elderly folk, risen wheelchair friendly garden beds were created from wooden pallets. These “clients” can join the exercise class or do some gardening. They are encouraged to take care of the garden, and all harvested vegetables are gifted to the old age home where they live. 

There is an ongoing early childhood development programme conducted with two creches within proximity to the Inanda Wilderness Park where the OTs and mentors work side by side with the teachers, as well as a body movement programme implemented with two near-by primary schools and one high school, run by the park’s sports coach and mentors. Coming out of this programme, teachers requested that the park form an athletics group - which was in the process of being developed before the lockdown began.

Once the schedule of park programmes is fully back on track, there are plans to expand the vegetable garden and food security learnings; mental health through nature programmes; gender-based violence support groups; art through nature; stress management, upcycling projects; environmental education; and relaxation therapy. 

 The park is a pilot project, and Green Corridors aims to expand this model to other areas around Durban alongside the many Green Spaces Projects already in existence.

Green Corridors welcomes volunteers to work within its many programmes which aim to connect people to their natural environment and in doing so thrive. To become involved email danielle@durbangreencorridor.co.za .

For more information go to www.greencorridors.co.za

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The Art of Fallism Documentary @ Durban International Film Festival Online

The Art of Fallism

SA/Norwegian Documentary has African Premiere at

Durban International Film Festival Online

(From 10 – 20 September)

The Art of Fallism, a South African/Norwegian documentary, that teases out the nuanced, yet deeply complex stories of those who struggle for a voice within the collective struggle for equality will have its African premiere at the 41st Durban International Film Festival which takes place online from 10 to 20 September 2020. 

A debut film by Norwegian director Aslaug Aarsæther, and the second film for Icelandic/Norwegian co-director Gunnbjørg Gunnarsdóttir, with two womxn producers Cape Town-based Wisaal Abrahams of Pink Rock Media and Norwegian Ingvild Aagedal Skage of Isme Film. 

The film premiered at HOTDOCS in Canada earlier this year and has been nominated for ‘Best Documentary' at the Queer Lisboa Festival which takes place in September. It will also compete in the “New Filmmakers Competition” at São Paulo International Film Festival.

The Art of Fallism emerged and evolved from the Norwegian film-makers questioning the absence of debates around equality, race, and gender and how they relate, in their own country. The film uses the 2015 #RhodesMustFall movement in South Africa, as its point of departure, while using the voice of the artist as a metaphor for the desire for understanding, capacity, and change.

The #RhodesMustFall uprising began at the University of Cape Town, as a challenge to the presence of the statue of Cecil John Rhodes. Student, Chumani Maxwele, by throwing faeces onto the statue, protests against its presence and colonial representation and by extension its insidious manifestation in education in the country. This launches a student movement to topple the statue and the colonial education system entrenched within the establishment, which reaches other tertiary institutions around South Africa. 

In understanding this struggle the students realised that education is systemically flawed by its exclusions of those who are not financially privileged to access it. Enter the #FeesMustFall movement which targeted the concept of student fees demanding an increase in funding to tertiary institutions across the country. 

These events awakened a new generation of activists connected by a common cause, bringing together people from myriad backgrounds including young township men, feminists, and the trans community, all who wanted to revolutionize a racist and systematically unequal South Africa.  

“While the students marched, protested and staged sit-ins, political art practices, under the banner of “Fallism,” began to push the limits of critical thought,” explains co-producer Wisaal Abrahams. “The students began to question the hyper-masculine approach to the movement, and its expression through art to the exclusion of the queer, trans, and femme artists. The Art of Fallism, engages with some of these individuals who refused to allow the movement and its off-shoots to carry on without them.”

“What is evident is that this generation of youth is fatigued by apartheid legacies,” says co-producer Ingvild Aagedal Skage. “And what the students experience individually and collectively, within the context of the movement, is a representation of the vast inequality amongst South Africans - a place where voices are not heard and honoured, and people have to resort to acts of violence or disruption to make their point”.

The final act of disruption is dramatically illustrated, a year later as transgender activists, feeling side-lined and ignored, capture an art exhibition celebrating the movement to be consciously included, but instead, they are blamed for destroying it. The movement is left hanging in uncertainty, much like the future of a free and equal South Africa. 

“It is a highly complex space, where the collective goal remains the focus, yet the individual groups within this, experience exclusionary politics. The very thing they desire to dismantle,” says Wisaal Abrahams. ‘And the very thing we were incredibly challenged with when making this film.”

“As a black womxn producer it was essential for me to come on board this project, to support the process of the making of the film. As we all seek glory and recognition for our stories, we also need to understand that the colonial models on which we based this success on, haven't considered the imbalance of power when retelling them. Our stories must have guardianship that honours this, and we believe we have been able to do this in telling these stories.”

Producers Wisaal Abrahams and Ingvild Aagedal Skage will feature in an “Engage” session at the 11th Durban FilmMart virtual edition (4 - 13 September) where they will speak candidly about their experience and the notion of de-colonial approaches to storytelling which became a strong guiding tool for their production process. 

The Art of Fallism will be streamed from the DIFF online platform from 10 to 20 September. The DIFF films are free, with limited tickets available, and booking is essential.

https://www.durbanfilmfest.com/film/the-art-of-fallism/

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The Body Politics remembered during Women’s Month through Dance at JOMBA

Media Release

The Body Politics remembered during Women’s Month through Dance at JOMBA

South Africa honours and celebrates the role of women in society during this Women’s Month and on Women’s Day (9 August), in commemoration of the 1956 march of about 20,000 women to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to petition against the country's pass laws. In this remarkable show of solidarity, women gathered together in defiance to make change. 

“64 years later our annual JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience, taking place in August, women’s social, economic, and political struggles, challenges, hopes, and joys, are exposed and expressed through their work and bodies,” says Lliane Loots, Artistic Director of JOMBA. “Dance is a visceral art form that gives space to a body politics and what better way to image defiant and powerful women than those dancing”. 

JOMBA! is especially pleased to feature some of Africa (and the world’s) most powerful female voices in dance and especially Senegal’s award-winning choreographer and dancer, Germaine Acogny, considered as the “mother of Contemporary African dance”. Her 2015 work Somewhere at the beginning will be streamed during the festival and is a remarkable solo featuring a 73-year-old Acogny dancing and narrating a journey of self-identity as black, female, and African.

Flatfoot Dance Company choreographer and dancer Jabu Siphika’s solo piece Ya kutosha, created for JOMBA, is an intimate and terrifying exploration of gender-based violence and what it means to be trapped in the home.

Twelve-year-old Lethiwe Zamantungwa Nzama teams up with her father Sifiso Kitsona Khumalo as she makes her professional debut in a piece called Walls, which is a deeply intimate exploration of a father-daughter relationship set against the separation imposed by COVID-19 and the lockdown.

Chicago, USA-based Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre, under the direction of Nicole Clarke-Springer will feature in Parallel Lives a dance narrative inspired by poor, working women who have shared life-changing events, both beautiful and tragic. Danced with robust power, this is a must-see of this year’s festival. 

From India Anita Ratnam, a highly respected as a performer, writer, speaker, arts entrepreneur, and culture mentor features in Stone ... once again that reveals the facets of gender through misrepresentation and misogyny. This work was made after Donald Trump’s election as USA president.  Ratnam’s main area of focus is in the re-interpretation of traditional tropes from myth and legend using a feminist lens.

Robin Orlin , a power-house dance-maker, known for her incisive wit and ability to confront issues head-on in the dance space, presents a work created for Johannesburg-based Moving into Dance Mophatong called Beauty remained for just a moment then returned gently to her starting position ...”

From New Orleans, Leslie Scott and BODYART Dance Company return to the JOMBA “stage” with several works, all of which show huge courage and bravery in pushing the boundaries of the dancer’s relationship with audiences.

Other women dance-makers on the programme include Kristi-Leigh Gresse, Leagan Peffer, Nomcebisi Moyikwa, Tegan Peacock, Zinhle Nzama presenting works on the opening night which have been commissioned by JOMBA.

Digital JOMBA will stream online from jomba.ukzn.ac.za from 25 August to 6 September 2020.

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First Encounters' Line-up Announced for Festival 20 – 30 August

First Encounters' Line-up Announced for Festival 20 – 30 August 

The new multi-platform Encounters International South African Documentary Festival is bringing you some of the globe’s greatest award-winning documentaries, available virtually.

Long-awaited political documentaries and an eye-opening look into the world of one of the most mysterious artists are just a few of the exciting releases due to open Encounters 2020. War documentaries, intimate portraits of great artists, and all-new premieres from Africa and South Africa are also among the first films announced for the all-new, online-platform edition of the festival. 

The Encounters 2020 festival premieres with the first South African screening of the highly-anticipated political documentary Influence — a profile of ‘morally slippery British reputation manager’ Lord Timothy Bell of British PR Firm Bell Pottinger. The powerful film, directed by South African investigative journalists and filmmakers Richard Poplak and Diana Neille, has been causing a stir at documentary festivals around the world. More great political documentaries include The Kingmaker by director Lauren Greenfield which unveils the shady political career of the notorious Imelda Marcos, the former Philippines first lady who, together with her husband, reigned over the country with an iron fist while pillaging its wealth. 

Highly-anticipated international releases will also take audiences on a journey around the world’s best documentaries. Banksy Most Wanted by directors Seamus Haley and Laurent Richard tells the story of the world’s most famous graffiti artist, beginning with the now-notorious Sotheby’s auction in which Banksy’s most iconic work, Girl with a Balloon, was instantly shredded by a mechanism in its frame just seconds after the auction hammer fell. Providing an account of the artist’s rise to fame, while documenting the various forensic investigations that have attempted to solve the mystery of Banksy’s true identity, the film is an art documentary at its most engaging 

In the Oscar nominated and BAFTA-winning For Sama (UK/Syria), journalist Waad al-Kateab & filmmaker Edward Watts give a powerful account of the war in Syria and the systematic destruction of Aleppo from a woman’s perspective. Gaza by directors Garry Keane & Andrew McConnel also focuses on  the region to document the richness of the culture that exists amidst that violence. And in Advocate by Rachel Leah Jones & Philippe Bellaïche the film looks at the inspiring life of Jewish-Israeli advocate Lea Tsemel, who has worked tirelessly for nearly 50 years defending Palestinians against charges laid by the Israeli state. 

Some of the world’s greatest artists and literary figures are being celebrated at Encounters 2020. Toni Morrison: The Pieces I am by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders explores one of the most important writers in modernity with a series of in-depth interviews. Commentary from the likes of Angela Davis, Oprah Winfrey, Fran Lebowitz, Hilton Als and others brings a different dimension to the film. Cunningham by Alla Kovgan looks at the work of avant-garde dancer Merce Cunningham by blending recreations of Cunningham’s landmark works with rich archival footage garnered from over three decades.    

Viewers can look forward to a diverse selection of some of Africa’s best films. In the Days of Cannibalism director Teboho Edkins reveals the expanding Chinese presence in poverty-stricken rural Lesotho. Kenyan director Sam Soko explores corruption in Africa in Softie, which premiered at Sundance, and illustrates the extent of political interference in Nairobi through the eyes of Boniface Mwangi — who is Kenya’s top photojournalist, anti-corruption campaigner and human rights activist.

Mother to Mother by Sara CF de Gouveia beautifully dramatises the novel of the same name written by Sindiwe Magona about the murder of Amy Biehl. Featuring South African singer, actress and playwright Thembi Mtshali, Mother to Mother is engaging, thought-provoking and deftly constructed cinema. The highly relevant Finding Sally tells the incredible story of a 23-year-old woman from an upper class family who became a communist rebel in the 60’s with the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Party in a time when Ethiopia was on the brink of  revolution

Young director Pule Phokompe profiles political activist, lawyer, judge, teacher, University of Fort Hare chancellor, Desmond Tutu Peace Trust chairperson and Barloworld’s first black chairperson Dumisa Ntsebeza in The Art of Being Human. Ramadan Suleman in By All means Necessary explores the generally forgotten role of Algeria in the African revolution and celebrates African unity with rich archive material and compelling interviews. 

But these are just a small selection of the films coming to Encounters 2020 — Africa’s leading documentary festival. For the 22nd year of the beloved documentary festival, Encounters will be making almost all films on the program free-of-charge to view on virtual platforms from 20 -30 August.

But to stay up-to-date with the exciting developments happening at Encounters 2020, and get the program as soon as its released, head to encounters.co.za

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Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/EncountersDocFest/

Twitter handle:  @EncountersDoc  

Instagram handle:  @encountersdoc

The 22nd Encounters South African International Documentary Festival is funded by The National Film and Video Foundation, Kaya FM, Gauteng Film Commission, WESGRO, Embassy of Switzerland in South Africa, Consulate General of Switzerland in Cape Town, Swiss Films, IFAS - The French Institute of South Africa. Festival partners are: DOK.fest Munich, Refinery, Documentary Filmmakers Association, South African Guild of Editors, UCT Centre for Film & Media Studies

Watch and embed the trailers:

 Influence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czSZ9b1yipI

Banksy Most Wanted  https://cineuropa.org/en/video/389420/

The King Maker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Udbf4xQwWag

Days of Cannibalism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phX22xcEXlU

Finding Sally https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4U1BsYVOiZ4

Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8sUwXTWb4M

Media Enquiries

 Joy Sapieka

Publicist 

joyl@mweb.co.za

JOMBA! Goes Digital and Global ! 25 August - 6 September 2020

The Centre for Creative Arts (University of KwaZulu-Natal)

presents

22nd (DIGITAL) JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience

25 August - 6 September 2020

South Africa’s benchmark dance festival, the JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience, presented by the Centre for Creative Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal, celebrates its 22nd year with its first-ever digital edition, which will go online, and be available free to a global audience from 25 August to 6 September 2020.

“It is clear that we will not be able to deliver a festival in the same manner as previous years,” explains Artistic Director Dr Lliane Loots. “COVID-19 has shifted the arts world very significantly and in this fragile environment, dance - still defined as a full-contact ‘sport’ – remains separated from rehearsal spaces, from theatre venues, and various sites. The somatic, visceral body is absent right now we believe - as a holding block for future embodied work – that they can still offer dance-makers, dance-lovers, and audiences space to engage serious, beautiful, and important new dance making via a re-visioned JOMBA! 2020.”

This year’s JOMBA! is a carefully curated explosion of dance and conversions about dance-making, offering both a look back at some iconic dance works and dance makers, but it also significantly looks forward to exploring what dance can be in a digital space and a digital time. 

2020 JOMBA! offers 7 vibrant platforms for audiences to engage:

The JOMBA! Legacy (celebrating 21years of JOMBA!) programme features nine key dance-makers from all over the globe who have had a significant impact on making JOMBA! the premier contemporary dance festival in Africa. This is a rare opportunity to look back for a moment and to celebrate some of the world’s most iconic dance-makers who have shared their work on JOMBA! stages: From South Africa Gregory Maqoma and Musa Hlatshwayo are featured; dissenting and remarkable Robyn Orlin shares work she has made with Johannesburg- based Moving into Dance Mophatong; Africa’s two most illustrious voices Nigeria’s Adedayo Liadi and Senegal's Germaine Acogny who is often quoted as the ‘Mother of African contemporary dance’ shares an incredible and definitive solo work (“somewhere at the beginning”) danced at the age of 73. And the exquisite feminist artistry of India’s Anita Ratnam is featured in her challenging revision of Indian mythology. 

Long time JOMBA! guests, INTRODANS from The Netherlands, grace the festival with neo-classical work made before lockdown that never quite had a life on stage. In an on-going partnership with the US Consulate, two remarkable American dance companies that have had a huge impact on JOMBA! over the years are also featured; both hailing from Durban’s twin cities of Chicago and New Orleans. Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre from Chicago and Leslie Scott’s New Orleans BODYART Dance Company. 

The JOMBA! Digital Edge has provided grants to nine Durban dance-makers who continue to make waves on the local dance scene, to create short dance films that will premiere on the opening night of the festival, and will be available to view on the JOMBA! website for the duration of the festival.

The dance-makers were asked to work loosely around the theme of “Intimacies of Isolation” and there were interesting differences in modalities of filming, from cell phone to cameras. Feature choreographers are, Jabu Siphika, Kristi-Leigh Gresse, Leagan Peffer, Nomcebisi Moyikwa, Sandile Mkhize, Sifiso Kitsona Khumalo, Tegan Peacock, Tshediso Kabulu, and Zinhle Nzama

Continuing its partnership with the USA, JOMBA! has invited guest US-based curators Lauren Warnecke, Peter Chu, Rachel Miller, and Tara Aisha Willis to put together a collection of “Dance on Screen” films in an inspired and poetic one hour package of short dance films that explore the length and breadth of film dance in the USA. 

The Digital JOMBA! Fringe showcases 18 African-based dance-makers work from an open application process. JOMBA! will award prizes to the top three dance films in this section. 

Four globally significant dance-makers who have embraced digital dance making under lockdown will host a live conversation around their work and what it means to have made this shift in a programme called Conversations…Dance in a Digital Age. Featured choreographers/dancers are Vincent Mantsoe (South Africa/France), Jürg Koch (Switzerland), Themba Mbui (South Africa), and Ongiege Matthew (Kenya). Both Mbuli and Matthew will offer the world premiere of their new ‘lockdown’ dance works on this JOMBA! platform. 

Once again the JOMBA! blog and digital newspaper - JOMBA! KHULUMA - will involve the on-going support of dance writing and dance criticism through a series of closed webinars/seminars for graduate dance students. 

After years of photographing JOMBA, the fest photographer  Val Adamson will share her work in an exhibition - 21 Years of JOMBA! Through The Lens. This not only honours her extraordinary photographic eye, but it is also a moment of visually remembering the festival’s history through her evocative capturing of dance on stage with her Nikon cameras. 

Digital JOMBA! 2020 runs from 25 August to 6 September off the website, jomba.ukzn.ac.za. All platforms for 2020 are free of charge and a full programme is available via the website. 

For more information and updates on the programme visit Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Linda Vargas Flamenco Dance Company on the vFringe

DESERT FLOWERS

Linda Vargas Flamenco Dance Company on the vFringe

Available until the 31st July 2020 on www.nationalartsfestival.co.za

The Linda Vargas Flamenco Dance company has a special treat in store for lovers of dance and music around the world. We are very excited to join the vFringe programme of the National Arts Festival by presenting a never-before-seen recording of our 2018 performance “Desert Flowers”. Along with being able to watch a world-class performance we also offer the added incentive that by purchasing a ticket you will also help raise funds for our home province of KZN Dance Teachers who have (and will continue to have) their income affected by COVID-19.

“Desert Flowers”, choreographed by Linda Vargas, is a reworking of the much-acclaimed 2004 production of the same name for “Vida Flamenco” the 35 year anniversary celebrations of the Linda Vargas Flamenco Dance Company at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre in July 2018. Featuring special guests: Flatfoot Dance Company, Senta Duffield, Katherine Anderson and Kevin Ellis, it brings together a diverse range of dancers and musicians in a work that particularly locates Flamenco dancing and rhythm within the South African context.  With a compelling score arranged and composed by Demi Fernandez, it also features musicians Neil Gonsalves, Martin Sigamoney and Bryan Stone.

We had been thinking of a way during this global pandemic to help out our friends and colleagues who have had their income affected, and the vFringe of the National Arts Festival is a perfect platform to allow you to watch a recording of a production that we are very proud of and speaks to our current times and at the same contribute to a very worth cause.  Tickets cost only R25 and all proceeds will be distributed to teachers in need in the province.

You can access “Desert Flowers” on the National Arts Festival’s vFringe (as well as the full curated programme) through their website https://www.nationalartsfestival.co.za – vFringe content will be available for the whole month of July. Users will need to register their details and then be able to purchase a ticket through their secure online platform.

“Desert Flowers” acknowledges the sponsorship of the Spanish Embassy of South Africa & The KwaZulu-Natal Performing Arts Trust in supporting the production of “Vida Flamenco” of which “Desert Flowers” was a part of.

Ends

Issued by Wesley Maherry

on behalf of the Linda Vargas Flamenco Dance Company     

maherry@ukzn.ac.za

Artist Biographies:

LINDA VARGAS has performed for SABCTV, the Spanish Embassy in SA, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, and been invited numerous times to perform as guest artist globally. She has choreographed various opera productions including, La Traviata and Carmen as well as her critically acclaimed “Desert Flowers” (2004). Recently Linda has explored the fusion of flamenco with Indian, African, Brazilian, Celtic, and Jazz musical genres and has presented numerous productions. She co-founded the international flamenco dance organization Alianza Flamenca in 1996 and is a member of its Board of Directors and Examiners. She facilitates corporate and educational workshops, performs, teaches and examines dance all over the world. Her qualifications include: Enrico Cecchetti Final Diploma: ISTD London (dance performance) and Licentiate Teachers: ISTD London Cecchetti Method (classical dance). She lectured at UKZN for over 8 years and currently lectures social cohesion and diversity at DUT. She is the founder and director of STAMP Dance and her educational workshops and performances at schools promote a better understanding of dance and culture.

DEMI FERNANDEZ is a Flamenco guitar maestro who was born in Brazil to Spanish Parents and spent many years living and performing in Flamenco Tablaos in Spain. He has also appeared as leading flamenco guitarist with numerous South African and international Spanish Dance Companies. He lectures music at UKZN and has composed musical scores for several SABC TV productions and also appeared in numerous productions including “Guitars for Africa” in Durban and at the National Arts Festival.

Dancing in a Digital Space - JOMBA 2020

Media Release

Dancing in a Digital Space

JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience Calls for Fringe Applications

For its 2020 Online Edition

In the wake of the COVID-19 global upheaval and its impact on live performance, the much-loved JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience, hosted by the Centre for Creative Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal, calls for Fringe Applications as it announces its move online for its 2020 edition in August/September.

“It is clear that we will not be able to deliver JOMBA! in the same manner as previous years,” says JOMBA’s Artistic Director Lliane Loots. “COVID-19 has shifted the arts world very significantly and we will remain one of the hardest hit sectors both now and even post COVID-19.  But as an artistic entity, which offers a time and space for artists to engage in serious and important new art and dance-making for audiences, we believe we must continue with our work and so have begun planning in an environment of fragile uncertainty for a re-visioned digital JOMBA! 2020. “

Loots goes on to explain, “The idea is to imagine JOMBA! to be a benchmark of what a dance festival could possibly be or become at this zeitgeist in our history. As we began to curate what will be a fascinating programme, we would like to reach out for digital submissions for the JOMBA! Fringe 2020.”

Professional, experimental and up-coming choreographers, dancers and dance companies are invited to apply for participation on the JOMBA! Digital Fringe platform.

As JOMBA! is a contemporary dance festival, works that are located within the broad spectrum of contemporary dance will be considered, and preference will be given to South African and African submissions. 

For the JOMBA! Digital Fringe, works that are specifically conceived, and created for film and for a  digital platfom, and that develop interesting dynamics between dance and screen/digital/film disciplines will be considered.

A panel of experts (local and international) will adjudicate the works presented as part of the JOMBA! Digital Fringe, and our “Pick-of-the-Fringe” works will be announced publically.   

Application forms which outline all the submission criteria can be requested via e-mail from jombafestival@gmail.com with the subject line “Request for 2020 JOMBA fringe application form .

Applications close at 4pm on Friday 10 July 2020.