Durban International Film Festival

30 July, 2008

 Rapulana Seiphemo

The Durban Film Festival opens in Durban this week. Soapie star Rapulana Seiphemo, of Muvhango fame, takes to the big screen in Jerusalema, which was due to make its African premiere at the opening of the Durban International Film Festival this week.

The gritty gangster film, set on the streets of Johannesburg’s Hillbrow, is just one of the films on the line-up of more than 200 films at this years festival, which runs at 26 venues across the city until 3 August. The festival, now in its 29th year, has brought together the work of filmmakers from 95 countries –from established masters of cinema to innovative new talents.

Alongside the presentation of some of the year’s finest films, the festival will run an extensive workshop and seminar programme, giving the region’s aspirant film-makers an opportunity to learn from and be inspired by some of cinema’s greats. There are also feature films, documentaries and short films that should entertain, enlighten and inspire.

Festival Director Peter Rorvik explains: “The festival opens a window on the world, provides access to different cultures and provides a space in which the cinematic art form transcends national boundaries. The recent tragic events in South Africa give cause to highlight what has long been a central idea of the festival: to create understanding and acceptance of different cultures through the medium of film.”

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