THE line up has been announced for the 2018 BRICS Film Festival taking place in the Playhouse, from 22 – 27 July as part of Durban’s city-wide July focus on film.
Each BRICS member state will have a day dedicated to showcase five of their best recent films – in whatever genre. The films will be free and open to the public and will be in the Playhouse Drama: Monday 23 July is South Africa; Tuesday 24 is Russia; Wednesday 25 is India; Thursday 26 is China and Friday 27 is Brazil.
Two of the five films to be screened each day will be competition entries – with the best films of the festival, chosen by a panel from experts from each member country, and awarded at a closing event on Friday 27 July.
South Africa’s selected films will be Deep End 13h00: Eubulus Timothy’s story of Sunita who defies her father, to become a competitive surfer: a coming of age, surf love story with Greg Kriek; Carishma Basday; Skulls of My People (15h00) a deeply affecting and important documentary about the 1904-1908 genocide in Namibia; The Whale Caller (16h45) based on a novel by Zakes Mda, an enchanting tale of isolation, infatuation and human connection; Beyond the River (competition entry: 18h15) the moving true story of Piers Cruickshanks and Siseko Ntondini’s journey to Gold in the 2014 Dusi Canoe Marathon; Five Fingers for Marseilles (competition entry: 20h00) a disgraced former hero returns to establish a quiet life only to find a new threat.
Tuesday 24: Russia Day with a quirky line up of interesting films: Thawed Carp (13h00); a darkly humourous Russian comedy in-which an old woman makes preparations for her own funeral following a fatal diagnosis; The Crew (15h00) a young pilot receives a distress call from a volcanic island and takes a decision to fly a dangerous rescue mission; Arrythmia (17h15) a devoted paramedic slowly descends into a self-destructive cycle that puts his marriage and his patients on the line; How Viktor “the Garlic” Took Alexey “the Stud” to the Nursing Home (competition entry: 18h30) a fast-paced and unconventional road-trip movie about a former orphan reconnecting with his estranged ex-con father and their journey across rural Russia and The Age of Pioneers (competition entry: 20h15) a Russian historical drama about the Cold War-era space-race and cosmonaut Alexey Leonov, the first human to perform a spacewalk.
Wednesday 25 is a day dedicated to Indian films: Sinjar – based on true events – a British insurance agent recruits the help of an ex-Army ranger to help him rescue his sister from ISIS; Bahubali 2 – the Conclusion – a Fantasy action film; Bhayanakam – a Malayalam–language Indian film by Jayaraj; a World War II postman delivers money orders and letters from men in the battlefield, until one day… Newton (competition entry) a 2017 Indian comedy drama about a government clerk trying to run a free and fair election in a conflict area in central India; Village Rockstars (competition entry) a coming-of-age film by Rima Das, about a young village girl who wants to start her own rock band. (Final details and times TBC).
Thursday 26 is China’s programme which features Big Fish & Begonia (11h00). A lush animated adventure based on ancient Chinese legends and tells the tale of a spiritual world that exists beneath the ocean floor; Hold Your Hands (13h10) chronicles a former soldier’s efforts to lift his family out of the hardships of rural poverty; Kung Fu Yoga (competition entry: 16h00) Jackie Chan’s latest hit sees him playing a professor on a wild adventure chasing an ancient Indian treasure stolen by mercenaries; I Belonged to You (competition entry:18h30) three stories of love, loss and devotion intertwine in a romantic drama set against stunning Chinese cityscapes and green country sides.
Of special mention is Half the Sky which is a BRICS Co-Production (21h00) which is the second multilingual, participative BRICS co-production which is Chinese-produced and directed by five BRICS women film-makers, it weaves together poetic vignettes about archetypal women.
Friday 27 is the final festival day – Brazil Day which starts with Boy and the World (08h00) a multi-award winning animated feature, a visually captivating and inventive cautionary tale of the dangers of globalization; Two Irenes (09h40) a young girl discovers another girl named Irene living in her small town, and soon they uncover a well-kept secret; Elis (11h10) the turbulent and charismatic life and times of Elis Regina, one of Brazil’s greatest and best-loved singers of all time; Araby (competition entry:13h30) a teenage boy finds a sick factory worker’s memoir, transporting him into the story of the man’s travels across south-eastern Brazil in search of work over the last decade and Gabriel and the Mountain (competition entry: 15h30) which follows the true story of Brazilian backpacker Gabriel Buchmann’s travels through Africa before meeting his end on Mount Mulanje in Malawi.
Also on Monday there is a day-long industry forum at the Elangani Hotel during the Durban FilmMart in collaboration with the Independent Black Filmmakers Collective (IBFC).
As a member of BRICS, South Africa, through the Department of Arts and Culture (DAC), is hosting the third BRICS Film Festival. The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) in its capacity as the national film funding body will implement the festival.
- For more info and for the full programme: durbanfilmmart.co.za
Information correct at time of going to press, but is subject to change – it would be prudent to check Durban FilmMart website for regular updates.
