‘Inxeba’ bags a string of awards ahead of DIFF

SOUTH African film Inxeba (known internationally as The Wound) has won the Best Film Award in the International New Talent Competition, at the current Taipei Film Festival ahead of its African premiere at the Durban International Film Festival at The Playhouse on 14 July. This is a latest in a string of awards for the film, which explores tradition and masculinity, and the clash between age-old rituals and modernity. The film stars musician and novelist Nakhane Touré as Xolani, a lonely factory worker who joins the men of his community in the mountains of the Eastern Cape to initiate a group of teenage boys into manhood.

Inxeba, which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and later opened Berlinale Panorama, was a 2014 Durban FilmMart project. This initial pitch enabled the team behind it to obtain funding from a number of international financiers, resulting in a co-production between South Africa, France, Germany and the Netherlands. The movie is the first feature from writer-director John Trengove, and is co-written by Trengove, Thando Mgqolozana and Malusi Bengu. The Xhosa initiation ritual, which forms the landscape of the film, is also the subject of Inxeba co-writer Mgqolozana’s novel, A Man Who Is Not a Man.

Helen Kuun, MD of Indigenous Film Distribution said: “The release strategy for South Africa ensures that the film will qualify as a strong contender to represent the country in the Foreign Language Film nominations for the 2018 Oscars. We are excited about Inxeba as it is an authentic South African story that has gained traction globally.” Director John Trengove, lead actor Nakhane Toure, some of the cast as well as co-producer Cait Pansegrouw, will be in attendance at the premiere.

Inxeba will be screened at 6pm on Friday, July 14 at The Playhouse, 8pm on Tuesday, July 18 at Ster Kinekor Gateway, 2.30pm on Saturday, July 22 at Ster Kinekor Gateway. Bookings for the Playhouse are through www.computicket.com, and for Sterkinekor on www.sterkinekor.com. For more information about the Durban International Film festival go to www.durbanfilmfest.co.za