Durban North filmmaker makes international waves
The filmmaker said Durban itself has numerous filmmaking opportunities as it oozes rich topics and interesting landscapes, which need to still be explored.
DURBAN North’s very own filmmaker, Jethro Westraad, has hit the international scene with his latest short film – Love, Your Neighbour.
In an interview with Northglen News from Amsterdam, Westraad said the film had been with him for a long time as he filmed it in 2020 when the Covid-19 Pandemic hit South Africa and he had to return home from overseas to isolate.
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He said he had always been intrigued by the beware signs, high walls and electric fences in his neighbourhood and decided to take a deeper look through his camera lense.
“Love, Your Neighbour is a short documentary that humorously investigates the lengths my Durban North neighbours go to protect themselves, featuring the iconic ‘BEWARE, PASOP, QAPHELA, HLOKOMELA’ signs with pictures of vicious attack dogs. In the film, I interview my neighbours through their intercom systems and ask them about their approach to safety, their reliance on dogs for protection and their general feelings about life behind their tall walls. The film even features recreated WhatsApp messages taken from a Neighbourhood Crime Watch Group that makes the film even more funny and absurd,” he said.
The documentary was filmed in intervals daily as and when Covid-19 restrictions allowed for it. In an attempt to get to know his neighbours beyond their WhatsApp numbers, Westraad, while on his morning walks, decided to get to know them through the intercoms.
“Filming the documentary was a mixture of fun and nerves. I found it strange that I was nervous as I’d filmed in some very dangerous situations, so that was weird. But first, I put out a message on the community WhatsApp group telling people what my intention was, but nobody responded so I decided to go out and film anyway when we were allowed to go out for walks for two hours a day,” he said.
He rang several intercoms, and a few did agree to the interview, and some even opened up more than he thought they would.
“The documentary was first selected for arguably the best and most recognised documentary festival in the world, the World Premiere at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), and will gain its world premiere platform hopefully by next year. I would like to bring the documentary to the Durban International Film Festival in 2024,” he added.
He said Durban itself has numerous filmmaking opportunities as it oozes rich topics and interesting landscapes, which need to still be explored. He described these opportunities waiting to happen as low-hanging fruit and said he is currently working on his next documentary which is on the old Norwegian Whaling Station in The Bluff.
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