23 April 2004

By Lebofsa Masha

MOGALE City film lovers can indulge their passion at the Key West Mall in Krugersdorp this weekend as the municipality is running a free film festival entitled "10 years of democracy and Film Making in SA".

"The festival will inform the community of Mogale City about South African films and the issues facing our country after 1994, xenophobia, rejection and identity," Film Resource Unit audio development manager, Desmond Mthembu said.

The festival, organised by the municipality in collaboration with the Film Resource Unit, Ster-Kinekor and Rand Water, will also showcase locally filmed and produced short and feature films to residents of Kagiso, Magaliesburg and Munsieville.

"It is also part of the local municipality aim to reach out to Krugersdorp, which is still seen as a white residential area," Mthembu said.

Preview township screenings over the last week have elicited a significant response from residents, with major attractions being "The Foreigner" directed by Zola Maseko, "Portrait of a Young Man Drowning" by Teboho Mahlatsi and Ramadan Suleman's "Fools".

Friday night's opening screening at the Ster-Kinekor movie house in the Key West Mall is "Children of the revolution" directed by Zola Maseko, a 52-minute documentary about six South African exiles 12 years after their return. Sunday's late night screening, "Soldiers of the rock", a 98-minute feature directed by Norman Maake, portrays the triumph of the human spirit over hardship in South African mines.

The film festival ends on Monday night, 26 April, with a panel discussion headed by film industry directors and producers who will evaluate the films.

The final day celebrations will coincide with the presidential inauguration on Freedom Day, 27 April. The day will begin with a street carnival procession on Coronation Park, Mogale City and will be followed by the live screening of the presidential inauguration.

The film festival programme:

Friday 23 April

• 2pm - "Mix", a 10-series project directed by Rudzani and Bridget Pickering that follows the lives of two young women on a journey of self-discovery.
• 4pm - "Christmas with Granny" and "What happened to Mbuyisa". "Christmas with Granny", directed by Dumisani Phakathi, is the tale of young Madlozi who initially resists his grandmother's faith but eventually succumbs to her wishes. "What happened to Mbuyisa" depicts the Hector Pieterson story. Mbuyisa was the young man photographed carrying the body of Pieterson.
• 6pm - "Long night's journey into day", co-directed by Frances Reid and Deborah Hoffman follows several Truth and Reconciliation Commission cases over two year period.
• 8pm - "Children of the revolution", directed by Zola Maseko tells the story of six South African exiles 12 years after their return home.

Saturday 24 April

• 2pm - "Black sushi", directed by Dean Blumberg, is about Zama, an ex-prisoner who becomes fascinated by the art of sushi making.
• 4pm - "Spirits of Uhadi"
• 6pm - "Waiting for Valdez" and "Byale". "Waiting for Valdez" is the story of a young man torn between his love for his dying mother and the desire to sneak out for nightly street recitals of movies his friends have seen in the local cinema. "Byale" is a short narrative, directed by Sheila Keibhela, about a mother and child who are faced with the issue of circumcision.
• 8pm - "Lumumba", directed by Raoul Peck, recreates the events behind the birth of Zaire.

Sunday 25 April

• 2pm - "Long night's journey into day"
• 4pm - "Lumumba"
• 6pm - "Knitting needles guerrillas",is about South African women who participated in the liberation struggle and enlisted in the armed-wing of the African National Congress.
• 8pm - "Soldiers of the rock" portrays life in South African mines, where the human spirit triumphs over physical exhaustion and personal danger.

Monday 26 April

• 2pm - "Transit café" and "Byale"
• 4pm - "Spirits of Uhadi"
• 6pm - "Byale" and "Mix"
• 8pm - Panel discussion on 10 years of democracy and filmmaking in South Africa.

For more information,
contact (011) 838-4280.