
UKZN’s DIFF Gears Up for 44th Edition
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The 44th edition of the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) hosted by the Centre for Creative Arts (CCA) within the College of Humanities will run from 20 to 30 July 2023.
The festival will present live screenings at the Cine Centre at the Suncoast complex, in collaboration with the Avalon Group, supported by the KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission and the National Film and Video Foundation, amongst several other partners. Additional venues will be announced closer to the time.
The DIFF has received an impressive number of 3 316 films from 137 submissions. Festival Manager, Ms Andrea Voges, will be supported by 15 programmers to put together a programme of features, documentaries, shorts and student films. Voges honed her skills as an arts and cultural manager in strategic positions both nationally and internationally.
‘The 2023 DIFF programme will showcase the works of filmmakers who place their imaginations, voices, creativity and lenses at the centre in creating films that inspire, confront, challenge and provoke audiences. The programming team will look out for innovative storytelling that will connect storytellers with audiences,’ said Voges.
The shorts programming team includes the founder of Alfreda’s Cinema, Melissa Lyde (USA); curator, filmmaker and historian Greta Morton (Australia); filmmaker, visual artist, and film festival programmer Yanyu Dong (China); and curator, cultural programmer and producer Mitchell Harper (South Africa).
The documentary programmers are film director and curator Ygor Gama (Argentina/Brazil), line producer and programme co-ordinator Egar Ntanyi (Nigeria) and film director, producer and director of photography Inadelso Cossa (Mozambique).
Writer and director Indranil Banerjee (India), curator, producer, director and broadcaster Andrea Cals (Brazil), seasoned festival programmer and distributor Safa Morad (Egypt) and film critic, programmer and journalist Tara Karajicoa (Serbia), will make up the programming team for the Features category.
The DIFF also includes the second edition of the Isiphethu Student Film Festival, which is headed by Mr Sakhile Gumede. He is supported by a programming team consisting of writer and director Madoda Ncayiyana (South Africa), cultural producer and editor Ashok Vish (India) and festival manager and programmer Ibee Ndaw (Gambia/France). Gumede will also mentor emerging arts managers Aphiwokule Moyo and Nomthandanzo Nyathi, whose internships are funded by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture grant administered by the National Arts Council.
To stay updated, follow DIFF on social media and subscribe to their mailing list at https://ccadiff.ukzn.ac.za.
Words: Melissa Mungroo
Image: Supplied