SA Film 'Ayanda' announced as DIFF's opening night film

The highly anticipated South African film Ayanda, directed by Sara Blecher and produced by Real Eyes in association with Leading Lady Productions, has been announced as the opening night film of the 36^th The Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) which takes place from 16 to 26 July this year.

Set in the vibrant, Afropolitan community of Johannesburg’s Yeoville, Ayanda is a coming-of-age story of a twenty-one year old Afro-hipster, who embarks on a journey of self-discovery when she has to fight to save her late father’s legacy – a motor repair shop - when it is threatened with closure. She’s thrown into a world of greasy overalls, gender stereotypes and abandoned vintage cars once loved, now in need of a young woman’s re-inventive touch to bring them back to life again.

The film stars Fulu Mugovhani (of Scandal fame) and Nigerian actor OC Ukeje, with a star South African cast including Ntathi Moshesh, Kenneth Nkosi, Jafta Mamabola, Thomas Gumede, Sihle Xaba and veteran star of stage and screen Vanessa Cooke.

“We are pleased that this feel-good film will open this year’s festival,” says Pedro Pimenta, Director of the DIFF. “The opening film of this, the most prestigious international film event in SA, needs to reflect a clear priority established by the festival to reach and develop local audiences.”

“The recently published NFVF report on audiences in this country, is very informative and revealing in that while the industry has been successfully structured and supported from all quarters to allow a regular flow of SA content, much still needs to be done for this content to reach local audiences. By once again opening the DIFF with a strong SA film, we endorse this objective.”

This is the second opening night film at DIFF for director Sara Blecher. Her film Otelo Burning opened the 2011 edition of DIFF to critical acclaim. “We are very proud of Ayanda and are thrilled to have it selected as the opening film at this year’s festival.    The film had a very successful screening in Cannes last month and we look forward to screening it to festival-goers in Durban,” says Blecher.

“Ayanda offers an interesting and positive convergence of talents style , resources and distribution potential for the film market.” says Pimenta. “There is a real sense that reaching an audience has been the most important motivation equally shared by the filmmakers and their financiers in its creation.”

“Ayanda celebrates the diversity of our country and revels in the fact that we are a multi-cultural, colourful and exciting melting pot of Africa,” says co-producer Terry Pheto.  “With this film we have tried to capture the Afropolitan nature of our country and the energy of its people.”

“What is also particularly encouraging in terms of the South African film industry is that the film, originally titled, Andani and the Mechanic, was a project in the 2013 Durban FilmMart, the co-production and finance forum of the DIFF and the Durban Film Office.”  says Pimenta. “The film is one of five titles that have been part of the DFM process over the years that will be screened this year at DIFF.”

The festival includes more than 200 theatrical screenings and a full seminar and workshop programme, as well as the Wavescapes Film Festival, and various industry initiatives, including the 8th Talents Durban (presented in cooperation with the Berlinale Talents) and the 6^thDurban FilmMart co-production market (presented in partnership with the Durban Film Office).  For more information go to www.durbanfilmfest.co.za.

Opportunity for South African and International Film Directors for Cannes

Call for Applications for the Cannes South African film factory 2016

 

Cannes 2015 saw the launch of the South Africa Film Factory 2016.  This move marks a great opportunity for South African film Directors and the industry as whole.

 

Cannes South African Film Factory will provide an opportunity for four (4) SA directors and four (4) international directors to collectively produce four (4) short films that would have a greater opportunity of screening at the official Cannes program next year. “This is the fourth programme we’re running since our launch. We’ve produced successful projects that have received rave reviews internationally, as well as being screened at the Cannes official programme, says Dominique Welinski from the Cannes Film Factory.

 

Local directors have five weeks to apply for this life changing opportunity. “Our selection process comprises a short list to ten directors, which will be followed by in-depth interviews at the Durban international Film Festival. This is where we will select the four qualifying directors, says Jeremy Nathan of Zidaka. Carol Coetzee KZN Film Commission CEO adds that “the programme is indeed a great platform to showcase not only what South African directors can do, but also what the country has to offer, particularly Durban as all the four films will be shot in KwaZulu Natal.

 

“We are proud to be associated with such a massive opportunity that will up skill our youth. The NFVF strives for an industry that is constantly growing, and this programme provides exactly that as it will uplift our talent, showcase the country as well as create collaboration,” says NFVF CEO Zama Mkosi.

 

In conclusion, Edouard Waintrop says that “the filmmaker, as an artist is a lonely person and often very individualistic. Dominique and I therefore came up with an idea to pair directors to work together, an idea that has resulted in great productions from Taiwan, Nordic Countries and Chile. We look forward to working with South Africans.”

 

Directors who wish to participate in this programme have five weeks to apply, and need to have a strong feature concept attached to their motivation, a producer must be attached, and need to have directed one short film, a first feature film, or a documentary. They can be between the ages of 23 and 35 years old. They need to be available to participate in a workshop during the Durban International Film Festival in July, and be available to film in October and November, 2015. The films will premier at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016.

 

AFDA Durban has offered its edit facilities for postproduction. Media Film Services and Sound Surfers, Hollard Film Guarantors and Cote Ouest Audiovisual and Instit Francais are all official partners.

 

The selection of the 4 directors will take place at the beginning of the Durban International Film Festival by the partners. More information on how to apply and criteria can be downloaded on the Film Factory website.

www.zidaka.co.za/cannessouthafricafactory.

Win Exclusive Avengers Hampers With Mountain Dew

After teaming up with Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron to once again bring you a blockbuster experience, Mountain Dew is offering fans the opportunity to re-live the Avengers experience.

Test how well you know your Avengers by visiting Mountain Dew South Africa on Facebook  and answering daily quizzes to unlock trivia about their favourite Avengers characters.

If you’ve seen the movie get the gear – the Mountain Dew Facebook page also offers some great opportunities to win excusive Avengers hampers.

For more info visit https://www.facebook.com/MountainDewSA

#AvengersDew #AvengersJozi @Mountain_DewSA

The Royal Ballet Comes To The Big Screen With Cinema Nouveau

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland comes alive in Christopher Wheeldon’s magical ballet for the enjoyment of audiences of all ages…

‘Absurdist, dark and almost beyond praise: Christopher Wheeldon's take on Lewis Carroll is a dazzling extravaganza’  – The Telegraph  ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆

All the beauty, grace and magic of the ballet will soon be enjoyed on the big screen, thanks to a screening partnership between Cinema Nouveau and The Royal Ballet in London. Following on the success of the screening of ‘live’ theatre, opera and art exhibitions, lovers of the arts will now be able to enjoy wonderful ‘live’ ballet productions from The Royal Ballet at Cinema Nouveau theatres in Johannesburg (Rosebank Mall), Pretoria (Brooklyn Mall), Durban (Gateway) and Cape Town (V&A Waterfront).

A season of five famous ballets will be screened over the next few months, and launches with a ballet that will appeal to audiences of all ages. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, adapted from the delightful book by Lewis Carroll, releases exclusively at Cinema Nouveau from Saturday, 28 March, with limited screenings. The other ballets to be screened includeSwan Lake (02 May), Romeo & Juliet (06 June), La Fille mal gardée (27 June) and The Winter’s Tale (08 August).

Tumble down the rabbit hole with The Royal Ballet with an exhilarating performance of choreographer Christopher Wheeldon’s magical Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. His version of the ballet first arrived on the stage in 2011, with a burst of colour, theatrical magic and inventive choreography. It was The Royal Ballet’s first new full-length work since 1995 and was greeted with delight by audiences.

Exuding a girlish charm, Alice, danced by American Principal Sarah Lamb, encounters a cast of extraordinary characters including the gardeners’ boy, Federico Bonelli, who later becomes her Knave of Hearts as they dance a tender and lovingpas de deux of delicate beauty.

There is also the highly-strung Queen of Hearts, who performs an hilarious send-up of The Sleeping Beauty's famous Rose Adage, dancing playing cards, the jittery White Rabbit and the quirky tap-dancing Mad Hatter.

But the ballet does not avoid the darker undercurrents of Lewis Carroll’s story – a nightmarish kitchen, an eerily disembodied Cheshire Cat and the unhinged tea party are all created in vivid detail.

The familiar story is reimagined with quirky designs by Bob Crowley as we follow Alice into Wonderland across a lake of tears, playing croquet with flamingos and hedgehogs, and attending the deranged tea party. Drawing upon a wealth of theatrical effects, projection and puppetry are used to visualise the grinning Cheshire Cat and the sinuous Caterpillar with his 16 legs of ballet dancers en pointe to create a mesmerising world of enchantment.

A feast for the senses, Wheeldon’s spectacular ballet brings to life Lewis Carroll’s famous story with a menagerie of colours, characters and compelling choreography. Joby Talbot’s lively score combines contemporary sound worlds with sweeping melodies that gesture to ballet scores of the 19th century, to provide the perfect accompaniment to the ballet with sparkling idiosyncrasy. Bob Crowley’s wildly imaginative sets and costumes draw on puppetry, projections and masks to make Wonderland wonderfully real.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was the first full ballet created for the Company since 1995 and premiered in 2011 with sold-out world performances. The live screening on Tuesday 16 December was captured for release on cinema screens worldwide.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland releases on South African screens on Saturday, 28 March, for four screenings only – on 28 March, 01 and 02 April at 19:30 and on 29 March at 14:30 – at Cinema Nouveau theatres in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town. Bookings are now open, and the running time of this production is 2hrs, 55mins (including two intervals).

For booking information on the Royal Ballet’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, visit www.cinemanouveau.co.za orsterkinekor.mobi. Folllow us on Twitter @nouveaubuzz or on Facebook at Cinema Nouveau. Download the Ster-Kinekor App on any Nokia, Samsung Android, iPhone and Blackberry smart phones for updates, news and to book from your mobile. For queries, call TicketLine on 0861 Movies (668 437).

The Other Man Releases In The USA 6 Feb 2015

This documentary on the life of FW de Klerk is made by a Swiss American filmmaker.
Many films have been made on Nelson Mandela but few have focused on
FW de Klerk.

Now a new documentary (part biography, part political thriller) tells his story.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHOp9dkn5Rg

The documentary features in-depth interviews with former South African President
Thabo Mbeki and many others.

Director and Producer: Nicolas Rossier

Rossier is an award-winning Swiss American filmmaker. His work has appeared on
CNN and Al Jazeera.

For more info: www.barakaproductions.com

The Co Producer is Naashon Zaik who is himself an accomplished South African film producer and director.

For more info: www.naashon.co.za

The documentary opens February 6, 2015 at Quad Cinemas and has a limited release nationwide in the United States.

Review an Oscar-nominated film and you could win courtesy of Cinema Nouveau

‘OSCAR BUZZ’ HOTS UP WITH 2015 OSCAR NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCEMENT

Watch an Oscar-nominated film. Post your review. Win great prizes with Cinema Nouveau…

Six nominations for American Sniper. Nine nominations for Birdman. Six for Boyhood. Two for Selma. Nine for The Grand Budapest Hotel. Eight for The Imitation Game. Five for The Theory of Everything. Five for Whiplash.

(American Sniper)

What were your 2015 Oscar nomination predictions for Best Picture but, more importantly, which films do you think will walk away with the golden statues come Oscar night on Sunday, 22 February? Cinema Nouveau is lining up the Oscar-nominated films over the next two months for your viewing pleasure, and we want to know what you think of each film.

(The Grand Budapest Hotel) 

“We’ve all read the critics’ reviews of these films. But, what we are looking for is your review of the Oscar-nominated films – to display in our cinemas, on the big screen and posted on our social media platforms, for the South African movie-loving community to see, share and comment on,” says Lola Gallant, Brand Manager of Cinema Nouveau at Ster-Kinekor Theatres.

(Whiplash)

According to the experts and movie critics, ‘awards season’ for the best of the best in the movie industry for 2014 is still wide open, but the excitement is mounting. The Golden Globes’ winners were announced amid much fanfare from Beverly Hills on 11 January. The red carpet for the Baftas is currently being brushed up for those awards on 08 February and, with the 2015 Oscar nominations just in, the golden statues are being polished for the 87^th Academy Awards ceremony, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, from Hollywood on 22 February.

(Birdman)

Who do you think is going to lay their hands on those coveted Oscar statues? Were the winning films, directors, actors, actresses, directors, producers, composers and so on, worthy recipients of the industry’s highest honour, in your view?

As the countdown begins, Cinema Nouveau wants you to join in this year’s ‘Oscar Buzz’.  Watch any of the Oscar-nominated films in the Best Picture and other categories, post your short, sharp and pithy review on Facebook or Twitter – using the hashtag #OscarBuzz – and you could be in line to win some great weekly prizes: 35 in total over the seven-week period. The competition runs from this Friday, 16 January till 09 March 2015.

Apart from the weekly prizes - the winning review block-mounted and displayed in the foyers of the four Cinema Nouveau complexes in Johannesburg (Rosebank Mall), Pretoria (Brooklyn Mall), Durban (Gateway) and Cape Town (V&A Waterfront) – one lucky person will be the recipient of the grand prize: the Cinema Nouveau Reviewer of 2015.

The winner of this prestigious title will be selected by the Ster-Kinekor marketing team based on the best Oscar-nominated movie review posted on Facebook or Twitter using #OscarBuzz. The prize is a much sought after Ster-Kinekor Movie Premiere Card that entitles the winner for free films at any Cinema Nouveau or Ster-Kinekor cinema for one year! The Cinema Nouveau Reviewer of 2015 will also be a special guest at pre-release screenings of select titles and premiers hosted by South Africa’s leading cinema chain.

Says Gallant: “South Africans love the movies, and they love watching their favourite actors doing what they do best on the big screen. As the 2015 Oscar season officially kicks off today with this year’s Academy Award nominations, we are inviting everyone to join in the excitement and anticipation that is the Oscars, by watching these great films and sharing their views on them.

“Of the Best Picture nominations, two released during 2014, one is currently on circuit, while the remaining five nominated films will be released over the next two months. This is a true reflection that we have access to the best commercial and art-house films, and that the only way to appreciate them fully is to watch them on our big screens at Cinema Nouveau and Ster-Kinekor,” comments Gallant.

Oscar Nominees announced today, 15 January 2015:

Eight films have been nominated for Best Picture, offering local movie-lovers a feast of the best of the best on the big screen at Cinema Nouveau and Ster-Kinekor. They are:

American Sniper – releases on 20 February 2015

Birdman – released on 09 January 2015

Boyhood – released in 2014

Selma – releases on 06 February 2015

The Grand Budapest Hotel – released in 2014

The Imitation Game – releases on 23 January 2015

The Theory of Everything – releases on 27 February 2015

Whiplash – releases on 20 February 2015

“As we start the countdown to the 87^th Academy Awards ceremony, we invite you to watch the best of film in the best environment – the comfort of one of our cinemas. Join in the ‘Oscar Buzz’ by posting your review. We would love to know what you think of each of the nominated films, and who you think is taking an Oscar home this year,” concludes Gallant.

Follow the ‘Oscar Buzz’ with Cinema Nouveau on Facebook – Cinema Nouveau or on Twitter @nouveaubuzz. Join the conversation and post your reviews using #OscarBuzz.  

For booking information, download the Ster-Kinekor App on any Nokia, Samsung Android, iPhone and Blackberry smart phone to download the latest updates and news, and to book tickets from your handset. Visit www.cinemanouveau.co.za orsterkinekor.mobi. Follow us on Twitter @nouveaubuzz and on Facebook at Cinema Nouveau. For information and queries, call Ticketline on 0861 Movies (668 437).

The full list of 2015 Oscar nominees can be found at: http://oscar.go.com/nominees.

This edition by Fred Felton

Twitter @fredfelton 

Take a look at Gloria

The perfect film for 2015

Gloria

Set in Santiago, Chile, this Spanish-language drama (with English sub-titles) centres on Gloria (Paulina Garcia), a vivacious 58-year-old divorcee with grown children who have moved out of the house.

With no desire to spend her days and nights alone wallowing in self- pity, she decides to go out every night to the singles' clubs in hopes of meeting new people. After countless nights of emptiness and disappointment, Gloria meets ex-naval officer Rodolfo (Sergio Hernandez) and immediately has romantic feelings towards him.

Finally happy and in a serious relationship, Gloria finds herself having to face her past and becoming open to the future.

DIRECTED BY  Sebastian Lelio

PRODUCED BY   Gonzalo Maza, Juan de Dios Larrain, Pablo Larrain

To book visit www.cinemanouveau.co.za or sterkinekor.mob. Download the Ster-Kinekor App on any Nokia, Samsung Android, iPhone or Blackberry smart phone for updates, news and to book. Follow us on Twitter @nouveaubuzz and on Facebook at Cinema Nouveau. For queries, call Ticketline on 0861-Movies (668 437).