Call for Entries for Open Cities Doc Fest and for Durban International Film Festival - Watch EFC Free at Ster Kinekor

Open Cities Doc Fest

London's leading documentary film festival. The festival occurs annually in June and creates an open space in London to nurture and champion the art of creative documentary and non-fiction filmmakers. The festival is already global in scope, but this year they are keen to work even harder to showcase the best films made by filmmakers from the Global South, who only make it to London audiences in limited quantity. They are keen to provide a platform for inspiring filmmaking talent coming out of Africa. Submissions are currently open for their 2015 edition.   

Inclusion in the Open City Docs Fest programme is a great opportunity for any filmmaker. They offer filmmakers from around the globe the opportunity to have their work seen by diverse audiences and award-winning, expert judges - the 2014 jury included acclaimed filmmaker Pawel Pawlikowski. 

They accept both short films and features, and submissions close 2 Feb 2015. 

To submit films, and to find out more go to: http://bit.ly/10BsHZc 

Find them on Twitter @OpenCityDocs

Durban International Film Festival calls for entries for 2015

Durban, South Africa: The Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) will celebrate its 36th edition from 16 to 26 July 2015. Presenting over 250 screenings of cutting-edge cinema from around the world, with a special focus on films from South Africa and Africa, the festival exhibits films in a diversity of venues around the city. DIFF is the premiere platform for the launch of African films and a key gateway to the African film industry. The festival also includes a local and international awards component.

Only films completed in 2014 and 2015 will be considered, and there is no charge for entry. Submissions will be accepted with either a DVD SCREENER or an ONLINE SCREENER. All submissions must be entered via the DIFF Visitor Page online at vp.eventival.eu/cca. In order to submit a film, an account needs to be created if this has not already been done in previous years. The deadline for all entries (short films, documentaries and feature fiction films), including delivery of screeners, is 20 March 2015.

The extensive seminar and workshop programme featuring local and international filmmakers and industry professionals will include the 8th Talents Durban programme (17 to 21 July), in cooperation with Berlinale Talents, and the 6th Durban FilmMart (17 to 20 July), in partnership with the Durban Film Office, as well as various other streams of programming.

Specific streams of programming for 2015 will include a focus on climate change, as well as films that explore our relationship to the earth’s changing ecology. “We are very excited about receiving a wealth of challenging and high quality films from around the world,” says festival manager Peter Machen. “We also welcome engagement with current and potential partners who support the development of cinema in Africa and beyond. Such collaboration is a major part of the festival and helps to provide filmmakers and the public with a programme of brilliant films and a solid development programme.”

For more information check out the festival Submission FAQs or visit: www.durbanfilmfest.co.za or email diff@ukzn.ac.za.

Watch EFC Free at Ster Kinekor

For the final EFC event of 2014, Ster-Kinekor and EFC have teamed up to say thank you to all the loyal fans for the fantastic year. EFC 36: Allen vs. Groth is happening live at the Coca-Cola Dome on Thursday 11 December. Ster-Kinekor and EFC are giving away free tickets to all fans attending any of the Ster-Kinekor cinemas which are screening EFC 36 live.

If you can’t be Hexagon-side for the live event at the Coca-Cola Dome, then booking your tickets for an exhilarating free EFC experience at Ster-Kinekor cinemas is easy. Simply call Ticketline on 0861-Movies (668 437) to secure your seats. Don’t forget that the Ster-Kinekor broadcasts the full event of twelve live fights in full HD on the big screen.

The main Ster-Kinekor Prelim Bout for EFC 36 will showcase the much-anticipated bout between two of the EFC’s best. Fighting out of Edenvale, Johannesburg, comes Gareth Sawyer, with two wins and no losses to his name, taking on Bloemfontein-based grizzly, Warren Allison, who boasts a four win streak. This is the main event of the EFC 36 Ster-Kinekor Prelim Bouts. If you aren’t at the live event, the only other way you can catch this clash is at Ster-Kinekor cinemas. Watch this massive fight live, plus five more Ster-Kinekor Prelim Bouts, and all the action from the five main card bouts, on the big screen for an explosive MMA experience.

The exclusive Ster-Kinekor Prelim Bouts feature the following fights:  Sawyer vs. Allison, Vermeulen vs. Grobbelaar, Visser vs. Hurter, Buthelezi vs. Mulumba, Lakobioze vs Calvert, Illunga vs Seabi and Coxen vs. Pritchard. The full fight card also features the main card bouts of: Allen vs Groth, Begattin vs Roodman, I. Kabesa vs Nienaber, Zulu vs F. Groenewald and Sebeko vs Cutendana.

Cinema audiences are treated to all 12 of the scheduled fights as they take place, broadcast live in state-of-the-art digital projection, on the big screen. The following Ster-Kinekor cinemas will be going live from 16:45:

• Ster-Kinekor Fourways (Johannesburg)

• Ster-Kinekor East Rand Mall (Johannesburg)

• Ster-Kinekor The Zone@Rosebank (Johannesburg)

• Ster-Kinekor Greenstone (Johannesburg)

• Ster-Kinekor Cradlestone (Johannesburg)

• Ster-Kinekor Maponya (Johannesburg)

• Ster-Kinekor Brooklyn (Pretoria)

• Ster-Kinekor Gateway (Durban)

• Ster-Kinekor Cavendish (Cape Town)

• Ster-Kinekor Cape Gate (Cape Town)

• Ster-Kinekor Tyger Valley (Cape Town)

• Ster-Kinekor Mimosa (Bloemfontein)

Cinema-goers receive a complimentary EFC event guide and live commentary throughout the event. EFC 36, is presented by BetXchange.com.

To find out more about EFC events and to reserve your free tickets for EFC 36 at your nearest Ster-Kinekor cinema, callTicketline on 0861-Movies (668 437). Download the SK App on any smart phone for updates, information and to make bookings. For information on other exciting promotions Ster-Kinekor has on offer, follow @sterkinekor on Twitter orFacebook at Ster-Kinekor Theatres, visit www.sterkinekor.com or sterkinekor.mobi.

This edition by Fred Felton

Twitter @fredfelton 

Catch EFC Africa 30 Live at Ster-Kinekor This Afternoon

STER-KINEKOR PRESENTS ALL 12 FIGHTS OF EFC AFRICA 30 LIVE AND IN FULL DIGITAL PROJECTION AT SELECT CINEMAS ON 05 JUNE

If you are looking forward to catching all the explosive action of EFC AFRICA 30, but don’t have access to tickets for fight night, Ster-Kinekor has you covered! South Africa’s leading cinema chain will again be screening all 12 bouts of EFC AFRICA 30 live on its big screens, using the latest in digital projection, in select cinemas on Thursday, 05 June. If you can’t be ringside for this event, then watching all the action from all 12 fights, in this larger-than-life format, is definitely the next best thing!

Ster-Kinekor’s sports viewing evolution is possible as a result of the recent conversion of all of its cinemas to the latest in digital technology. Its substantial investment in the highest quality, live satellite broadcast equipment and a continuously tested and monitored signal ensures a stable live broadcast of all the fight action.

MMA fans across the country can enjoy the upcoming EFC AFRICA 30 event from the comfort of a cinema seat, being the only other venue, besides the live event at Cape Town’s GrandWest, screening the entire fight card. “EFC is something that has to be experienced but, when you see it on the big screen at Ster-Kinekor, it takes it to the next level,” states Durban-based journalist, Fred Felton.

Dubbed the ‘Superfight’, Boyd Allen takes on Don Madge at EFC AFRICA 30 at Cape Town’s GrandWest Grand Arena on 05 June. MMA fans are in for a mammoth fight night with 12 explosive match-ups that will see Mixed Martial Arts action at its best. In the lead-up to the main bout, some of the other fights that fans can watch on the big screen, where you become part of the action, are Irshaad Sayed vs. Charlie Weyer, Brendon Groenewald vs. Elvis Moyo, Gordon Roodman vs. Bruno Mukulu, Ricky Misholas vs. Lubika Didier-Kilola, and Saxon Delafield vs. Shaun de Lange.

The following Ster-Kinekor cinemas will be online from 16:15 on Thursday, 05 June, for all the live action from EFC AFRICA 30:

• Ster-Kinekor Fourways (Johannesburg)

• Ster-Kinekor East Rand Mall (Johannesburg)

• Ster-Kinekor The Zone@Rosebank (Johannesburg)

• Ster-Kinekor Greenstone (Johannesburg)

• Ster-Kinekor Cradlestone (Johannesburg)

• Ster-Kinekor Maponya (Johannesburg)

• Ster-Kinekor Brooklyn (Pretoria)

• Ster-Kinekor Gateway (Durban)

• Ster-Kinekor Cavendish (Cape Town)

• Ster-Kinekor Cape Gate (Cape Town)

• Ster-Kinekor Tyger Valley (Cape Town)

• Ster-Kinekor Mimosa (Bloemfontein)

Bookings for EFC AFRICA 30 at the twelve select Ster-Kinekor cinemas countrywide are now open. Tickets cost R120.00 and audiences are treated to all 12 of the scheduled fights as they take place, broadcast live and in state-of-the-art digital projection on the big screen. Ster-Kinekor SK Club, Discovery Vitality and Edgars Club movie card benefits and discounts do apply. All cinema-goers will also receive a complimentary EFC event guide and live commentary during the event.

EFC AFRICA 30, presented by BetXchange.com, takes place on Thursday, 05 June 2014 at Cape Town’s GrandWest Grand Arena. Watch the EFC AFRICA 30 event promo here: http://u.efcafrica.com/1oz3wNr.

To find out more about EFC AFRICA events and to book your tickets for EFC AFRICA 30 at your nearest Ster-Kinekor cinema,visit www.sterkinekor.com. Avoid the queues by booking online, by calling Ticketline on 082 16789 or you can book at the box office.  You can also secure your seats by downloading the Ster-Kinekor App on your Nokia, Samsung Android, iPhone and Blackberry smart phone to book from your mobile. To find out what other exciting promotions Ster-Kinekor has on offer, follow @sterkinekor on Twitter or Facebook at Ster-Kinekor Theatres.

Film Review 300: Rise of an Empire, Film Festivals & EFC Africa hits Cinemas

Film Review - 300: Rise of an Empire

Cast: Sullivan Stapleton, Rodrigo Santoro, Eva Green
Director: Noam Murro

300: Rise of an Empire is a powerful film that certainly does justice to its release in IMAX® 3D, and audiences will leave the theatre feeling as if they too had been part of the war.

If you see it with the Dolby Atmos Sound System at Ster Kinekor Gateway the powerful digital audio creates a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie – and part of the non-stop action of the warring Greeks taking on the might of the Persian army.

The film is based on Frank Miller's latest graphic novel, Xerxes, and told in the breathtaking visual style of the blockbuster 300(released in 2006). This new chapter of the epic saga is a companion piece to the first film and takes the action to a fresh battlefield – on the sea, as Greek general, Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton), attempts to unite all of Greece by leading the charge that will change the course of the war.

300: Rise of an Empire pits Themistokles against the massive invading Persian forces, led by the mortal-turned-god, Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), and Artemesia (Eva Green), his vengeful commander of the Persian navy.

After its victory over King Leonidas of Sparta’s army of just 300, the Persian Army under Xerxes’ command marches towards the major Greek city-states. The Democratic city of Athens, first in the path of Xerxes' army, bases its strength on its fleet led by the fearless Themistocles. However, Themistocles is forced into an unwilling alliance with the traditional rival of Athens, the oligarchic Sparta led by Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey), whose might lies with its superior infantry troops. Together, they take on Xerxes and the powerful Persian army that still reigns supreme in numbers over sea and land.

The visuals really are amazing.  It is almost as if you have been transported to that time and you will feel like you are in the middle of an adventure.  Some great acting, writing and direction makes for a wonderful film.

Rating 9/10 

View the trailer here:

For more information on Ster-Kinekor and IMAX®, visit www.sterkinekor.com. Avoid the queues by booking online or by calling Ticketline on 082 16789, or you can book at the box office.  You can also download the Ster-Kinekor App on your Nokia, Samsung Android, iPhone or Blackberry phone for updates and to book from your mobile.  To find out what other exciting promotions Ster-Kinekor has on offer, follow @SKTheatres on Twitter or Facebook at Ster-Kinekor Theatres.

www.dolby.com/Atmos

DURBAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL CALLS FOR FILMMAKERS

The largest of Southern Africa's film festivals and the most important film festival in Africa, DIFF hosts a film competition component and also presents screenings in township areas where cinemas are non-existent.

The festival will consider films completed in 2013 and 2014, and there is no charge for entry. All submissions must be entered via the Eventival online system. In order to submit a film you will need to create a visitor account if you have not already done so in past years. The deadline for all entries, including delivery of screeners, is 28 March 2014 for short films, documentaries and feature fiction films.

The extensive seminar and workshop programme featuring local and international filmmakers and industry professionals includes the 7th Talent Campus Durban (19-23 July) in cooperation with Berlinale Talent Campus, and the 5th Durban FilmMart (19-22 July) in partnership with Durban Film Office, as well as various other streams of programming including Durban Wild Talk Africa and Wavescape.

Specific streams of programming for 2014 will include a focus on 20 years of democracy in South Africa, as well as films that explore architecture in various ways. This latter stream of programming acknowledges the World Congress of Architects which will take place in Durban in 2014, the week after DIFF.

"We look forward to once again receiving a wealth of top quality films from around the globe," says festival manager, Peter Machen. "We also welcome input from and engagement with current and potential partners who support the development of the film industry on the continent. It is through collaboration that we can offer film-makers and the public a festival of brilliant film and a worthwhile industry development programme."

The festival is supported by the National Film and Video Foundation, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development and Tourism, the City of Durban and other valued funders and partners.

www.durbanfilmfest.co.za eMAIL: diff@ukzn.ac.za

EFC AFRICA HITS CINEMAS Ster-Kinekor & EFC AFRICA announce exclusive broadcast partnership

Johannesburg (South Africa) – EFC AFRICA 28, taking place on Thursday, 27 March, will be screened at select Ster-Kinekor cinemas around the country for the first time, with an eruption of high-definition (HD), larger-than-life MMA action on the big screen.

In a partnership that has been in development for months, EFC AFRICA and Ster-Kinekor announced today (12 March) that fight fans throughout South Africa will be able to watch all 13 bouts from every upcoming EFC AFRICA event, live.

The partnership is launched on the back of Ster-Kinekor having completed the digital conversion in each of its cinemas. Substantial investment in the highest quality, live satellite broadcast equipment and a continuously tested and monitored signal will ensure a stable live broadcast of all the fight action, in crystal clear high definition.

The new format promises fans a big screen, live cinema experience, using the most advanced cinema broadcast platform available worldwide.

"We're excited to be offering fight fans the chance to see our events in such an awesome, larger than life setting," said EFC AFRICA president Cairo Howarth. "Ster-Kinekor's state of the art, digital HD setup makes it an incredible experience, from the first fight to the last. From 01 May, fans in Bloemfontein will be able to attend the cinema too, which we've been trying to organise for some time. Ster-Kinekor is leading the way with HD broadcast technology, and we're incredibly proud to be associated with this exciting project."

Doug Place, Marketing Executive of Ster-Kinekor Theatres, is equally delighted with the announcement of this new partnership. “Cinema is an evolving sector and we are in an exciting place right now. Resulting from our massive investment in technology and the digital upgrade, doors are opening for us to consider more alternative partnerships such as this one with EFC AFRICA.

“The digital conversion also means that the EFC fights on the big screen will be an awesome viewing experience for the fans. Watching all the live action in larger-than-life high definition is better than it has ever been seen before, and makes for a fantastic night out at the cinema!

“We are focused on continually improving the consumer experience and introducing fresh new offerings and alternative content that tap into new markets and what appeals to those audiences. It is these new initiatives that will ensure that the path to ongoing and future growth in the cinema industry is sustained,” comments Place.

The live Ster-Kinekor EFC AFRICA experience is to be made available in stages, with additional cinemas coming online for future events.

Fans can enjoy the EFC AFRICA 28 HD, big screen experience at the following Ster-Kinekor cinemas:

·         Ster-Kinekor Fourways (Johannesburg)

·         Ster-Kinekor East Rand Mall (Johannesburg)

·         Ster-Kinekor Gateway (Durban)

·         Ster-Kinekor Cavendish (Cape Town)

EFC AFRICA 29, taking place on 01 May, will see the addition of cinemas at:

·         Ster-Kinekor Brooklyn (Pretoria)

·         Ster-Kinekor The Zone (Johannesburg)

·         Ster-Kinekor Cradlestone (West Rand)

·         Ster-Kinekor Maponya (Soweto)

·         Ster-Kinekor Cape Gate (Cape Town)

·         Ster-Kinekor Tyger Valley (Cape Town)

·         Ster-Kinekor Mimosa (Bloemfontein)

·         Ster-Kinekor Greenstone (Edenvale)

Bookings for EFC AFRICA 28 at select Ster-Kinekor cinemas open on Friday, 14 March. Tickets cost R120, Ster-Kinekor SKCLUB, Discovery Vitality or Edgars club movie card benefits will apply. To find out more, visitwww.sterkinekor.com.