Film buzz hits Durbs

The Durban International Film Festival, the oldest and largest of its kind in Africa, has began, a far cry from its birth in 1979 by film buffs Ros and Teddy Sarkin.

The 32nd event offers 200 screenings over 11 days in at least eight venues, with dozens of premieres and a host of workshops, public forums and seminars.

The festival, now run by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, seems to have come full circle. Initially established to allow South Africans a view of the outside world, today it gives the world a view of South Africa.

"We are often the first point of contact for people inquiring about African and South African cinema," says the centre's director, Peter Rorvik.

"Over the last five or six years we have curated or directly provided films for other festivals in places like Korea, The Netherlands, Greece and Reunion."

For years the festival has played a key developmental role in the local film industry: This year, for example, marks the fourth "Talent Campus Durban", a five-day programme of workshops and master classes for 50 film-makers from 16 African countries.

Then there is the "Durban Film Mart" which gives selected African projects the chance to pitch their films to international financiers, sales agents, co-producers and funding organisations. It's also the 10th anniversary of the workshop for first-time film-makers.

"When we first started we were servicing needs of entry level, aspirant film-makers," says Rorvik, "but as people progress, so does the call for more professional workshops. We now see some of that young talent producing work that we can screen at the festival."

Aside from exciting African and South African productions - including the African premiere of Terrence Malick's The Tree Of Life, which just won the Palme d'Or in Cannes - the festival will focus on the cinema of India and Canada, and will screen a number of hard-hitting environmental films.

Last year's festival saw 24900 bums on seats over a 10-day period.

"We want to continue contributing to the growth of our film industry. We want to see more South African productions," says Rorvik.

• The 32nd Durban International Film Festival runs from July 21 to 31. For more information phone 031-260-2506 or 031-260-1816 during office hours, or go to www.cca.ukzn.ac.za