One of Mary Twala's last productions to open local film festival

Two months after her death, veteran actress Mary Twala will once more light up screens.

This Is Not A Burial, It’s A Resurrection, one of the star's last projects before her death, was this week announced as the opening film at the upcoming Durban Film Festival.

The film's organisers said they were excited to bring the film home after it was featured at several international festivals, including the Venice International Film Festival, International Film Festival Rotterdam and the World Cinema Dramatic competition of the 36th Sundance Film Festival.

The Durban Film Festival runs from September 10 to 20.

This Is Not A Burial, It’s A Resurrection tells the story of 80-year-old widow Mantoa (played by Mary), who leads a resistance movement after her village is met with forced resettlement.

It was filmed last year in April and May in the remote mountains of Lesotho.

Director Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese told Sowetan last month that Mary endured harsh weather conditions on set and “was often carried by crew members or was taken to locations on horseback”.

“Now that she has passed on, I feel like she is carrying us through this life,” he added.

This year's festival will feature virtual and drive-in screenings, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Tickets are free and available through a booking system, while limited tickets for the drive-in screenings will be for sale.