The Centre for Creative Arts at the University of Kwazulu-Natal presents the 43rd edition of South Africa’s longest-running film festival, the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), which will take place from 21 July to 30 July 2022. The festival is widely regarded as one of the leading film festivals on the African continent and a vital event on the international film calendar.
This year’s festival is a hybrid event with both online and live screenings. The latter is made possible through a partnership with Avalon Group and screened at CineCentre Suncoast Casino.
Over 3000 films were submitted to the festival this year and after an intense selection process, the programming team selected 157 shorts, features, and documentaries, and will present 19 live screenings
“The live screenings are a definite highlight for us as organisers, the industry, and the filmmakers. We cannot wait to see audiences indulge themselves in the authentic DIFF experience in the cinema again” said festival manager Valma Pfaff.
This year’s curatorial theme is ‘Adaptation, Survival and Sustainability’.
“The last two years of a national lockdown of almost the entire globe has forced us all into re-thinking the ways in which we engage with our planet and with communities, societies and nations. Our festival theme intends to amplify our determination to build more sustainable societies, systems and opportunities”, said Ismail Mahomed, Director of the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
“During these unprecedented times, DIFF aims to present an offering that introduces audiences to fresh perspectives of diversity and inclusion. The festival is screening films that reach back while looking forward, focusing on strengthening the tapestry of indigenous and authentic African stories with a global view of sustainability and inclusion,” says Pfaff.
DIFF 2022 will also mark the launch of the inaugural Isiphethu Student Film Festival, which with the theme of migration, aims to develop young talent in the industry. Aside from student screenings, the Isiphethu programme also consists of a seminar and workshop component to stimulate industry development and a community outreach programme to engage underserviced audiences and celebrate cinema through the exhibition of films.
At the heart of the Durban International Film Festival is a mission to enable partnerships that aim to strengthen the film industry and create opportunities for African, and newer voices. The Festival’s outreach programme will work with a range of organisations to take parts of the festival programme to community centres which include amongst others the Wushwini Arts Centre, Luthuli Museum, Ubuntu Nest and K-Cap.
The 43rd Durban International Film Festival is presented with support from the Kwazulu-Natal Film Commission, National Film and Video Foundation, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts & Culture, and Avalon Group.