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I arrived in Durban, one of the world's top surf cities and a sub tropical paradise on 22 July and it's wet, cold and gloomy.
Allow me to quote eighties band A-ha when they sang "The sun always shines on TV". They sang about the unpredictable British weather; I am referring to what happens at one of the world's top film festivals.
It may have been wet and cold outside, but the impact of the two world premieres screened on 22 July and the sold out signs at the ticket offence warmed my heart. It proved film is alive, DIFF is alive and that South African filmmaking is experiencing a renaissance.
The line-up this year has the most SA films ever.
I watched the shocking Blood Lions and inspirational To be a champion. Blood lions is an expose on tame hunting - not canned hunting where the animals are drugged. These animals are tame and are used to people. Instead of running away, they want human contact and then get shot. I almost vomited in my popcorn!
To be a champion is a beautiful and inspirational story of a black jockey from the township (slum) who won the jockey of the year. Blood lions has more screenings on 23 and 24 July and To be a champion has another screening on 25 july. I'm sure both doccies will travel to other festivals too.
The highlight on 23 july is another SA documentary called Glory Game - The Joost van der Westhuizen story. Joost is a sports icon who suffers from Motor Neuron Disease. He competed in the Rugby World Cup.
(Danie Jacobs for filmfestivals.com)
