Mercedes-Benz Bokeh International Fashion Film Festival goes to Joburg

Of the 52 fashion films that were nominated and screened at the recent Cape Town event, the winning 11 fashion films will be showcased at the one-night-only Joburg event.

The winning fashion films are:

• Best Actress: Alive with Kim Lysette;
  
• Best Actor: The Long Road (Un Largo Camino) with Oliver Baggerman;
  
• Best Hair: Quimera;
  
• Best Make-up: Immortal Game;
  
• Best Fashion: Lovers Game;
  
• Best Visual Effects: Black Era - Court of the Ants;
  
• Best Art Direction: Arcade by Kirsten Goss;
  
• Best Cinematography: Pasos de Sirena by Manuel Portilla;
  
• Best Director: Alive by Samuel A Martin;
  
• Best Picture: Urban Hippie by Damien Krisl; and
  
• The Mercedes-Benz Award and USD 5000: Wanderlust by Ernst Heuser.

Selvin Govender, divisional manager, product and marketing of Mercedes-Benz Cars, said: "Following the great success of the inaugural Mercedes-Benz International South African Bokeh Fashion Film Festival held recently in Cape Town, we are delighted to replicate this fashion festival in Joburg for our Mercedes-Benz customers in the Gauteng region. This new genre is a phenomenon that is sweeping the fashion film industry worldwide and we feel this event complements our customers' lifestyle of fashion and style. South African film-makers have made us proud and have shown that they are on par with their international counterparts through these short fashion films that we have experienced."

The new form of communication

Adrian Lazarus, MD of Bokeh and the festival director, said: "Fashion Films are the new form of communication for all major brands and the exciting movies coming from directors around the world are being shared on all media platforms. People love beautiful, visually appealing content with engaging narrative and these short films certainly convey the lifestyle and essence of brands to their fans without being obtrusive or overbearing. Welcome to this new world of communication!"

Of course, this festival would not be complete without talented local fashion designers showcasing their latest collections. To this end, four designers from Cape Town Fashion Council, a non-profit organisation that specialises in developing partnerships and cultivating entrepreneurship for the fashion sector, will each show eight trend-setting designs at the event.

The four participating designers are: trend forecaster and fashion entrepreneur Craig Jacobs, founder of the Fundudzi label; Eleni Labrou who recently unveiled her latest range at the AFI Fastrack show at Mercedes-Benz Cape Town Fashion Week; the inimitable and innovative Tzvi Karp and Joel Janse van Vuuren, who is known for his colourful, feminine creations.

For more information on the Mercedes-Benz Bokeh Fashion Film Festival go to www.bokehfestival.co.za.