Festival to highlight North West film industry
The fifth North West Film Festival will take place across the North West Province, South Africa, 14 – 23 September 2007. This year's theme, Ke Ya Rona (Setswana for ‘It is ours'), emphasises the need, particularly for the North West people, to start taking ownership of the film industry either as active audiences or filmmakers.
The NWFF is reported to be the only film festival in the North West Province and the only provincial film festival in the whole country. The primary objectives of the NWFF are: to “edutain” (educate and entertain) society through the medium of film; to provide exposure for local and international films and most importantly to nurture and develop the North West film industry.
The NWFF will showcase between 40 – 50 South African and international films comprising shorts, documentaries and fiction features.
As early as 30 July, the NWFF will host a four-week filmmaking workshop where eight young aspirant filmmakers from around the North West Province will participate in the rigorous training and skills development programme.
Workshop facilitators
Among the workshop facilitators are award-winning international trailblazers Vincent Moloi (A Pair of Boots and a Bicycle, Men of Gold, Night Sweepers, Just Food, Luting, Society) and Khalo Matabane (The Story of a Beautiful Country, When We Were Black, Conversations on a Sunday Afternoon). Films made during this workshop period will be showcased during the festival in September.
The main festival will take place in Mafikeng, the capital of the North West Province, with community outreach projects in the rural regions of Bojanala, Bophirima and Southern districts.
The festival anticipates a hive of film activities and side events. A special event will be held in remembrance of the festival founder director, Omphemetse Disipi, who passed away shortly after the 2006 Festival.
Curator
The fifth NWFF is being curated by Joan Legalamitlwa, who has extensive experience in organising film festivals. She has worked as festival director on the Encounters South African International Documentary Festival, as production manager on the Cape Town World Cinema Festival, served on the jury at the Apollo Film Festival and has travelled to a number of international film festivals.
“It is good to be working on a project at home. The North West Province is very unique and beautiful and we need to create world class activities to attract more people to come and share in our beauty. The fifth NWFF aims to do just that,” says Legalamitlwa.
For more information, go to www.nwff.co.za.
