The countdown to the 35th Durban International Film Festival has begun.

Thematically, this edition of DIFF will reflect on South Africa’s twenty years of democracy with a focus on film that explores the many diverse facets of the nation’s history over the past two decades.

Other focus areas for this year include African cinema, British cinema, the Wildtalk Wildlife Film Festival, Wavescape Surf Film Festival and a programme of cinema centred on architecture, in acknowledgement of the city of Durban’s hosting of the International Union of Architects Congress 2014.

Among this year’s plentiful offerings, viewers will get the chance to watch Khalo Matabane’s Nelson Mandela: The Myth and Me, Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, Mickey Dube’s One Humanity, Annalet Steenkamp's I, Afrikaner, Carey Mackenzie’s Cold Harbour, Diao Yinan’s Black Coal, Thin Ice and Jane Pollard and Iain Forsyth’s 20 000 Days on Earth, to name just a few. 

While DIFF will return once more to light up screens in numerous venues across the city with a programme of fresh and exciting global cinema, the festival is delighted to announce that the festival hub, which houses both screenings and industry events, will now be located at the new, lavishly renovated Tsogo Sun hotel on Durban beachfront’s Golden Mile. 

Mike Jackson, Director of Operations for Tsogo Sun KZN said, “Tsogo Sun, the leading hotels, gaming and entertainment company in South Africa, is proud to be associated with the forthcoming Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) and the Durban Film Mart (DFM). This is the first time that Tsogo Sun has been appointed the official event and accommodation partner for this prestigious event and we are proud that our mega-complex – Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani – is the chosen venue. We see this as a fantastic opportunity to showcase Durban to national and international film producers, buyers, sales agents, broadcasters and film financiers, with great networking opportunities for local talent. We look forward to welcoming both national and international visitors to our Province to enjoy the warm hospitality at our hotels.”

Festival manager, Peter Machen, is looking forward to the move, which is, according to him, “both strategic and practical. Both the festival and market have grown tremendously over the years and we needed to consider a venue that could accommodate the size of our current set of programmes, as well as allow for growth in line with future plans".

The festival is a key event for the African film industry and is an unmissable date on any film lover’s calendar. Keep an eye on durbanfilmfest.co.za for details and screening schedules. Follow on Twitter @DIFFest or Facebook on DurbanInternationalFilmFestival.