The remarkably diverse cinema of India is celebrated at the 32nd Durban International Film Festival this year, with a focus on both the classic and the daringly contemporary, with music and art also finding a prominent place. Six films from the great Indian master Satyajit Ray will be presented, alongside fine works by talented new Indian filmmakers, an exhibition dedicated to Bollywood by artist Ranjit Dahiya, and a performance by Indian slide-guitar maestro Debasish Bhattacharya. Taking plac...

Great Line-up at the 32nd Durban International Film Festival   The 32nd Durban International Film Festival kicks off on 21 July with the World Premiere of the South African film Otelo Burning, directed by Sara Blecher.  Set during the last days of apartheid, the Durban-shot film tells the story of a group of South African township youngsters who discover surfing as an empowering escape from the political violence of the times. There is drama, romance, rivalry, and tragedy in this c...

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Now that the programme is almost complete it can be said that in the aftermath of the financial crisis truly independent cinema is at an advantage. The themes of many first films are daring and hence inspiring, as seen in the work of Israeli filmmaker Michal Aviad who, set against the backdrop of the interminable Palestinian-Israeli conflict, has her protagonists work through traumas in Lo Roim Alaich (Invisible), or with French director Céline Sciamma whose Tomboy portrays the coming of age of...