The Durban Film Festival is in its 32nd year and is the oldest in Africa. This year’s edition will see 183 films from 55 countries screened in venues around the city. It also has a series of workshops and training programs, some of which are free and open to the public.
First to be shown was Otelo Burning. Watching this film is like reading three Bukowsi books back to back. Directed by Sara Bletcher and the much anticipated follow up to her runaway documentary hit Surfing Soweto, the film does well to hold up as a plausible story in a less then plausible context.
Set in the late 80s, the film chronicles the life of Otelo, Mandla, New Year and Ntwe as they try and break free from the confines of the race politics of the day and surf the waves of Durban.
The highly stylised film is littered with a canvas of well framed shots. The camera work is clearly influenced by the work Bletcher had done on Surfing Soweto. With the use of shaky cam and soft transitions, it adds to the gritty realism of the plot.
What is a particularly interesting is how the relatively young cast manages to keep the attention of the viewer for as long as they have asked for it. Durban boy Thomas Gumede, who is well known as a stand-up comic, does a good job at transitioning into the more serious role of New Year. But perhaps the real gem of the film is Nolwazi Shange. As the girl who is caught in a love triangle between Mandla and Otelo, she does well to portray a kind of vulnerability and softness without overcompensating on the character’s strength.
We are taken on a rollercoaster or perhaps I should say a wave ride as we follow Mandla and Otelo from a great friendship to a bitter end that will shock even the most avid thriller junkies. It’s a must watch for anyone who loves surfing or is simply tired of the melodramatic political dramas to which we have become accustomed. – Sihle Mthembu
Visit the official site for more info.
