Africa’s Leading Documentary Film Festival Begins in Cape Town

Gic

9 June 2011

press release

The 13th Encounters South African International Documentary Festival returns to Cape Town and Johannesburg from June 9-26, 2011. Germany’s Goethe-Institut once again supports the festival, bringing German Director David Sieveking and his film “David Wants to Fly” to the festival.

Bringing the world to African audiences each year, Encounters is widely acclaimed as the continent’s most prestigious documentary festival. This year’s selection features 37 films from 14 countries and five continents, including 11 world premiers.

Germany is represented at Encounters by the film “David Wants to Fly”. It was written and directed by David Sieveking and made its premier at last year’s Berlinale Film Festival. In the film, the young film-maker walks on his idol’s (David Lynch) path into the world of transcendental meditation (TM). Doing this he comes across the founder of the movement Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The Indian guru made TM into one of the biggest esoteric organisations of the world. Its program promises world peace and yogic flying.

During special screenings of the film in Cape Town (June 18) and Johannesburg (June 20, Hyde Park), Sieveking will be present and hold a Question and Answer session with the audience in the theatre immediately following the film.

Sieveking will also hold a master-class in Cape Town on June 18 for aspiring film-makers on making a first film. The seminar is entitled “An illustrated guide to Finding Your Way between the Happening and the Haphazard” and will take place at 10am-1pm (location still to be confirmed).

“We’ve had an extraordinary number of entries this year,” says Festival Director Mandisa Zitha. “Our final selection will keep audiences entertained but also make them relook at the world through new eyes.”

This year, Encounters’ selection has all the hallmarks of an edgy teenager, like a fascination with sex (G-Spotting), celebrity (Joan Rivers: A Piece Of Work, a winner at Sundance in 2010), rebellion (LennonNYC), and injustice (The Black Power Mixtape, a winner at Sundance in 2011).

Eye-opening films investigate everything from Robert Mugabe’s reign in Zimbabwe (Robert Mugabe: What Happened), to the difference between eco-warriors and eco-terrorists in America (If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front, second place at the Miami Film Festival).

South African profile at the festival

Just over half the programme consists of films coming from South Africa. “There were more South African entries than ever this year,” says Mandisa. “Our film-makers are expanding their funding resources beyond the broadcasters, which has meant we’ve received better films which are more varied. It’s been a relief to get fewer TV format-style documentaries and more auteur-driven independent ones.”

Two well-known local writers will make their directorial débuts at the Festival. Lauren Beukes, whose Zoo City recently won The Arthur C. Clarke Award for the year’s best science fiction novel, will première Glitterboys and Ganglands, the funny and moving story of three hopefuls of the Miss Gay Western Cape competition. Also Eric Miyeni, who wrote The Only Black at the Dinner Party, will screen Mining for Change, a Story of South African Mining, which is sure to generate heated debate.

Another 10 South African films will have their world premières at Encounters.

Encounters runs from June 9-26, 2011 at Nu Metro V&A Waterfront in Cape Town and at Nu Metro Hyde Park and The Bioscope in Johannesburg.

AllAfrica – All the Time