Splinternuwe kortfilms by Stellenbosch se kortfilmfees
Van die heel nuutste vrystellings van Suid-Afrikaanse kortfilms sal te siene wees op die eerste kortfilmfees in Stellenbosch wat van 14-17 Maart by die Minimax Cinema in die Neelsie aangebied word.
Dit sluit in twee nuwe kortfilms wat gemaak is in opdrag van M-Net New Direction, naamlik A Drink in the Passage (geregisseer deur Zola Maseko) en Waiting for Valdez (regie deur Dumisani Phakati) sowel as Ubuntus Wounds (regie deur Sechaba Morejele). Ander onlangse vrystellings sluit in Down Under (regie deur Neil Sonnekus, 2002), Raya (deur Zulfah Otto-Sallies, 2001), Angel (Barry Berk, 2000) en Jan-Hendrik Beetge se Triomfeer (2000).
Die gevarieerde program sluit egter ook die Suid-Afrikaanse klassieke kortfilm Jemima and Johnny in wat uit 1966 dateer en geregisseer is deur die filmveteraan Lionel Ngakane, sowel as verskeie films wat in die jare negentig gemaak is ten tyde van Suid-Afrika se oorgang na demokrasie.
n Wye verskeie temas kom aan bod: van Dumisane Phakathi se humoristiese blik op interrassige poligamie in An Old Wifes Tale (1999) tot Zola Maseko se aanklag teen xenofobie teen die agtergrond van Hillbrow se bedrywige gerumoer in The Foreigner (1994); van die ongenaakbare strate waar n straatkind verander word in n magiese wese (Mamlambo, Palesa Nkosi, 1997) tot die plaas waar n wit boer en n swart besoeker mekaar se geheime ontdek (Neil Sonnekus se Down Under, 2002), word die land se multikulturele gemeenskap, sy onstuimige geskiedenis en sy snel-veranderende hede ontgin in die reeks kortfilms wat vertoon gaan word.
Van vuishou-verhale oor misdaad, onderdrukking en misdaad tot veelseggende herinneringe aan n kindertyd of die humoristiese uitbeeldings van die alledaagse lewe in Suid-Afrika  die fees voorsien in die smaak van n wye spektrum van smake.
Om aan te sluit by die kortfilmfees, sal die Minimax-teater ook n program van vollengte films deur Afrika-regisseurs in die aangrensende teater aanbied. Hierdie films verteenwoordig ook verskeie genres en style, insluitende Djibril Diop Mambety se meesterlike herinterpretasie van D�rrenmatt se verhaal in Hyenas, Les Blair se vlymskerp ontleding van post-apartheid angs, verwarring en hoop in Jump the Gun, Idrissa Oudraogo se sjarmante verhaal oor vriendskap, Kini & Adams en Ntshaveni wa Luruli se gewilde en kleurryke township-komedie Chicken Biznis.
Aangesien die fees ten doel het om Suid-Afrikaanse film onder n wye gehoor te bevorder, sal daar ook geleentheid wees vir lede van die publiek om van die filmmakers en vervaardigers te ontmoet en hul films te bespreek. Plaaslike kinders sal ook die geleentheid kry om eerstehands die towerkrag van film te ontdek in spesiale vertonings en studente sal gedagtes kan uitruil in seminare en werkwinkels.
Kaartjies kos slegs R15 vir volwassenes en R10 vir skoliere, studente en pensionarisse. n Spesiale pas sal beskikbaar wees teen R30 vir drie vertonings.
Die fees (sien aangehegte program) bestaan uit drie verskillende programme wat roteer.
Die fees word aangebied deur die Film Resource Unit en M-Net in samewerking met die Minimax-teater en die Stellenbosch Filmforum.
Vir nadere besonderhede en besprekings, skakel die Minimax-teater by (021) 887 2702.
Hier volg die tye wat die films vertoon word, sowel as kort opsommings van die onderskeie programme:
Vrydag 14 Maart
19h45 Programme 3
22h15 Programme 1
12h00 Programme 2
14h30 Programme 3
17h15 Programme 1
19h45 Programme 2
22h15 Programme 3
14h30 Programme 2
17h15 Programme 3
19h45 Programme 1
Ed is a serious (black) man, whose car breaks down on a quiet country road. A friendly but armed (white) farmer, Gerhard, puts him up for the night. As the alcohol starts flowing we discover that were in "farm-murder territory" and that Gerhard is emigrating Down Under  Australia  because he refuses to share his land with others. But when these two men discover a shocking truth about each other we finally see what is really going on down under ... Or do we?
A poignant tale of a young boy torn between his love for his dying grandmother and the desire to sneak out for nightly street recitals (around a drum fire) of movies his friends have seen at the local cinema. Set against the backdrop of forced removals in the 1970s, the film is also a visually eloquent evocation of a twisted society seen through a childs eyes.
This film is about friendship between two children  one a black boy and the other a white girl. They meet in the street where racial hostility prevails. Their whereabouts unknown, the parents and neighbours launch a frantic search. When they are discovered, the children are in an old building that threatens to collapse any moment. So well crafted is the film it contains no dialogue but has the story driven along by an excellent soundtrack.
Two bergies Amen and Soentjie, live facing the harsh realities of the streets. In their daily battle to survive they transcend their sordid conditions through humour and a spirit of a survival cultivated over the years. The tender, philosophical Amen likens his spiritual foundation to nature and the elements. This poignant and compelling film is rich in texture with colourfully authentic dialogue and an offbeat humour.
The Foreigner follows the relationship between a young homeless boy and an immigrant street vendor. It is a chilling indictment of xenophobia. The relationship between the two grows and flourishes despite the hostility and aggression demonstrated against the foreigner during the hustle and bustle of trade. The film is shot on location in Hillbrow, Johannesburg, a suburb cynically referred to by many as Gomorrah and Sodom.
Director: Sechaba Morejele
A powerful drama about loss, grief, truth and reconciliation in contemporary South Africa. A black South African man becomes obsessed with vengeance when he meets the white ex-secret police officer responsible for his wifes death.
Director: Zulfah Otto-Sallies
Duration:	26 minutes
Raya grew up in the Cape Flats, and at the age of 14 joins a brutal gang called The Killer Boys. While serving a three-year prison sentence, she gives birth to a daughter, Yasmin. Rayas relationship with her mother has always been problematic. Once out of prison Raya strives to build a better life for Yasmin.
An Old Wifes Tale
Director: Dumisane Phakathi
In the new democratic South Africa, cultural norms come under the spotlight. Former injustices have been corrected through legislation and equal rights can now be enjoyed by all. In this easy paced comedy, Hendrik, an Afrikaner farmer, decides to exercise his constitutional rights and enter into a polygamous marriage like his farmhand, Lucas. A Xhosa man, Lucas has long lived happily with his three wives. Hendrik seeks his advice on how to manage such a situation and soon his dreams become reality when a recently widowed nubile friend visits the farm. Hendriks wife, jaded and more interested in gardening than her husband, is amused by her husbands antics and surprises Hendrik by approving of the new arrangement.
Portrait of a Young Man Drowning is set in the tough urban landscape of a South African township. It follows the journey of Shadow, a notorious young killer. In search of redemption from his violent past, he decides to go to the funeral of his most recent victim. But he finds his community does not want him redeemed  he is rejected forcing him to find in himself the new sense of identity he has been searching for.
Director: Jan-Hendrick Beetge
Duration:	18 minutes
A classic post-94 South African renaissance story. An exile returns to collect his dead fathers body from the grave in the yard of the policeman who shot him during the forced removals from Sophiatown in the 50s. A film that proves how the search for spiritual rest transcends cultures.
Director: Palesa Letlaka Nkosi Year: 1997 Duration: 26 minutes
Twelve-year-old Malusi lives on the streets, where he spins the tale of Mamlambo, a magical half-human spirit that can change its form. Malusi falls in love with Tinyie, a young Chinese prostitute who works in bondage to her pimp. One day Malusi stabs the pimp, but the boy is also injured. As Malusis body takes the shape of a bird. Tinyie, now free, watches the bird fly to its freedom.
A screen adaptation of an Alan Paton story, this short gem tells of a celebrated black sculptor who recalls the curious events which led him to share a drink of brandy with a white family during the height of apartheid. A complex meditation on the personal dimensions of enforced segregation and the power of art to transcend the divide.
A young boy, Madlozi is taken on a journey to be baptised into his grandmothers faith. The poignant train trip is a metaphoric journey hailing the past and looking into the future. His grandmother is adamant that Madlozi will adopt the culture of his forefathers, Madlozi stubbornly resists.
The journey, seen through the young boys eyes conjures up scenes from a segregated South Africa and juxtaposes them with aspirations for the future. Madlozi eventually succumbs to his grandmothers wishes still too young to understand that tradition will play a central role in his future.