Durban, South Africa - July 21, 2024

⁠⁠Thousands of delegates from across the world have gathered in Durban, the largest city in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province, for the 45th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF).

As one of four Oscar-qualifying festivals in Africa, the annual event, which runs from July 18 to 28 this year, has attracted many renowned and talented filmmakers, producers, actors and distributors.

The festival's opening night was aptly held on the Mandela Day, celebrated each year on July 18 in honor of Nelson Mandela, the first post-apartheid president of South Africa, and the first film screened was "Legacy: The De-Colonized History of South Africa,”which is directed by Tara Moore and explores the long journey of South Africa from the colonial era to the birth of a democratic nation.

A whopping 92 films from 50 countries will be screened over the 10-day festival, with 37 African premieres. Many agree that the African film industry has matured and is not only producing strong talents but compelling content as well.

Over the past few days, industry players have grasped the opportunity to communicate on current and future projects.

As one of the oldest and largest film festivals in Southern Africa, the DIFF provides an excellent platform for filmmakers from various countries to tell their stories with impact.

Shotlist:
Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa - July 21, 2024:
1. Venue of 45th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF);
2. Woman beating drum to welcome guests for DIFF;
3. Various of guests talking, posing for photos at DIFF;
4. Poster for film "Legacy: The De-Colonized History of South Africa”;
5. Various of viewers standing in line to see film, entering cinema;
6. Various of event held during DIFF, guests posing for photos;
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Andrea Voges, manager and head of programming, Durban International Film Festival (starting with shot 6/partially overlaid with shots 8-9):
"I think our programming is, it means something. We don't want to just have kind of entertaining, we want to confront people, we want to challenge them, we want to spark discussion. And I think that's the role film festivals play. It's to celebrate excellent cinema, cinematic films, but also it needs to be a bit more than that. It needs to help society as I said.";
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8. Various of event held during DIFF;
9. Various of Andrea Voges attending event held during DIFF;
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10. Various of guests, events held during DIFF;
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Sam Kelly, South African filmmaker (starting with shot 10/ending with shot 12):
"I think these kinds of festivals are really, really important, and particularly the Durban Film Festival, because the people who come here are interested in African stories, in particular." ;
12. Various of events held during DIFF, guests exchanging with each other;
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Abel Vaccaro, French filmmaker (starting with shot 12/ending with shot 14):
"We are looking for co-production and distribution here in South Africa, and other people from the French delegation are looking to make co-production and interest about the industry.";
14. Various of participants;
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Obed Emvula, Namibian filmmaker (starting with shot 14/partially overlaid with shot 16/ending with shot 17):
"To network with other filmmakers, peers of the industry, and just learn in terms of what trends are happening in the industry today. So, we are basically putting together a fund for Namibia to showcase our stories, but to also market Namibia as a filming destination and with that, develop our own talents.";
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16. Guests exchanging with each other;
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17. Various of participants, camera;
18. Venue of 45th DIFF.

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