| Durban: 31st International Film Festival |
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From Thursday, 22 July 2010
To Sunday, 01 August 2010
Every day
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Hits : 135
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Movie junkies, get ready. It's that time of the year again: an 11-day feast of magic from all over the world at the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF).
 In this year's vast and varied collection, there's a prime selection of thrilling, edgy, thought-provoking and comical films from India and the Indian diaspora.
With a focus on on political accountability, Peepli Live explores the realities of poverty-stricken farmers whose only escape is to commit suicide so that their families can get government compensation. This surprisingly hilarious film was produced by the legendary Indian actor Aamir Khan.
Durban filmmaker Masood Boomgard’s Attack of the Indian Werewolf is a cheerfully irreverent spoof of the horror genre starring East Coast Radio deejay and stand-up comedian Neville Pillay. Very amusing.
More esoteric and in a more serious vein, Jyoti Mistry comments on the commonalities of the human experience in various international urban spaces with her experimental feature, The Bull On The Roof (Le Beof Sur Le Toit).
Fans of the master Bengali filmmaker Buddhadeb Dasgupta will thoroughly enjoy his latest work screening at the festival, The Window (Janala), a magical and remarkably frank commentary on modern Indian life.
This year’s DIFF also brings a triumph for Marathi cinema with Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni’s The Well which is a tender look at the loss of the innocence of childhood. The film is produced by Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan, and the director Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni will attend the festival.
The festival also celebrates topical Indian cinema through the short film genre. Homecoming explores the challenge in balancing modern vs.traditional Indian values while The Floating Position sees a young man facing a dilemma between his caste identity and his high economic status.
Audience members will be spoilt for choice when it comes to Indian cinema - with screenings at movie theatres and other public arenas throughout Durban.
Programme booklets with the full schedule and synopses of all the films are available free at cinemas, Computicket, and other participating outlets.
DIFF is organised by the Centre For Creative Arts (University of KwaZulu-Natal) with support by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, National Film and Video Foundation, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development and Tourism, HIVOS, City Of Durban, German Embassy of South Africa, Goethe-Institut South Africa, Industrial Development Corporation, Commonwealth Foundation, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture, and a range of other valued partners.
For more info, you can email Durban International Film Festival at: diff@ukzn.ac.za
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Location: Various venues & cinemas, greater Durban, KwaZulu-Natal
Contact: 031 260 2506.
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