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Durban Film Festival Opens With Rousing Defense of Personal Freedoms, Power of Cinema as South Africa Reflects on 30 Years of Democracy
The 45th edition of South Africa's oldest film festival kicked off on Nelson Mandela Day as the country celebrates 30 years of democracy.
Film Festival kicked off Thursday, as the world celebrated the birthday of freedom fighter and South Africa’s first Black president Nelson Mandela, with a rousing defense of hard-won personal liberties and an insistence that the art of cinema remains “as vital as ever.” Since its inception, the Durban festival has reflected the spirit of the times — mixed-race audiences at early editions ran the risk of arrest, as cinemas across South Africa were forced to impose segregation laws — and this year’s selection underscores the ongoing struggles of a country still finding its footing three decades into democratic rule. The closing film, “The Showerhead,” directed by Craig Tanner and produced by Anant Singh (“Sarafina!,” “Cry, the Beloved Country”), is a documentary portrait of the legendary political cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro, known as Zapiro, whose relentless pursuit of speaking truth to power has put his subversive work at the forefront of post-liberation South Africa’s fight for justice.
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