Africa-Press – Namibia. HAILED as a thought leader, the chairperson of the Namibia’s arts council, Patrick Sam, will be one of the programmers for the short film category at the 43rd Durban International Film Festival, due to take place in June and July this year.
Sam says it is a privilege to be tasked with the selection of the short films that will be screened at the event, and encouraged filmmakers to submit their work.
“We have to ensure the representation of female told stories, as well as African stories, while making room for local and global stories that amplify the visual narratives of the stories seldom heard and rarely screened. It is an immense task as over 1 300 short films have already been submitted.
“I encourage filmmakers to submit their stories because the magic of being an artist is that our stories are food for the soul and they shape the multicultural spirit of humanity. Artists express the human condition with creativity, which expresses the diverse and pluralistic nature of people and how we need to celebrate the many stories because they dignify us through film,” he said.
Sam will be adjudicating this category alongside South African writer, director and producer Diedre Jantjies and actor, filmmaker, documentarian and facilitator Loren Loubser.
Jantjies is a cultural activist, who is passionate about telling the historical stories of women as well as the founder of Na Aap, which is committed to telling the untold stories of southern Africa. Loubser is also committed to telling untold stories of marginalised communities in South Africa.
The Durban International Film Festival is the oldest and largest film festival on the continent. The annual event was founded in 1979 by creatives and philanthropists Teddy and Ros Sarkin and presents over 200 screenings of either African or South African premieres. The festival offers workshops and screening outreaches in townships where there are no cinemas or arts activities.
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