ARCHITECT AFRICA FILM FESTIVAL 2007
In association with the Development Connection, CVET hosts 2 special screenings of this festival. We have selected the following films to screened between 13h00 and 17h00 on Saturday 1 September at Zolani Center, Nyanga and between 14h00 and 18h00 Sunday 2 September at Alliance Francaise, Mitchell’s Plain.
v Contra’s City (City of Contrasts) (1968) is a 40-minute comedy/ drama. Director Mambety’s experimental cinema blends the narrative features of Western cinema with those of the oral tales of traditional African culture. His short and full-length films deal with the political, social and cultural issue of Africa. His production began in the Sixties with the short film Contra’s City. In this film we are drawn through the city of Dakar in a horse-drawn cart, which is an often chaotic course through the residential districts of the city, full of contrasts: especially the architecture of the French colonialist juxtaposed against ancient African architecture.
v The Portuguese film City of God (Cicada de Deus) (2002) was nominated for four Oscars and won several prestigious awards. Cicada de Deus (City of God) is a housing project that became one of the most dangerous places in Rio de Janeiro. The tale tells the stories of many characters as seen through the eyes of a singular narrator, Buscapé, a poor black youth too frail and scared to become an outlaw but also to smart to be content with underpaid, menial jobs. Buscapé soon discovers that he has a different perspective of reality. His redemption is that he has been given an artist's point of view as a keen-eyed photographer. It is through Buscapé's perspective of life that one begins to understand the complicated layers and humanity of a world that is apparently condemned to endless violence.
v Die Tamat (2004) 24min – (The Director of this film, a CVET Graduate, will be in attendance.) Die Tamat is a short South African film about acceptance and friendship in South Africa between two teenaged boys, one white Afrikaner and one a Muslim, living in the Bo-Kaap.
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The AAFF is the first festival of its kind in South Africa and, in collaboration with Cinema Nouveau screened by Jameson, will be screening a selection of award-winning films at Cinema Nouveau in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town during August and September.
Given the speed at which the world is urbanising, and the importance that the built environment is assuming in general developmental settings, the AAFF will rapidly become an annual cultural event of considerable significance on the African continent and throughout the developing world.
The AAFF aims to create awareness of the need for thoughtful design and the important role of architecture in society. Other cultural events, such as exhibitions and debates that will take place at the Festival, aim to create awareness of major issues in architecture and construction - such as capacity building, training and education; development that is socially, economically and environmentally sustainable; and inclusive, innovative architecture that represents our society appropriately.
This is a rare opportunity to enjoy several fascinating films and documentaries on architecture and the built environment. The films that have been selected for the Festival explore relationships between edifices, the lives of people who use them, and the environment in which they are located. If you are interested in design, space, structure, society and the environment, make a point of attending this inspiring event.
Dates and Cinema Nouveau screened by Jameson-venues for the AAFF are:
Johannesburg: 17 to 23 August 2007 – The Mall, Rosebank
Durban: 24 to 30 August 2007 – Gateway Shopping Centre
Cape Town: 31 August to 6 September 2007 – Cavendish Square
The event is endorsed by SAIA, SACAP, the Gauteng Film Office and the Gauteng Department of Arts, Culture and Heritage.
For more information on this event, visit
www.archinet.co.za or
www.sterkinekor.com for screening details on the film festival.
