& nbsp; Reports on Sarah & Saleem & # 39; Wins Best Film Award in Durban

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) -DURBAN – "The Reportage on Sarah and Saleem", directed by Muayad Alayan, won the best picture of the 39th edition of Durban Intl. Film Festival, which ended Saturday night with a awards ceremony at the Suncoast Cine Center complex.

The film tells the story of the political ramifications of an extramarital relationship between a Palestinian and an Israeli woman. Variety has described it as a "tense psychosocial drama".

In a pre-recorded message from Jerusalem, Alayan offered his thanks for the badistance to South Africa – a country, he said, "that we Palestinians hold in a very special place in our hearts "- while dedicating the award to" all the filmmakers of this world who fight all forms of injustice with their films and their art. "

The award punctuated a DIFF whose 2018 edition "put a special emphasis on listening and seeing marginal voices, with a focus on diversity," according to Lliane Loots , on behalf of the Center for the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Creative Arts, who manages the festival.

"There has been a particular focus on the voices of women … and other marginalized identities find [ing] a platform to be heard.The accent has offered wonderful levels of controversy and fierce criticism, as well as ferocious dialogues, and we love all that. "

She continued, "Spaces for artists … are places of controversy, they are spaces that push the boundaries and push tolerance." Remember that none of us will agree on what is good, bad, or even mediocre, on what is included or excluded, but I am grateful that we are all in one and the same heart. "

It was a rallying cry for a festival that has been facing a leadership crisis in recent years, and that was scared when DIFF director Chipo Zhou was hospitalized a few weeks before the evening of ### 39; opening. The director of Durban Film Office, Toni Monty, has been widely credited with being almost ready to become this year's fest, while balancing his own responsibilities at the helm of Durban FilmMart's success.

This week in Durban, Monty was resolutely turned towards the future of DIFF, telling Variety that "there will be positive news in the coming months that will bring confidence to the industry. that things are moving in a positive direction. "

Loots' last words remind us that a festival born out of the anti-apartheid struggle remains a vital platform for South African filmmakers. "Regardless of our differing opinions, spaces like the DIFF must survive to support and nurture and promote the critical voices of our country's filmmakers," she said.

The festival is closed with the first South African "Rafiki" by Wanuri Kahiu, whose world premiere took place at the Un Certain Regard in Cannes this year.

Still on Saturday night, the award for best South African feature film went to "High Fantasy", directed by Jenna Bbad and produced by David Horler and Steven Markovitz. The jury presented it as "a unique film that we found surprising and stimulating", while celebrating it "for its originality and innovative capacity in the cinematographic approach".

The best documentary went to "New Moon", produced and directed by Philippa Ndisi-Hermann, described by the jury as "a poetic documentary, well edited and introspective", whose director "bravely bar [ed] herself even the central subject that many women in the cynical and hectic world of today can totally understand. "

The Best South African Documentary Award went to "Sisters of the Wilderness", directed by Karin Slater and produced by Ronit Shapiro, "a film that dares to get off the beaten track of traditional documentary by exploring the wilderness of cinematography" . according to the jury's quote.