Wednesday, 28 June to Friday, 30 June
Slot 1.
10am to noon
Headspace (12 min. Directed by Stephen Abbott, Wits Film Department)
An isolated writer, Nathan (Brian van Niekerk) is hell bent on completing a story. He searches for the key and as the days wear on and the deadline draws closer. He must take action to prevent total and utter failure.
Money Goes Around in Circles (15 min. Directed by Kenneth Kunene, Newtown Film School)
A story about the irony of the ways in which we look for survival. Bob and his two friends KB and Joe rob a bank and get away with cash which ends up with the ice-cream salesman who hides the loot in a bin. He finds out later when he returns to the hiding place that the money has been burned.
White Skin, Red Blood (7 min. Directed by Antoinette Mokgohloa, Monash Film Department)
A look into the lives of albinos and myths surrounding them.
Ongeriewe (25 min. Directed by Robin Kleismidt, AFDA)
Charlie, a drug-using slacker, journeys through the impoverished coloured shacks and the council flats of Hout Bay to find his missing brother Elton. He also finds the truth about what really matters to him.
Slot 2.
12.30pm to 1pm
Play by Heart (40 min. Directed by Joe Vaz, Professional)
Angel, an upright woman in her late 20s, drags her precocious teen sister Pebbles to a holiday complex in the bush for the weekend. When they arrive, they find that their accommodation has been double-booked and two men in their late 20s occupy the place. The dynamics change!
Slot 3.
2pm to 5pm
The Ticket (28 min. Directed by Ntokozo Mahlalela, Newtown Film Festival)
A young, ambitious man wants to become a professional soccer player and has the talent, his coach says. However, he begins to indulge in the world of drugs and loses his wife and child. Is it too late?
The Devil Wears His Rosebud (25 min. Directed by Vusi Ntsosen, Newtown Film School)
Raymond Mahlangu finds himself serving a 20-year sentence for the rape and murder of Emily, Major Maduna's niece. He files an appeal and is told that it has been approved only to find out later that this is not true.
The Vision (9 min. Directed by Bruce Alan, Wits Film Department)
An art student suffering from creative block is introduced to a can of magic paint that he fails to take advantage of.
Two Worlds Apart (7 min. Sonwabo Gila, Monash Film Department)
A story of Tommy who lives in Soa squatter camp without running water. His mother is HIV-positive and unemployed, but all this does not stop this student to become a top filmmaker.
Slot 1.
10am to noon
Pinky Pinky (33 min. Directed by Zoe Laband, AFDA)
Pinky Pinky is a teen horror film set in a private girls' boarding school. The election for prefects and head girl is approaching and two rivals, Precious (Tema Sebopedi) and Caitlin (Jennie Collocott), hold cutthroat campaigns. Meanwhile, the silly Thuli (Yule Mabhena) has evoked the evil spirit of Pinky Pinky, a tikoloshe, who starts a murderous rampage in the girls' bathrooms. The only way Pinky Pinky can be destroyed is for the two enemies to combine their resources and fight him as a team.
The Record (16 min. Directed by Bruce Alan, Wits Film Department)
Two traffic officers have to catch the fastest car in a speed trap to win a prize that would enable them to extricate themselves from their financial woes.
Litops (18 min. Directed by Maciek Kwiecinski, Wits Film Department)
Whose Ass Is it Anywhere? (7 min. Chisanga Kabinga, Monash Film Department)
A look into African women and their perceptions of having a big behind.
Slot 2.
12.30pm to 1pm
Blue Valentine (25 min. Directed by Joe Vaz, Professional)
Its midnight and in a house somewhere in Johannesburg, we follow the story of a man and woman as they stay awake through the early morning hours, discussing their life: from their childhood, marriage and their twisted romance. With conversation laced with sharp intelligence and playful humour, we realise that this is not only a meeting of minds, but a meeting of souls.
Slot 3.
2pm to 5pm
Still Moving (11 min. Directed by Luke Carstens, Wits Film Department)
Based in a dilapidated building in Johannesburg, Victoria is waiting for her husband to return and aware that she must come to terms with her present circumstances.
Vimba (24 min. Directed by David Meinert, AFDA)
A soccer ball strikes Thandiwe on the head as a baby, leaving her deaf. Motherless, she grows up being sidelined by men. In order to fulfil her dream as a soccer player she has to fight her past, defy her father and challenge tradition before she can prove that even a badly kicked ball can straighten itself out if you keep your eyes on the goal.
Kofifi (24 min. Directed by Lebogang Kontle, Newtown Film School)
This story is about the forced removals of Sophiatown. Guy Samson, a musician, and his wife Thoko, find themselves displaced and unemployed. Eventually, Samson gives up his musical career, joins the unemployed and spends his time drinking in the beerhalls. He is finally rescued by an old man who works as a cleaner in one of the beerhalls and gets back to play his trumpet.
The Healer (25 min. Directed by Luo trica Martins, Newtown Film School)
Toto, a young woman, has a secret which haunts her. After meeting with a traditional healer, Sabela, she talks for the first time about her ordeal. This is a story of empathy, understanding and love.
Slot 1.
10am to noon
Escudo (25 min. Directed by Wolfgang Muller, AFDA)
Francisca, a young Mozambican, sells clams for her mother in a Maputo marketplace. Ambitiously, she decides to leave her home for the "City of Gold" to start a career as a waitress. On arriving, she finds herself already in debt, which she has no choice but to pay back.
The Tooth Fairy (17 min. Directed by Greg Blyth, Professional)
Jait, a socially dysfunctional tooth fairy is caught out and befriended by Jessica, an inquisitive little girl. Jessica's acceptance of Jait teaches her what it means to love and to be more humane. However, with trouble brewing in that room, will Jait care enough to get involved?
Public Enemy # 1 (7 min. Directed by Thapelo Maleka, Monash Film Department)
A look into an artists' point of view about graffiti. Touches on hip-hop culture.
Tsoga (8 min. Directed by Sechaba, Newtown Film School)
The story is about Joice Malope who tells a heart-rending story of how she was raped at school and, after discovering she is HIV-positive, tries to commit suicide.
Slot 2.
12.30pm to 1pm
Beyond Words (5 min. Directed by Joe Vaz (SA) and Mal Woolford (UK), Professionals)
We follow a couple, Jon and Annie, as they prepare themselves for a lunch date. Inadvertently, they each go to different restaurants but continue to have their meals. Jon calls Annie and they discover that they live in different cities altogether, but have been almost close enough to hold hands. Almost.
Before TV (11 min. Directed by Stacey Sack, Professional)
A gentle and comic story about an elderly man in living alone in a room. He entertains himself with nostalgia, music and memories of war.
Guest 88 (10 min. Directed by James Barber, Professional)
Bruce is being interrogated by two men. The problem is, none of them seem to have an idea what the interrogation is all about. Meanwhile, the lead interrogator, not the brightest tool in the shed, is passing his pearls of wisdom to a young intern. There has been a mistake somewhere in the system and someone is going to pay the price.
Slot 3.
2pm to 5pm
Elalini (31 min. Directed by Tristian Holmes, AFDA)
Nomakaya, a disillusioned policewoman haunted by the memory of a boy's death, must decide between the city and her rural home where the protection of her own child is under threat. Her traditionalist father, too weak to look after the boy, journeys to Johannesburg to convince her to come back home. It is through a broken and lost street child, Moses, that she is able to find the strength in herself to forgive and resume her responsibilities as a mother.
Hollywood In My Huis (25 min. Directed by Come van Rooyen, AFDA)
18-year-old Jana is dissatisfied with her poor white surroundings and lives out her fantasies through creating a Hollywood in her head.
Holiday (25 min. Directed by Benjamin Magowan, AFDA)
A contemporary South African film about an oke called Neil who thinks he is named after Neil Diamond. After his estranged family is killed in a car crash, he wanders the streets of Johannesburg and finally meets Bianca, a girl from the other side of town. This is story that will enthral the audience with nostalgic images of Johannesburg that people never thought existed.
