New festival to boost Sou African cinema

The journey from conception to birth for RapidLion, The South African International Film Festival took three years. It was when Eric Miyeni was travelling from New York to Miami to showcase his documentary, Miners for Change, that he had a realisation. By Therese Owen

I realised that South Africa does not have a single film festival dealing with African films generally and South African films specifically, recalls the author, actor, columnist, film-maker and all-around media personality.

This led to Miyeni and his team researching top film festivals like Berlinale and Tribeca as well as African festivals like the Luxor Film Festival in Egypt and the Colours of the Nile Festival in Addis Ababa.

We have put together a festival based on the principals of the top film festivals in the world, he explains. However, they went even further and realising that South Africa is part of Brics they decided to include Brazil, Russia, India and China. We are always talking trade with Brics, but trade comes easier when we understand each other's cultures.

The Brics embassies are all on board with RapidLion as is the Market Theatre, the Department of Arts and Culture and the NFVF which has resulted in the RapidLion South African Film Festival (SAIFF) taking place from March 12 to 19 next year.

Because of the Market Theatre's history, it is the perfect place for the SAIFF to debut. All cinemas will be used during the festival.

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The idea is to have a film festival to stand outside of, say, a Cinema Noveau where you can be distracted by the latest Tom Cruise film at the movie house next door, says Miyeni.

Included on the project are family members of film-maker Dr Lionel Ngakane. Ngakane began his film career in 1950 and was instrumental in the formation of the Pan African Federation of Film Makers which aimed to foster co-operation between African film-makers. He spent most of his life in exile and on his return in 1994 received the Order of Ikhamanga in Silver for his contribution to the development of the film industry in Africa.

In tribute, the Lionel Ngakane Lifetime Achievement Award will be handed out at the award ceremony which is included in the SAIFF. The first recipient of this award is film-maker, Anant Singh. He, along with the winner of the Best Feature Film, will receive the RapidLion-In-Platinum award, which is the ceremony's highest accolade.

We are planning an awards night which aims to eventually rival the Oscars in terms of prestige and glamour, explains Miyeni. The main thrust of RapidLion is to promote films outside of North America. We want to give an international platform to Brics as well as African and its diaspora films because they are great films and should be treated as such.

Clearly the awards will attract the attention of local and foreign media which will raise awareness of the nominated films, directors and actors participating in the festival.

RapidLion also announced that world renowned director, Roy Anderson, will sit as head of the jury at the inaugural festival.

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