
1 June, 2016 - 08:32
Playing out like a taut political thriller, a new twist emerged: one of the three photographers of the Durban Film Festivals opening night film The Journeymen has been accused of sexual harassment. By Charl Blignaut
Sipho Mpongo was the subject of a City Press investigation into sexual assault and harassment at Michaelis Art School at the University of Cape Town. Mpongo was found guilty of sexual harassment of a fellow student and charged with community service by the university.
Earlier this month, City Press reported on a string of resignations at the festival, including that of manager Sarah Dawson, because of alleged interference by the University of Kwazulu-Natal, which owns the event.
We reported that when Anant Singh's latest big-budget apartheid-era production, Shepherds and Butchers, directed by Oliver Schmitz, was offered a gala screening but not the opening slot, Singh questioned the decision and copied the university's deputy vice-chancellor, Professor Cheryl Potgieter, in on his email. Potgieter then decreed his film would be the opening film, leading to the resignations.
This week, the festival's new manager, Peter Machen, announced the opening film - and eyebrows shot up because it wasn't Shepherds and Butchers. Instead, the film granted the honour is a documentary called The Journeymen.
The Journeymen is the first documentary to open the 37-year-old festival since An Inconvenient Truth in 2007 and proves that local doccies are coming into their own.
It is, by all accounts, an innovative and relevant film. In it, three young photographers with very diverse backgrounds travel the country for months, recording their encounters with fellow South Africans - from the Cape Flats to Orania - on GoPro cameras strapped to their chests.
When I saw the latest version, I just thought, wow, this is perfect and appropriate to open the festival. It is certainly no artistic compromise, said Machen, who did not heed Singh's later request to set up a committee to choose the opening film.
Many social-media commentators were alarmed that he can now be held up as a hero at the opening night.
Documentary producer Jolynn Minnaar said: I condemn Sipho's actions and any instances of sexual violence.
Mpongo has subsequently spoken and blogged about his journey to realising how harmful his actions had been.
Minnaar said she believed Mpongo had shown grave remorse and continues to work earnestly on his process of rehabilitation , but that none of the photographers intend on shying away from conversation or deny or defend Sipho's case .
Machen told City Press he was in no way dismissing sexual violence, but felt it was important to separate art from the artist and also to use the festival to discuss the issues the films raise.
He said he thought long and hard about accepting the job, but was worried the festival would be cancelled if someone with experience didn't step in.
Dawson said it was a shame that the curatorial process had been compromised.
www.citypress.co.za
Film Festivals
Africa South Africa
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
04/03/2026
Luxembourg, 3 March 2026 - SES S.A. has today published its 2025 Annual Report, following the announcement of the company's full year financial results for ...
04/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/03/2026
Luxembourg, March 3, 2026 - SES, a leading space solutions company, along with I...
04/03/2026
Scripps Research welcomes healthcare innovator Joe Kiani to the Board of Directors Kiani brings decades of experience in patient safety and public service.
Mar...
04/03/2026
Nanoparticle vaccine approach takes on a new target: Hepatitis C virus Scripps Research scientists reengineer critical proteins on the surface of HCV, paving th...
03/03/2026
Beyond Sports, a Sony group company, and LIV Golf, the world's golf league, ...
03/03/2026
Ilitch Sports + Entertainment announces the launch of Detroit SportsNet (DSN), a year-round broadcast home for two of Detroit's franchises. With flexible op...
03/03/2026
Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a technology and services provider for media ...
03/03/2026
The PGA of America, NBC Sports and USA Sports extend their media rights agreemen...
03/03/2026
AI device ecosystem company HONOR enters into a strategic technical collaboratio...
03/03/2026
Cleveland's Telos Alliance, pioneers in broadcast technology for 30 years, l...
03/03/2026
The MD 9235 microphone head for wireless handhelds has been a firm favorite with many engineers and artists for its ability to cut through high on-stage levels ...
03/03/2026
Haivision Systems Inc. (Haivision), a global provider of mission-critical, real-...
03/03/2026
Broadcast Management Group (BMG) announces the expansion of its 62,000-square-fo...
03/03/2026
Maroon 5's musical tour in 2025 marked a leap forward in live audio as Monitor Engineer Dave Rupsch utilized Sennheiser's all-digital Spectera wireless ...
03/03/2026
Designed specifically for pro basketball, the renovated space at Gainbridge Fiel...
03/03/2026
As part of the move, former CEO Phillipp Lawo joins the broadcast-tech provider's Supervisory Board
Lawo has announced appointment of Jamie Dunn as chief e...
03/03/2026
A team of legendary announcers and analysts and a classic graphics look will bring the past to life
NBC Sports and Peacock will return to yesteryear for tonigh...
03/03/2026
From April 30 to May 3, Sundance Film Festival: CDMX 2026 will offer a selection of exciting independent cinema.
Mexico City, March 3, 2026 - At a moment of he...
03/03/2026
For many, finding time or headspace to pick up a book can feel out of reach, but...
03/03/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and Realtek demonstrate first test solution for Bluetooth LE Hi...
03/03/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites aspiring and emerging filmmakers from Matatiele and surrounding areas to apply for the Sediba Scriptwritin...
03/03/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
03/03/2026
Nielsen's DMA data gives Magellan AI users a standardized way to measure th...
03/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/03/2026
Marshall Electronics premieres the CV356-10X, its latest compact 10X camera that offers Full HD with simultaneous SDI and HDMI outputs, at NAB 2026 (Booth C8339...
03/03/2026
farmerswife, the industry-leading enterprise operations platform for broadcast and post-production, today announced it will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 in Las Vega...
03/03/2026
Manfrotto has announced that the Manfrotto ONE Hybrid tripod has won the iF DESIGN AWARD 2026, one of the world's most respected design honours.
Selected ...
03/03/2026
DHD is expanding the capabilities of its DX2, RX2, SX2 and TX2 broadcast audio mixers, RM1 portable production unit and XC3/XD3/XS2 processing cores with the in...
03/03/2026
Leading video software provider Synamedia and MoMe, a leading Spanish consultancy and systems integrator, today announced the launch of Spain's first stream...
03/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/03/2026
Home Post Production has further expanded its factual, unscripted, and entertainment capabilities with the acquisition of Picture Shop Bristol, a leading post h...
03/03/2026
Luxembourg, 2 March 2026 -- SES S.A. fully consolidates Intelsat from 17 July 2025 and announces financial results for the year ended 31 December 2025
FY25 Pe...
03/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...