DLast months Durban International Film Festival once again showcased some impressive films and newbies, but the countrys biggest film festival also failed on one key aspect. by Andile Ndlovu
Of the specifically South African feature films screened over the ten days, only two were directed by women : Carey McKenzie with her debut crime drama Cold Harbour, and Jenna Cato Bass Love The One You Love.
It is a little healthier on the documentary front, where 10 women were involved in making the 18 documentaries either produced or co-produced in South Africa.
What is clear, is that the 35th DIFF followed an all too familiar pattern in the global film industry - women found it easier making documentaries (where it can some times be just one person and a camera, sans a bourgening film crew) than feature films.
I think thats for a few reasons - for one the financial stakes are lower and theres not this notion of having to be the leader of some sort of army, like a crew, said McKenzie, who didnt get a chance to make her first feature until the age of 42.
Another issue, brought to the fore during the festival, is that there is no culture of girl geniuses, whereas at the tender age of just 25, Zee Ntulis feature film debut Hard to Get opened the festival.
Ive always had this notion that I was going to be a filmmaker and I was going to be a director, added McKenzie. Thank God I had such a clear conviction, otherwise I would have given up.
She called it frustrating and disappointing that I have been effectively robbed of 15 years of my career.
Not that she was moping about.
But her story is not unique: the recent survey titled Independent Women: Behind-the-Scenes employment on festival films in 2013-14 from the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, reported paltry numbers.
Women accounted for 26% of directors, writers and producers of feature-length American independent films that screened at festivals in the last year, but women comprised just 16% of the key behind-the-scenes roles in top-grossing films in 2013.
The report said women made up 28% of doccie directors and 18% directors working on indie narrative features, compared to just 6% of 2013s top-grossing films.
The Sundance Institute, too, released a similar report at last years Sundance Festival. It found that of the American films selected for the Sundance Film Festival between 2002 and 2012, only 29.8% of filmmakers (directors, writers, producers, cinematographers and editors) were female.
It is no wonder the fanfare -perhaps relief- when Kathryn Bigelow became the first female to win an Oscar for Best Director for The Hurt Locker, in 2010. She became also only the fourth woman to be nominated in that category (the others are Sofia Coppola Lost in Translation, Jane Champion The Piano, and Lina Wertmuller Seven Beauties).
Layla Swart got her Film and Media Production honours degree from the University of Cape Town, but she estimated that of the 20 students in her class, only three were female (and four were of colour).
Shes since edited features including Man on Ground and Vrou Soek Boer. She is now working on her directorial debut. She said: Its been ridiculously hard, and harder being a black woman. I couldnt make short films like my contemporaries.
Its just inherent that people dont necessarily trust females initially, to carry the weight of R6 million, for instance. Thats probably an instinct because theres not a long history of it.
DIFF manager Peter Machen admitted that female filmmakers were marginalised, but assured things were slowly changing.
He told The Times: I think its a battle that we need to keep confronting, he said. We cant be complacent. As a festival, we are committed to presenting as diverse a selection of films as possible, and that also applies to the diversity of voices. He said DIFF fared far better than other film festivals abroad.
http://www.timeslive.co.za
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...
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...
08/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
08/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
08/01/2026
Maxon's new release of Cinebench features performance enhancements and adds support for the latest Nvidia and AMD GPUs as well as Apple Silicon.
Maxon is t...
08/01/2026
Zixi, the industry leader in IP-based video transport and orchestration, today announced the appointment of Heather Mellish as Vice President, Global Sales.
In...
08/01/2026
Pebble, the leading automation, content management and integrated channel specialist, has provided a complete update of its installation at Canal Sur in Spain. ...
08/01/2026
iWedia, a global leader in software solutions for connected TV devices, proudly announces the success of its collaboration with Panasonic on the Z95B OLED TV, o...
08/01/2026
Secuoya Chile, a leading provider of television content creation and supporting services, has invested in Ikegami UHK-X600 and UHL-X40 broadcast cameras as the ...
08/01/2026
Kiloview, a global leader in AV-over-IP solutions, will showcase its latest innovations at ISE 2026, highlighting the continued evolution of its complete, light...
08/01/2026
iWedia, a global leader in software solutions for connected TV devices, and Realtek, a leading global SoC design house, today announced the next phase of their ...
08/01/2026
CJP Broadcast has completed a new pitch-side media installation for Cinderford RFC, creating a flexible production setup that supports match coverage, coaching ...
08/01/2026
PlayBox Neo further drives momentum in Playout, Streaming, Media Management and Delivery
"With a brand new year at PlayBox Neo already off to a flying start, I...
08/01/2026
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Presents Second Annual Commercial Dance BFA Conce...
07/01/2026
SVG Summit 2025: All General Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAYThe SVG Summit celebrated its 20th edition with a loaded agendaBy Brandon Costa, Directo...
07/01/2026
NBCU's Brings Rinkside Live' and Courtside Live' Features to Peaco...
07/01/2026
Spotify is launching a week-long celebration spotlighting creators at the center...
07/01/2026
We know people use Spotify not just to listen, but to share the songs, podcasts, and audiobooks they love with their friends and family. When we launched Messag...
07/01/2026
This week, all eyes are on the podcast industry as the Golden Globes recognizes ...
07/01/2026
Podcasts are stepping onto a new stage this week as the Golden Globes recognize the medium for the first time. To mark this milestone moment, we're hosting ...
07/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in collaboration with a distributor, is commissioning new micro-budget fiction feature films and invites eligible...
07/01/2026
NASA's Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft launches on the Artemis I flight test, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022, from Launch Complex 39B at ...
07/01/2026
For the first time ever, new C' variants allow international users to interoperate with U.S. personnel via NSA-certified cryptography....
07/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
07/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
07/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
07/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
07/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
07/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
07/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
07/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
07/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
07/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
07/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
07/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
07/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
07/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
07/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
07/01/2026
Abu Dhabi, UAE 7, January 2026 - Abu Dhabi Police and Space42 (ADX: SPACE42), ...
07/01/2026
Back to All News
The Trailer of Paparazzi King: The 5-Episode Docuseries Coming...
07/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Supports Warner Bros. Discovery Board's Commitment...
07/01/2026
Back to All News
What Next? Netflix Reveals Series, Films and Games Coming in 2026
Entertainment
07 January 2026
Global
Link copied to clipboard
Download ...
07/01/2026
AI has transformed retail and consumer packaged goods (CPG) operations, enhancin...
06/01/2026
Peacock Bringing Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos to Live Sports ContentPeacock is the first streamer to embrace Dolbys full suite of advanced picture/sound innovat...
06/01/2026
SVG Europe Audio: Listening to the sounds of powder and ice at Milano Cortina wi...
06/01/2026
Quintar Meta Spatial SDK Integration Promises Next-Level XR ExperiencesBy Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, January 6, 2026 - 9:41 am
Print This...
DLast months Durban International Film Festival once again showcased some impressive films and newbies, but the countrys biggest film festival also failed on one key aspect. by Andile Ndlovu
