--
Hard to Get opens Durban International Film Festival --
Wed, 11 Jun 2014 12:37
--
Hard to Get, a feature film directed by Zee Ntuli and produced by Junaid Ahmed and Helena Spring, will open the 35th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), which takes place from 17 to 27 July at the Tsogo Sun hotel on the Durban beachfront.
The film tells the story of a young philanderer from a small community who falls in love with a young and attractive thief. The young man, who soon finds himself in Joburg s criminal underworld, realises he is out of his depth and needs to trust the thief.
Ntuli explains, The criminal gauntlet parallels the emotional journey of TK and Skiets, providing a metaphor for how scary falling in love can be. Ultimately it is a hopeful story, one which carries the message that love is worth fighting for.
Peter Machen, DIFF Festival Manager, adds, I am very excited about Hard to Get. It s a beautifully made film that works on every level and will satisfy commercial and art-house audiences alike. I also think that it s going to make instant stars of its two leads Thishiwe Ziqubu and Pallance Dladla, who are both electrifying, as well as director Zee Ntuli, who is virtually guaranteed a bright future on the global filmmaking stage on the basis of this first feature.
Ntuli studied at AFDA, the School Of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance, and won the Best Film award in each of the four years of his studies. His work in the local film industry includes writing for the award-winning show Intersexions, working on Soul City and Mshika-shika as well as directing adverts and music videos. Though Hard to Get is his first feature, Ntuli has gained recognition for a number of his short films including winning the Best Fantasy Film award at the New York International Film Festival for his 24 minute short film, Bomlambo (Those Of The Water).
Hard to Get is the first of a number of films which feature the talent of previously marginalized black filmmakers in South Africa, produced by Ahmed and Spring.
Spring remarks, Junaid and I are thrilled to be launching major new talent with Hard to Get. We are incredibly proud of the work that director Zee Ntuli, his team and cast, have delivered. There is already a great deal of buzz around the film and we have no doubt that a bright future awaits them.
Machen concludes, With the production team of Helena Spring and Junaid Ahmed behind the film, I have a strong suspicion that this is going to be the one that cracks open local audience s desire to watch strong local film products. I have no doubt that audiences will walk out of the theatre electrified, and will be filled with excitement about the rest of the festival. All of this makes Hard To Get the perfect opening film for DIFF 2014.
Visit the DIFF website (www.durbanfilmfestival.co.za) for more information.
Related Articles
Talents Durban features at the Durban International Film FestivalTalents Durban, previously Talent Campus Durban, will feature at the 2014 Durban International Film Festival from 18 to 22 July...
Read more...
Wild Talk Africa: Wildlife at its most breathtakingLocal and international natural history films feature at the Durban International Film Festival, as part of Wild Talk Africa...
Read more...
35th Durban International Film Festival kicks off with a move to Tsogo Sun South Africas largest and longest-running film festival, the Durban International Film Festival, presents its 35th edition...
Read more...
Simon Mabhunu Sabela film awards call for nominationsThe KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission is calling for nominations for the Simon Mabhunu Sabela film awards...
Read more...
Shield and Spear trailerShield and Spear is a documentary directed by New York based filmmaker Petter Ringbom and produced by Alysa Nahmias...
Read more...
-- --
-- --
-- Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. comments powered by Disqus
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
03/11/2025
In less than two weeks during late September and early October, the Federal Communications Commission acted on two proposed rulemakings that could have an enorm...
03/11/2025
Josh Miely is returning to a more hands-on radio and TV role with the National Association of Broadcasters....
03/11/2025
Broadcasters have spent years trying to integrate different vendor technologies in their facilities. As the industry has moved closer to software, that struggle...
03/11/2025
As the malevolent siege against broadcasters' interests intensifies from the far reaches of artificial intelligence misuse to relentless innovation in the m...
03/11/2025
Wheatstone founder and owner Gary Snow will retire from the company by the end of next year....
03/11/2025
In ye olde days of traditional television, when U.S. TV viewing options were limited to ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS, Nielsen's paper diaries were sufficient for t...
03/11/2025
They've made that decision and ruined an awful lot of people's lives.
...
02/11/2025
Abu Dhabi, UAE November 2, 2025: Space42 (ADX: SPACE42), the UAE-based AI-powe...
01/11/2025
Thunderbolt 3 Now Standard on Symphony MkII - Starting November 11 Beginning November 11, all new Apogee Symphony I/O MkII units will ship with Thunderbolt 3 as...
01/11/2025
How to Expand the Apogee Symphony Desktop with Cranborne 500ADAT Want to expand your Symphony Desktop beyond two inputs? Whether you're tracking a full drum...
01/11/2025
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has published the Financial Report for ...
01/11/2025
tvONE is proud to announce a strategic partnership with Matrox Video, combining CALICO PRO's high-performance video processing with the Matrox ConvertIP Ser...
01/11/2025
CJP Broadcast has joined the Grass Valley partner programme as both a Systems Integration Partner and AMPP Partner. The collaboration enhances CJP's ability...
01/11/2025
TAG Video Systems, the leader in software-based IP end-to-end workflow monitoring, deep probing, and real-time visualization, has earned a higher-rated DPP Comm...
01/11/2025
Michael Napodano Appointed New CEO Of Operative Media
Operative today announced the appointment of Mike Napodano as Chief Executive Officer, marking the next s...
01/11/2025
Film industry professionals flocked to Cine Gear Expo Atlanta 2025 at celebrated Trilith Studios in Fayetteville, Georgia, on October 3 and 4. Back for its 6th ...
01/11/2025
Photo courtesy of Peacock and Sky
Christopher Ross, BSC, began his cinematic obsession early. He cites reading Scorsese on Scorsese as a teenager with teaching...
01/11/2025
NEW YORK ITN and the sell-side advertising company Magnite have announced the launch of what they are billing as the industrys first Local Linear TV Private Mar...
31/10/2025
FanDuel Sports Network To Deliver Selected Live NBA, NHL Games to Major Streamin...
31/10/2025
NBC Jumps Out of the Gate in Extended Breeder's Cup Deal With Dual Drones, J...
31/10/2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
30 October 2025
It is with great sadness that we mourn the passing of Segomotso Keorapetse, an award- winning South African television d...
31/10/2025
IRVING, Texas As station groups move into an era that promises rapid tech, regulatory and economic changes, Nexstar Media Group said its board has extended chai...
31/10/2025
While some analysts have questioned the ongoing economic viability of broacast-TV late night shows amid ongoing declines in linear viewing, new data from Tubula...
31/10/2025
The contentious contract negotiations between The Walt Disney Co. and YouTube TV have resulted in a blackout of Disney-owned programming on the pay TV operator....
31/10/2025
CINCINNATI Video conversion and AV signal distribution specialist tvONE and Matrox Video have struck a strategic partnership, combining CALICO PRO's video p...
31/10/2025
NEW YORK The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) today released a new industry guide that discusses the urgency of adopting new standards that will help advert...
31/10/2025
While some analysts have questioned the ongoing economic viability of late night shows on broadcast TV amid ongoing declines in linear viewing, new data from Tu...
31/10/2025
Berklee Celebrates the Inauguration of President Jim Lucchese In his inaugural address, Lucchese shared an optimistic vision for Berklee's future as a for...
31/10/2025
Back to All News
Family, Food, and Films: Netflix's Dining with the Kapoors...
31/10/2025
The review highlights DPA 4055 Kick Drum Microphone for its compact design, ease of placement, and authentic tone that captures the true character of the drum p...
31/10/2025
The RT Raidi na Gaeltachta Award 2025 will be presented to journalist P il n N Chiar in at the Oireachtas na Samhna in Belfast tomorrow, Saturday 1 November,...
31/10/2025
RT lyric fm is calling for choirs across Ireland to share their festive music-m...
31/10/2025
Three awards were presented to RT Raidi na Gaeltachta broadcasters at the Oire...
31/10/2025
RT continues its proud tradition of championing Ireland's vibrant arts and cultural landscape through its RT Supporting the Arts initiative. This November...
31/10/2025
RT selects Irish independent production company to produce Christian Worship on...
31/10/2025
Amidst Gyeongju, South Korea's ancient temples and modern skylines, Jensen H...
30/10/2025
Midwich has signed a UK and Ireland distribution deal with X2O Media, a worldwid...
30/10/2025
SVG Students To Watch: Sam Newitt, Kansas State UniversityThe South Dakota native thrives in many roles behind the scenes at K-StateHD.TVBy Brandon Costa, Direc...
30/10/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Swerve Sports' Christy Tanner Explores the Young FAST Channel&...
30/10/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Andy Liebsch, Senior Director, Video Services, Kansas S...
30/10/2025
Diversified Names Paul Lidsky CEO, Expanding Leadership Role After Serving as Bo...
30/10/2025
NBA, Cosm Enter Long-Term Partnership for Shared Reality Production, Distributio...
30/10/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: FanConnect's Brett Crossley on Reimagining the Ga...
30/10/2025
FanDuel Sports Network to Deliver Select Live NBA, NHL Games to Major Streaming ...
30/10/2025
As the year comes to a close, we can feel the invigorating wind sweeping in for ...
30/10/2025
By Bailey Pennick
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festi...
30/10/2025
The SGL Carbon site in Bonn has a long tradition of training. For many years, young talent has been successfully trained here, regularly achieving excellent exa...
30/10/2025
SBS, NITV and Screen Australia announce 2025 Digital Originals Shortlist
29 October, 2025
Media releases
SBS, NITV and Screen Australia are excited to unve...
30/10/2025
Jon Rambeau, President of Integrated Mission Systems at L3Harris Technologies, speaks about industrial collaboration at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (A...
-- 
