Durban - Local filmmakers continue to put South Africa’s film industry on the global map.
Durban filmmaker Lwazi Duma is one of them, having been named as a top-3 finalist for the New Emerging Film Talent International (Nefti) awards.
Duma will compete against fellow South African Emma Tollman from Joburg and Moreetsi Gabang from Gaborone, Botswana, in Durban this month.
Duma, 31, from Mgangeni Village on KwaZulu-Natal’s South Coast said he was extremely proud and humbled by the opportunity from Nefti and for this nomination. He believes it will help kickstart his international career as he intends to do work abroad.
When sharing how he was brought into filmmaking and what themes inspired him, he said: “I like ‘right of passage stories’ because they demonstrate growth. A second theme I am passionate about is fiction stories. I loved them when I was a child and they grew on me.”
He has won the Audience Choice at the Durban 48 Hour Film Competition as well as the Best Climate Change Awareness Award at the African Human Rights Festival, both in 2022.
He is also currently a finalist at the 40 under 40 awards.
He added: “I was part of the London Production Finance Market where I was the only African to be part of it in 2022. I also got selected at the Suncine Film Festival in Spain 2022.”
The awards, to be held on July 22 at Durban’s Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani will be judged by an internationally-recognised panel. It includes award-winning actress, producer and director Vivica Fox; Academy Award and Tony winning film, television and theatre producer Bruce Cohen; and producer and current president of feature post-production at Disney/20th Century Fox, Ted Gagliano. The winner will receive a cash prize of $5 000 (R93 106).
NEFT Vodka and the International Emerging Film Talent Association (IEFTA) collaborated to create these awards to discover, develop and showcase up-and-coming filmmakers from emerging economies around the world.
They said they’re dedicated to providing opportunities to film talent who might otherwise go unknown because of geographical, financial and logistical limitations. Nefti selects contestants from a multitude of economically emerging regions.
The final three contestants have each received a $3 000 budget for their respective films and must ensure their films are non-political and non-violent.
Duma is also set to be a panel speaker at the Durban International Film Festival which runs from July 20-30.
The Independent on Saturday