I had the honour of being invited to the Bokeh South African International Lifestyle and Fashion Film Festival last week, at a lavish red carpet event. This is the 5th year of existence for the festival, which brings together creatives in the Film, Fashion, Artistic and related technical industries to celebrate their craft twice a year. The event is held in both Cape Town and Johannesburg, and I attended the latter, at Shepstone Gardens.

The extravagant red carpet gala awards ceremony was a fitting culmination to the festival, after a few days lead up of inspiring screenings, talks and competitions. Bokeh’s headline sponsors are Savanna Loco and Mercedes-Benz.

“The Gala Events were the cherry on the cake and bring to a close the 2018 Bokeh Festival events. I am once again humbled by the attention and accolades that Bokeh continues to garner both locally and abroad. The support and commitment shown by each member of the Bokeh team as well as our partners makes Bokeh the world class platform it is.” Says Adrian Lazarus – Founder and Manging Director of the Bokeh Festival.

“Savanna Premium Cider is known for its funny, quirky and unapologetic nature, but there is also a lesser-known maverick side to Savanna, which is always pushing the boundaries, unafraid to break new ground and to try new things. We believe strongly in the strength of joint branding, provided the brands are strongly aligned on their vision and future direction. Bokeh is well aligned to the principles of breaking new ground, always premium and unmistakably original, all of which firmly articulate the future of Savanna. As such, Savanna, led by the premium variant, Savanna Loco, are delighted to have formed this partnership with Bokeh. We are proud to be able to extend our headline sponsorship for a further year with the team at Bokeh!” Says Vicki Herbertson – Head of RTD Distell.

“Mercedes-Benz values the unique interactive sensory experience that the Bokeh Festival offers us to share our brand values with the fashion film community, and feature our latest models as the official vehicle sponsor. Our customers are highly fashionable and their cars are not only an extension of their image, but an integral part of their lifestyle. Fashion and cars have always been closely linked as an expression of individuality and creativity, with both relying on brilliant design. Our design philosophy of sensual purity expresses modern luxury, which we interpret across our entire vehicle range to awaken emotions much like the international films, art and fashion displayed at the festival.  It for this reason that we are pleased to confirm the extension of our relationship with the Bokeh Festival for a sixth consecutive year.” Says Selvin Govender – Marketing Director of Mercedes-Benz Cars South Africa.

The SA International Make-up Championship title was awarded to Elena Bettanello from Italy, who won R20 000 and beat out twelve local and international contestants with their Tim Burton inspired make-up and body art. While the Billy Preston Emerging Creative Talent Award and R50 000 went to student film “What Would Sarah Do?”

 

 

Fourteen exclusively designed Carrol Boyes awards were given away with Best Picture being awarded to South African film “Lovely.”

View the full list of winners below:

BOKEH 2018 WINNERS:

Best Actor – El Manifiesto De Lola (Lola’s Manifesto)

Best Art Direction – Perfect Parisienne

Best Cinematography – Paris You Got Me

Best Hair – Doll House

Best Make-Up – Imagine – The Puppeteer

Best Director – Hollywood Hills

Best Documentary – Mamuthones

Best Emerging Talent – Note to Self

Best Fashion – Picha Marangi

Best Sound/Music – Casamorati

Lifetime Achievement Award – Einat Dan

Billy Preston Emerging Creative Talent Award Make-Up – Eat It

Billy Preston Emerging Creative Talent Award – What Would Sarah Do?

Best Picture – Lovely

My favourite film was “Paris You Got Me” by Julie Boehm. It is a magical dance trip through Paris’ Art Epochs, with amazing Van Gogh-like animation. Here is a link to the trailer of the short film, and you can read more about the project on www.parisyougotme.com.

For more information go to www.bokehfestival.co.za

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