The FAME Shorts Film Festival Announces 2024 Programme

The FAME Shorts Film Festival returns to Cape Town’s Labia Theatre from 4-7 September, bringing a dazzling array of African cinema. Featuring 31 thought-provoking films, the festival showcases innovative and creative filmmakers from across the continent, offering audiences a rich tapestry of stories from Africa and its diaspora. The eagerly anticipated programme was announced on https://fameshortsfilmfestival.com and bookings are open. 

Open to the public, the festival is a highlight of FAME Week Africa, an annual gathering and trade show for the entertainment industry. Martin Hiller, FAME Week Africa Portfolio Director, shared his excitement about this year’s line-up, “We’re absolutely thrilled with the FAME Shorts Film Festival programme! It’s brimming with personal stories, biographies, and tales of innovation, underscoring the rich diversity of African societies.” 

Over four captivating days, the programme explores themes of drifting through life’s challenges, the growing pains of coming of age, the complexities of love stories, and the preservation of cultural heritage.

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“Breaking Down Borders” – African TV Series Set To Launch on SABC 1

Paul Modjadji’s 10 country African tour is chronicled in an enthralling new fourteen-part travelogue on SABC 1, called “Breaking Down Borders.”

Covering countries including Zambia, Namibia, Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal, the documentary follows Modjadji as he explores Africa’s rich youth and dance culture. Each episode serves up a kaleidoscope of experiences showcasing Africa’s leading landmarks and heritage sites through the eyes of youth activists and artists on home soil.

Modjadji travels with close friends and family — sister Nthabiseng Modjadji, the tour coordinator, Sibusiso Mahlangu a filmmaker and photographer, and dancer Ginger Wensky. The 14-part series culminates with a two-part reunion hosted by Minnie Dlamini.  

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Apple TV+ Celebrates Female Storytellers For Women’s Month





For the duration of Women’s Month this August, Apple TV+ will be spotlighting storytellers from TV and film to celebrate the inspirational and groundbreaking work crafted by women. 

In Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, Native American actress Lily Gladstone delivers a powerful portrayal of Osage tribe member Mollie Burkhart. The epic film highlights Gladstone’s commanding performance in a riveting narrative of wealth, power, and survival.

The Morning Show, led by Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, continues to captivate audiences with its sharp critique of the media landscape, driven by strong female leads who navigate the complexities of power and public scrutiny in their professional lives.

In the historical drama Lessons in Chemistry, Oscar winner Brie Larson embodies Elizabeth Zott, a chemist who challenges the norms of the 1960s with her brilliant mind and unyielding spirit.


Meanwhile, Rebecca Ferguson stars in Silo, a dystopian drama that explores the human condition in a tightly controlled, subterranean world.




Jennifer Garner brings to life the thrilling narrative of The Last Thing He Told Me, portraying Hannah Hall, a woman unraveling a web of secrets that threaten her family’s safety, based on Laura Dave’s best-selling novel.

Comedy series Loot features Maya Rudolph as Molly Wells, a billionaire finding her footing in the world after a high-profile divorce, and Kristen Wiig delights in Palm Royale, a stylish comedy-drama that sees her navigating the quirks of high society.

Eva Longoria’s turn in Land of Women as a New York socialite escaping to Spain adds a humorous yet poignant touch to our lineup, blending familial duty with personal rediscovery.

The black comedy thriller Bad Sisters boasts a stellar ensemble of Irish talent, including Sharon Horgan as the fierce Eva Garvey, who leads her sisters through the chaos following a family tragedy.

Natalie Portman stars in the thriller Lady in the Lake, portraying an investigative journalist whose quest for truth brings her face-to-face with the systemic issues of 1960s Baltimore.

These are the bold voices in TV and film that are currently shaping the future of entertainment, showing women in South Africa and around the globe, what’s possible when you own your power.



Discover Women’s Month selection here: https://apple.co/WomensMonth2024


 

Animé Film Festival Coming To South African Cinemas

The popularity of Animé content, known as animation in Japan, has exploded in recent years, with an entire subculture passionate about the film and television series in this colourful and captivating genre. Following on the success of The Boy and The Heron’s release earlier this year in cinemas, Gravel Road Distribution Group is now bringing South African audiences a cinema-first…. a dedicated Animé film festival celebrating the iconic Studio Ghibli, on the big screen, starting this August.

The Japanese Studio Ghibli is one of the most acclaimed animation studios in the world, and the home of some of the most beloved Anime works to have ever released. Founded in 1985 by film directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata and producer Toshio Suzuki, the globally renowned studio has produced twenty-two feature-length films, and won numerous accolades, including two Academy® Awards, a Golden Globe and the coveted Cannes Film Festival honorary Palme d’Or. (The first time in history a company has been bestowed this prestigious acknowledgement).

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Museum of Illusions now open in Johannesburg

The city of gold has added another diamond to its stellar constellation of unmissable attractions. The Museum of Illusions just opened its doors in the vibrant Rosebank node, becoming the 53rd Museum of Illusions in the world, joining the likes of Dubai, Chicago, New York, Paris, Istanbul, Milan, Shanghai, Cairo, Kuala Lumpur and Dallas who are all home to the remarkable experience. The Museum of Illusions Johannesburg is located just above Hamleys, across the bridge from Spur, and next door to EGG.

 

The concept first launched in Zagreb, Croatia in 2015 and soon became a global phenomenon with over 12 million people having visited the museums to date, and it is easy to see why. No two museums are the same, with each facility taking visitors on a memorable sensory journey through mind bending installations that leverage art, science, maths and psychology in a unique way. 

 

Watch a video with a sneak peek of what to expect at the Johannesburg Museum of Illusions here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9JH3reI8CQ

 

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