A recent international film festival held at Stellenbosch University’s (SU) Neelsie Cinema saw a low turnout, with only two audience members attending the opening night. SMF News was in attendance.
The Film o’Clock International Film Festival, which celebrated its fifth edition, connects audiences across 11 countries, including South Africa, through synchronized screenings and question-and-answer (Q&A) discussions.
This is according to Johan de Jager, manager of the Neelsie Cinema.
“Curated by a committee of programmers from each country, the festival selection [focuses] on the discovery of new voices, and [highlights] each culture’s storytelling trends,” according to the festival website.
“It’s not a Neelsie [Cinema] event,” said De Jager. “They asked us if we want to partake, and we said yes because we believe in showing overseas stuff and different culture forms.”
According to De Jager, the turnout was low because the scheduling for the event was only received a week before the film festival, it was school holidays, and many SU students were away for recess during the festival. He said that there were about four people per screening.
The Film o’Clock International Film Festival #5 was hosted at Stellenbosch University’s Neelsie Cinema in a 120-seater auditorium. SMF News was in attendance. The independent cinema hosts a variety of custom-designed and tailored events, according to the Neelsie Cinema website. PHOTO: Kuhle Tshabalala
Growing film culture
South Africa’s film culture is still growing, said Adriaan de la Rey, an attendee of Film o’Clock, and a film and television lecturer at the Open Window Institute. He said that the low attendance was probably influenced by the level at which the South African audience engages with films.
“There’s a very low level of critical engagement,” said De la Rey, adding that people should see film not only as entertainment but “as an art form that gets you to reflect”.
According to Meja Shoba, a South African-American film director, it is unfair to compare South Africa to other countries.
“We haven’t had […] access to information, technology, art, [and] cinema that other countries have had for decades longer,” said Shoba, whose film was also shown at the festival.
The Film o’Clock International Film Festival #5 is a festival that was hosted in 11 countries. The countries include Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, Moldova, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Egypt, and South Africa, with the Neelsie Cinema as the host venue for South Africa, according to the festival website. PHOTO: Kuhle Tshabalala
Who attended the festival?
The participating festival filmmakers are inspiring, according to Christell de Wet, a Stellenbosch resident who attended the event.
“I was looking forward to [seeing] the approach of various filmmakers,” said De Wet. “I’m quite an amateur in filmmaking.”
Christell de Wet, an attendee at the Film o’Clock International Film Festival #5. The event had simultaneous screenings and live question and answer sessions, where audiences could experience a film from miles away, according to the festival website. PHOTO: Kuhle Tshabalala
Shoba entered her short film, Keba, Interrupted, into the festival’s competition category.
She said that she likes telling stories that highlight the often-missed details of characters whose demographics exclude them from mainstream society.
Keba, Interrupted is a film that explores the idea of what it means to be a man who makes a positive difference in his community despite difficult social circumstances, according to Shoba.
Shoba said that she hopes audiences appreciate the relatable ordinary moments in the film.
The screening of the short film Keba, Interrupted, directed by Meja Shoba, during the international short film competition at the Film o’Clock International Film Festival #5 hosted in the Neelsie Cinema at Stellenbosch University’s (SU) student centre. PHOTO: Kuhle Tshabalala