Putting the world to rights under the winter sun

Which way forward for the new South Africa? The Durban film festival addressed the future. By Ronald Bergan

Despite the rival beach attractions of female oil wrestling, a wet underpants contest, and an international surfing competition under the tropical mid-winter South African sun, the Durban film festival drew audiences hungry for culture. This year's festival marked the first anniversary of democracy in South Africa, as well as it being the first year in which it was completely free from censorship.

The festival was started 17 years ago by Ros Sarkin, now an ANC councillor, who struggled against terrible odds through the most rigid period of apartheid and the cultural boycott to obtain pictures of quality, shown to a racially- mixed audience, which could not be seen elsewhere in the country.

In a way, Priest, this year's opening film, was an ideal choice as it contained everything the old regime would have found unacceptable: miscegenation, blasphemy, homosexuality. Other films that provoked an enthusiastic response were Shallow Grave, Bandit Queen, and a new Egyptian film, Marcides, directed by Yousry Nasrallah, a powerful but rather opaque tale which attacks Islamic fundamentalism and the elite of the Third World.

However, what really got the place buzzing in the cinema lobbies were the documentaries The Vienna Tribunal and Warrior Marks, both on violations of women's human rights throughout the world, especially those of black women.

It was also noticeable, in contrast to Great Britain, that during the various panel discussions following the films, audiences needed no prompting to ask questions or to express opinions at a high level of discourse. The most insistent topic was the future of the virtually non-existent South African film industry. Unfortunately, there were no new South African features on show. Cry the Beloved Country, starring James Earl Jones and Richard Harris, made almost entirely with local money, was not yet ready for screening. However, most people conceded that the future did not lie in looking back to the old South Africa, though there are still many ghosts to be exorcised, nor in the industry relying on the use of Hollywood stars.

A documentary, In Darkest Hollywood: Cinema and Apartheid, the history of cinema in South Africa, made depressing viewing, revealing as it did 50 years of attempts to make films under a totalitarian regime.

A programme of three new shorts was most instructive in pointing possible ways forward for the New South Africa. The first was set under apartheid, the second was imitative of an American thriller, and the third was a lively comedy set in Soweto, the only one made by a black director (20- year-old Khalo Matabane), and the only one with a truly indigenous identity.

Particularly heartening was the enthusiasm of audiences in the townships to which Ros Sarkin takes a number of films. One such visit was to the Indian township of Chatsworth, where Indians were resettled under the Group Areas Act.

In the presence of the jet-lagged Bengali director Buddhadeb Dasgupta, a very appreciative audience watched his Shelter of the Wings on somewhat unsatisfactory video equipment. They easily read this lyrical drama about a bird-catcher who cannot bear to cage birds as an allegory of freedom - a concept they are just beginning to experience.