Latest news with #filmFestival
Zawya
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Zawya
ITFFA spotlights how film tourism drives economic growth and destination appeal
As the film and tourism industries converge for the 7th annual International Tourism Film Festival Africa (ITFFA) in Sandton this week, the spotlight turns to the powerful role of film in driving destination tourism. Taking place from 3–6 June at Hotel Sky, the festival will explore how high-profile productions — many shot in South Africa, a global filming hotspot — contribute to job creation, infrastructure development and increased tourism arrivals. Co-founder of the festival together with Caroline Ungersbock, festival director James Byrne describes this unique event as ä pioneering platform celebrating tourism-focused films and video content. Honouring global tourism content "The ITFFA honours all video content related to the travel and tourism industries, including TV ads, promotional films, video content, campaigns, blogs and vlogs, documentaries, reports and magazine programmes. All film and video products that are related to the promotion of tourism destinations, products, or services are eligible to be entered into the film festival awards, and will be screened during the conference itself, the only one of its kind on the continent," comments Byrne. With a wealth of experience, passion, and innovation in the entertainment and hospitality sectors, he brings a unique perspective to his role at ITFFA. His deep understanding of the industry and his commitment to fostering creativity and collaboration have been instrumental in establishing ITFFA as the premier tourism film festival in Africa. Since co-founding ITFFA with Ungersbock in 2019, Byrne has been the driving force behind the festival's growth and success. Under his guidance, ITFFA has received more than 4,000 film entries from 94 countries, showcasing the best in tourism-related video content across various platforms. Empowering young African creatives "Our vision for the festival extends beyond simply recognising exceptional content; we are also dedicated to empowering young African creatives by providing them with access to tangible work opportunities and the ability to earn real-time income from their work." This is translated into the annual Young Creatives Student Challenge that runs alongside ITFFA, offering young film students mentorship, guidance and editing skills to create professional tourism content for clients, using their smartphones, which can be monetised. This year's challenge has seen five teams of two students each from Wits and UJ visiting the Joburg inner city in partnership with Nikon, Panavision, Jozi My Jozi and The Bannister Hotel, to film content around Maboneng, Newtown, Ponte, and Braamfontein. The winning team, announced during the festival, will receive a cash prize of R10,000 to go towards building their content creation careers. Driving Africa's creative and tourism economy A passion for connecting people, creating engaging experiences, and promoting Africa's rich cultural heritage lies at the heart of ITFFA's mission. The founding partners also have a firm belief in the power of film and tourism to drive economic growth, create jobs, and change the global narrative surrounding Africa. ITFFA is positioned as a catalyst for the development and growth of the African audio-visual industry, while also integrating the global creative community. Looking ahead, the vision for ITFFA in 2025 and into the future is to continue defining the inextricable linkages between film and tourism, making the potential low-lying yields accessible to all, while empowering young African creatives to establish sustainable careers in the industry. 'With our unwavering commitment to innovation, collaboration, and the celebration of exceptional content, the team is poised to lead ITFFA to new heights and shape the future of the tourism and travel industry. We invite everyone in the industry to join us for the ride!" concludes Byrne. All rights reserved. © 2022. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
ABC News
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Sophie Somerville wanted her debut film Fwends to 'normalise being an Australian woman'
Emerging Australian filmmaker Sophie Somerville is about to premiere her debut feature film, Fwends, at the Sydney Film Festival. It's the same festival where she was previously lauded for her award-winning shorts, Peeps and Linda 4 Eva. But Somerville — who, like most Australian creatives, already has one eye on her next project — finds it difficult to slow down and soak in the success of her work. "It's easy to forget that it's real, and then you're like, 'Shit, everyone is going to be watching my movie,'" she tells ABC Entertainment. "It's always a little nerve-wracking because you can't change the film, the film is done. You just have to kind of endure it while everyone else takes it in." Somerville is, of course, being delightfully humble. Her poignant and hilarious rumination on female friendships is fresh from being accepted into the prestigious Berlin Film Festival, where it took home the Caligari Prize for "stylistically and thematically innovative film". Later in the year, Fwends will feature in the Melbourne International Film Festival. "It is ramping up now," Somerville says. On the surface, Fwends masquerades as a traditional buddy comedy. Sydney-based lawyer Em (Emmanuelle Mattana) travels interstate to visit struggling Melburnian Jessie (Melissa Gan), to rekindle their friendship and go on an adventure through the city. But the vibe of the film will be intensely relatable for any person who has tried to revive a long-term relationship with a long-distance best friend. The connection of shared experience between Em and Jessie remains, but how they've changed over time creates friction for the young women. "It's fun to explore the layers of that kind of relationship: you have this surface level where you fall into those old patterns, [but] it just inevitably creates this pressure cooker until they actually witness each other in the present," Somerville says. "We thought, 'Let's start with two people and see them on the surface, and then just wear them down.'" As the two women traverse the city, they talk about everything — from the increasingly unmanageable cost of living to if they're really good people. They're familiar conversations refreshed by Em and Jessie's local takes. "I remember watching [Girls] and being so obsessed because you do feel seen as a young person, but then at the same time, they're these privileged girls in New York who have access to this kind of lifestyle that we just don't have," Somerville says. Drawing on her past experiences in short film, Somerville abandoned the rigidity of a traditional script, instead opting for an almost entirely improvised narrative. The director wrote the background and worked with Mattana and Gan to flesh out their characters, but the dialogue was completely improvised. "We had a pretty clear idea of what they were going through, the sort of core conflicts that they had going on inside and we needed them to reach a cathartic moment towards the end of the film," she explains. "But it was pretty loose with how they got there and when they got there." Operating on a minuscule budget and even fewer resources, Somerville and her small-but-mighty production team had to get creative to capture the beautiful and varied shots of inner-city Melbourne. "Even though the film is fiction, we approached it like we were shooting a documentary," she says. "Melbourne City Council had some really lovely filming permit rules where, if you have a small number of crew, you don't need a whole complicated film permit. So we just worked around that." Wide shots using long lenses give the action a guerilla feeling, like the audience is a secret passenger on Em and Jessie's physical and philosophical journey. That's not to say the documentary-style filming didn't throw up its own complications. "You'd have random kids who walk past and give the middle finger to the camera, old people who come up to you and are like, 'Oh, are you making Today Tonight?'" Somerville says. "It's awesome, though, because you come home with footage that is so rich and detailed. It's a really beautiful way to observe the world." As Em and Jessie's journey progresses, their interactions go deeper: long-held grievances are shared and situations are re-examined. A story from Em about her boss getting a bit too handsy — which was sarcastically brushed away by both women in the daylight hours — is given the weight it deserves as the sun sets and their barriers break down. At the same time, Jessie's casual break-up is revealed to be more complicated than she previously let on. "They were issues I was dealing with when I was writing background, so that was built into the characters. But I was also aware it's like two of the main things women experience," Somerville says. As Fwends made its way around the European film circuit, it collected rave reviews. But it also picked up a label that Somerville chafes at: mumblecore. A staple of the early and mid-2000s indie film scene, the genre is famous for improvised dialogue and lackadaisical narratives. "It just implies that it's this low-key kind of film, and the film's not low-key to me. The film's a big deal for the characters who are living it," Somerville says. Ultimately, she's grateful the uniquely Australian film resonated with international audiences, and she's hoping its warm reception will continue closer to home. "[As a new filmmaker] it's really, really easy to be very discouraged and to think that your voice isn't going to be commercial or isn't going to be listened to or taken seriously, but I just knew that we had to make [Fwends]," she says. "I wanted to make a movie that takes on these dark themes but makes you want to get up in the morning afterwards. That just makes you feel not alone." Fwends will premiere at the Sydney Opera House on June 7, with additional screenings on June 8 and 10 as a part of Sydney Film Festival.
CBC
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
WIFF's outdoor movie screenings to be held mid-June on aquatic centre's front lawn
Social Sharing The Windsor International Film Festival (WIFF) has announced details of its annual Under the Stars outdoor movie screenings. Organizers will hold the event on the front lawn of the city's aquatic centre, near the riverfront. Initially, this was a response to being unable to hold the main festival in 2020 and 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, it will run from June 13 until June 15. "Through continued support from our patrons, community, and partners, we are thrilled to once again be hosting free outdoor screenings at WIFF Under the Stars — the perfect way to celebrate the summer season and great film," said Vincent Georgie, executive director and chief programmer for the festival.
