Ah, the Cannes Film Festival, AKA the most impactful film festival border in prestige. Making it to Festival de Cannes is certainly no small feat, with multiple artists from around the world given the opportunity to share their stories “creating a world map of cinema” as the organisation puts it.
This year marks the 75th birthday of the renowned Film Festival, and South African filmmakers are standing tall after numerous local labours of film love made it to the Cannes Marche du Film market. The film market is part of the Festival de Cannes, which is “the world’s leading market, serving to add dynamism to the global film industry,” as per Festival de Cannes.
Almost a dozen premium locally produced films are shining this year and making South Africa proud with their showcasing, as Gravel Road Distribution Group announces. This is important not only for the arts sector in our country but also for the polishing of the rough edges on the film industry in SA as left by the pandemic.Two South African women filmmakers also have locals singing their praises. Bonita Sithebe’s The Valley of a Thousand Hills and Sithabile Mkhize’s God’s Work production were chosen to showcase their work at this year’s favourite film festival, as announced by the he KwaZulu Natal Film Commission .