By: Raymond Padya

The director of the controversial movie Of Good Report, Jahmil Qubeka, scoped the Durban International Film Festival Award for Artistic Bravery during an award ceremony held at Suncoast CineCentre Cinema.

Being the first of its kind, the award was meant to acknowledge the film’s achievements in stimulating worldwide debate and highlighting important issues in South African society.

Coming off with the Best Feature Film award and a grand prize of R50 000 was The Land of Hope directed by Sion Sono and it was marveled for its cinematic means of expression.

For Best South African Feature Film, the award went to South African filmmaker Andrew Worsdale for his film Durban Poison but he was not present to receive his award as well as most of the other winners.

The full list of awards is as follows:

• · Best Short Film – Mercy (dir. Eliza Subotowicz)
• · Best South African Short Film – The Brave Unseen (dir. Duan Myburgh)
• · Best Documentary Film – Far out isn’t Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story (dir. Brad Bernstein)
• · Special Mention: Best Documentary Film – I Am Breathing (dir. Emma Davie and Morag McKinonn)
• · Best South African Documentary Film – Angel’s In Exile (dir. Billy Raftery)
• · Special Mention: Best South African Documentary Film – Orania (dir. Tobias Lindner)
• · Amnesty International Durban Human Rights Award – Pussy Riot – A Punk Prayer (dir. Mike Lerner and Maxim Pozdorovkin)
• · Audience Choice Best Film – Felix (dir. Roberta Durrant)
• ·Audience Choice Best Documentary – Pussy Riot – A Punk Prayer (dir. Mike Lerner and Maxim Pozdorovkin)
• · Audience Choice Best Wavescapes Film – Stand (dir. Anthony Bonello and Nicolas Teichrob)
• ·Audience Choice Best WildTalk Film – 2 Wings Many Prayers (dir. Lloyd Ross)
• · Best Feature Film – The Land of Hope (dir. Sion Sono)
• · Best First Feature Film – Wadjda (dir. Al-Mansour Haifaa)
• · Best South African Feature Film – Durban Poison (dir. Andrew Worsdale)
• · Best Direction – Xavier Dolan for Laurence Anyways
• · Best Cinematography – MatÍas Penachino for Halley
• · Best Screenplay – Asghar Fahradi for The Past
• · Best Actor – David and Eitan Cunio for Youth
• ·Best Actress – Paulina Garcia for Gloria and Suzanne Clément for Laurence Anyways

• · Durban International Film Festival Award for Artistic Bravery – Jahmil XT Qubeka

Recipient of DIFF Bravery Award, Jahmil Qubeka and Mothusi Magano, one of the lead characters in the film ‘Of Good Report’.

The festival ended on Sunday and a number of DIFF guests came to watch the once banned, Of Good Report, which premiered at Suncoast CineChinema.