It’s Silwerskerm Festival time

I look forward to the kykNET Silwerskerm Festival every year, but this year’s festival could be the most unforgettable one yet.

Whenever I get the chance to watch a new Afrikaans film, I’m absolutely thrilled. The Silwerskerm Festival is one of the few places where you can watch these films and then chat to the talent behind the work. It also gives us the opportunity to see stories that we might not otherwise get to experience on the big screen.

The festival also gives new filmmakers and writers the chance to introduce themselves to audiences.

This year’s festival takes place from 19 to 22 August in Camps Bay, Cape Town, and judging by what has already been announced, I’m genuinely very excited. There are a number of films that have caught my attention.

No easy answers

The first is Silas en die Ysbeer op Tafelberg. The film follows young Silas, played by Neels Clasen Jr., who believes that after his grandmother’s death, she simply went to Dreamland. He decides to go and find her and is joined on his journey by his new friend Willemien, played by Luna Coetzer.

Along the way, they encounter characters such as the Hus, Van Hunks and Toemaar. What makes Silas even more interesting is that it isn’t simply a children’s adventure — it’s a family film. Director Zandré Coetzer wanted to create a story that could help children deal with difficult subjects such as death, grief and loss, without trying to give them easy answers.

The film also sounds as though it uses some wonderful old-school filmmaking techniques. The polar bear is a giant puppet brought to life by three puppeteers. I’m a huge fan of practical effects, so I’m very curious to see how it all comes together.

Remember

The other film I’m particularly looking forward to is the short documentary Die grond onthou. It tells the story of Protea Village and the people who were forcibly removed from the area under the Group Areas Act. It is a story about a community, about loss and about people being removed from their homes, but also about the possibility of returning.

One of the things I love about the Silwerskerm Festival is that it isn’t just about entertainment. Yes, there are films that can make us laugh and transport us to a completely different world, but there are also films that make us think about our history and the people whose stories deserve to be heard.

Counting down the hours

Then you have something completely different, like Twee persent. The short film follows Charlotte, who falls in love with the milkman despite being lactose intolerant. The film also relies heavily on music, with approximately 95% of it containing no dialogue.

Then there’s Verwerking, which takes a much darker approach. The short film follows a screenwriter whose imagination begins bringing the traumatic story he is writing to life around him. Writer and director Peter-John Titus uses the creative process to explore trauma, memories and gender-based violence.

The Silwerskerm Festival always offers plenty of variety, and if you’re anything like me, you’ll know that every one of these stories deserves to be shown on the big screen. There’s still so much more I’m looking forward to, because I know just how creative Afrikaans filmmaking can be.

I’m already counting down the hours until the festival opens.