This fall, Film at Mason participated in the Durban International Film Festival along with KwaZulu-Natal University. Students, faculty and staff from both universities collaborated on a number of events and panels, sharing ideas, documentary, animated, and fiction films, and commitments to collaborative arts and social justice.
The Durban International Film Festival, running from September 10-20, 2020, takes place in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. The Festival's virtual format in its 41st year allowed for an unprecedented number and variety of interactions across continents. The multifaceted program was coordinated by Film at Mason's Production Manager Abbesi Akhamie and Sakhile Gumede, Project Officer at KwaZulu-Natal University's Centre for Creative Arts.
The many exchanges included four sessions with the IsiZulu Virtual Script Writing Workshop, as Film at Mason professors shared their expertise with students in South Africa: Nikyatu Jusu discussed how to develop a “Pitch Document,” Amanda Kraus spoke on “Structuring the Short Script,” Peter Kimball presented on “Structure is Character,” and Samirah Alkassim talked about “Cultures and Mechanics of Screenwriting.”
In addition, Film at Mason alumnus Tony Marquez was a selection juror for the IsiZulu Virtual Script Writing Workshop, offering detailed notes on each entrant's work.
Film at Mason major Taj Kokayi and alumna Nicole Clavel served as jurors for the "Cell Phone Competition," assessing short films made by students on their phones. Abbesi Akhamie was a juror for the Durban International Film Festival's Feature Narratives competition, and Film at Mason Interim Director Cynthia Fuchs was a juror for the Feature Documentaries.
Collaborations also included a lively and informative Film Student Discussion between KwaZulu-Natal University and George Mason University, hosted by Dr. Michelle Stewart, Cynthia Fuchs, and Abbesi Akhamie. Mason Film students shared their work (including in this year's "Best of Film at Mason," with filmmaking students at KwaZulu-Natal University.
Film at Mason students who participated on the Zoom conversation included Jesse Benitez, creator of the experimental observational short documentary, "nightlife," Matthew Vargas, who made the short fiction film "Clementine," Rhyan Elliott, who made "Endings," and new Film at Mason graduate Alaa Zabara, whose senior project "Selahy," is on its way to film festivals.
All participants agreed that the exchanges were productive and inspiring, underlining the artists' similarities. As they discussed the power of telling personal stories, they recognized as well their broad appeals across nations and cultures, their shared values and aspirations, their hopes for brilliant futures.
September 14, 2020