FILM/PHOTOGRAPHY

SAVE KZN-2-NITE!

The local television station, KZN-2-Nite, has been operating for close on a year now and is transmitted on Channel 2 from 18h00 to 18h30.

The SABC has announced that it must cut back in the region of 1 400 employees and one of the proposals is to drop KZN-2-Nite completely or to replace it with a five minute news item.

CONCERN

This is of great concern not only from an arts and culture viewpoint but from a provincial one. At the moment KZN has a daily half-hour programme dedicated to the province. It is questionable whether this amount of exposure would be afforded through national television. Therefore the proposed curtailing of the station will directly impact on KZN both social and economically.

CANVASSING

D'ART is canvassing its members to respond in terms of what KZN-2-Nite means to them regarding giving exposure to the province and all its communities; creating a community spirit; uplifting previously disadvantaged communities through coverage of their events and generating sponsorship for service organisations or charities.

Whether you have watched the station or not we would appreciate your views which should be faxed urgently to Editor Caroline Smart on 261-6036 who'll send them on to the appropriate authorities.

If your organisation - or an event you have been connected with - has been covered by KZN-2-Nite and received a favourable response from the public in any way, please also include this information.

D'ARTS welcomes your support.

TARZAN AND JANE

Yet another film featuring Edgar Rice Burrows's Tarzan is presently under production in South Africa, the umpteenth since the first was made in 1914. In Tarzan and Jane Casper van Dien stars as Tarzan with Jane March as Jane in a cast that includes South Africa's Ian Roberts, Winston Ntshona, Russel Savadier, Sean Taylor and Gys de Villers.

The story-line this time centres on Tarzan's return to Africa to save his homeland from greedy mercenaries trying to uncover the secret of the lost city of Opar.

Director Carl Shenkel is presently filming in Johannesburg, Port Edward, Bethlehem and Oribi Gorge.

M-NET IN APRIL

For April, once again M-Net offers a wide choice of movies.

Getting off to a good start, Black Beauty which premieres on April 2 is a family adventure starring Sean Been and David Thewlis while Naked in New York (April 3) is a dramatic comedy starring Eric Stoltz and Mary-Louise Parker.

Sean Connery, Richard Gere and Julia Ormond feature in First Night (April 13) while Eskimo Day with Alec Guiness opens on April 19.

Tom Hanks narrates the adventure film Radio Flyer and the comedy drama, Fast Times at Ridgemont High (April 12), stars Sean Penn and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Burt Reynold and Louise Fletcher pull in the laughs in the comedy drama Frankenstein and Me on April 22.

Other films lined up for April include Heart of Darkness starring Tim Roth and John Malkovich (April 24) and for youngsters, there's Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home. A tongue-in- cheek western, The Quick and the Dead (April 20) sees Sharon Stone donning a cowboy suit in the company of Gene Hackman and Leonardo DiCaprio.

POLANSKI

April 24 sees the screening of two Roman Polanski films: the comedy, Cul-de-Sac, and Death and the Maiden, based on the play by Ariel Dorfman.

Jimmy Smits plays a respected professor accused of rape in Gross Misconduct and Losing Isaiah is a drama with Jessica Lange and Halle Berry.

ROCK FESTIVAL

A Rock Festival will be held at the BAT Centre on April 4 at 20h00 featuring bands Dorp, Garden Variety, Scooters Union and Turquoise. Tickets at door.

DCP AT NSA

The NSA Gallery in Bulwer Road has offered a new home to the Durban Centre for Photography (DCP), recently housed at the BAT Centre.

"Photography is felt to be still sadly underrated in South Africa where exhibitions remain rare," says NSA committee member, Marianne Meijer who adds that once the DCP is housed at the NSA it will become an important educational facility, bringing photo-graphers together and helping the public to develop an awareness of photography.