FILM

LINK WITH FRANKFURT



The Film Museum Project (FMP) held an exhibition of ancient film equipment last month at the BAT Centre as part of Artfest 96.

On display were items which have been donated to initiate the FMP's collection of equipment which is to form part of a museum of motion pictures in Durban.

The aim of the project is to foster the development of the film and photo-graphic industry in KZN, creating a vibrant atmosphere to attract interested individuals as well as the private sector.

The FMP includes the potential of linking the city of Frankfurt in Germany with the city of Durban on a cinematic footing, allowing access to Frankfurt's famous film museum.

Contact Mikhail Peppas on 32-04 or Lindi Gross on 23-1236.

FREE FILMS



The Durban Municipal Library offers regular free lunch-hour films on Tues-days in the Museum Theatre (JS Steele Auditorium), first floor of the City Hall:

Aug 6 (12h45): Sea Trek: Part 2 - underwater broadcast unravels the mysteries of the oceans.

Aug 13 (13h00): The RAF Story, from Lancaster to Tornado - story of the Royal Air Force.

Aug 20 (13h05): Trials of Life: Hunting and Escaping. Part 4 - history of animal behaviour by David Attenborough.

Aug 27 (13h05): World at War: Part 6 - Banzai: Japan strikes.



M-NET FILMS



M-Net's movie magic this month has such top-rated films as Mary Shelly's Frankenstein from actor/director Kenneth Branagh and Nell starring Jodie Foster, Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson. For Woody Allen fans a festival features five of his films - Broadway Danny Rose, Crimes and Mis-demeanours, Manhattan, Husbands and Wives and The Purple Rose of Cairo.
[Husbands Pic]
There's some of the finest in French film fare with From Betty Blue and the Three Colours trilogy.

For children there's the animated film, Once Upon a Forest as well as the ballet, The Nutcracker with Macaulay Culkin joining the ranks of the New York City Ballet.

Miss South Africa is crowned on August 24. Also coming up is the locally-made comedy, Lipstiek Dipstiek, and the romantic comedy, Only You, with Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr.

Shirely MacLaine, Liza Minnelli and Kathy Bates appear in The West Side Waltz and Richard Dreyfuss stars in the thriller Silent Fall

AFRICAN VIDEO



An African video festival is being held from August 16 to 18 at the BAT Centre featuring films from Tunisia, Senegal, Guinea Bissau and South Africa.

In Durban to open the festival, the internationally-acclaimed Senegalese director, Djibril Diop Mambety, will present his film Hyenas, followed by workshops and discussions.

To tie up with this film there is to be a mini-African Video festival, titles including Finzan, Le Ballon D'Or, Layla My Reason and Mapantsula.



MAGNUM CINEMA



To celebrate the first century of cinema, Magnum Agency is presenting - for the first time in South Africa - an exhibition of movie star portraits at the Durban Art Gallery from August 6 to 25.

For 50 years the photographers of Magnum, the French Agency, have been observing the world of cinema. For the exhibition, they sorted through their archives and pulled out studies of such famous stars as Orson Welles, Marilyn Monroe, Brigitte Bardot, Clark Gable, Grace Kelly and Katharine Hepburn.

CULT

Great cult figures such as Federico Fellini filming his Boccaccio 70 and Michelangelo Antonini on the set of Zabriskie Point form part of the series of photographs reflecting Italian film during the sixties.

A selection entitled Recent Portraits includes Josef Koudelka's pictures of Isabelle Huppert in Paris and of Isabella Rosselini with Gregory Hines on the set of White Nights.

This excellently-presented and evocative international exhibition of high quality comes to Durban straight from the Grahamstown Festival. It should fascinate anyone who has ever seen a movie, affording a rare opportunity to see top class photographers' work.

All interested are invited to attend the opening at 18h00 on August 6 and lose themselves in the world of movies.

The exhibition, sponsored by the French Agency for Artistic Action, will be opened by South African film producer Anant Singh.