With actress and television presenter Jailoshini Naidoo as emcee, the awards will be announced at the Supernova, Suncoast Cinema, on 28 July prior to the closing film, which is the much anticipated South African animation Adventures in Zambezia. The festival, (with principal funding from the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund) will conclude its 12 day film feast with a final day of screenings across Durban on Sunday, 29 July.

The celebration of filmic excellence will see prizes being awarded by this year’s International Jury to fiction feature films for the following categories: Best Feature Film (carrying a prize of R50 000); Best First Feature Film (carrying a prize of R20 000); Best Direction; Best Cinematography; Best Screenplay; Best Actor; and Best Actress.

The International Jury comprises:

- Tsitsi Dangarembga, a Zimbabwean filmmaker, novelist, playwright and activist who has produced several documentaries and is credited on many major Zimbabwean features. Her groundbreaking short film Kare Kare Zvako - Mother's Day won numerous awards internationally. She is the author of, among others, the novel Nervous Conditions.

- Oliver Hermanus - director of Shirley Adams, which won numerous prizes including the Grand Prix at the Amiens International Film Festival, Best First Feature Film and Best South African Film at the 2009 Durban International Film Festival, and the SAFTA Award for Best Film; and Skoonheid, which premiered at Cannes in 2011 where it won the Queer Palm, won the Best South African Film at the 2011 Durban International Film Festival, and both the Best Actor and Best Director SAFTA Award in 2012.

- Kgomotso Matsunyane, a writer, broadcaster and producer who has been a commissioning editor for drama at SABC1 and edited The Oprah Magazine (SA). She is a former partner at T.O.M. Pictures, and has hosted and produced numerous SA television shows. She writes a column for True Love Magazine, and is directing a documentary on the history of black nurses in South Africa.

- Peter Wintonick, Eyesteelfilm‘s international producer and director whose career spans 35 years and 100 films, with roles including director of development for Necessary Illusions, FIPRESCI-affiliated critic, writer, mentor, workshop and conference producer, festival advisor (IDFA) and programmer (Reykjavik Iceland International Film Festival). Wintonick is the co-founder of Doc Agora and Greencode, Former Thinker in Residence on film policy for the Premier of South Australia and the International editor at POV magazine. He also won the Governor General Award in Media Arts, Canada‘s highest such honour.

This year’s Competition features are:

Beasts of the Southern Wild (United States, 2011); Beautiful Miss Jin (South Korea, 2011); Elelwani (South Africa, 2012); Fynbos (South Africa, 2012); Gog’ Helen (South Africa, 2012), Goodbye (Be Omid E Didar) (Iran, 2011); Just the Wind (Csak A Szel) (Hungary, Germany, France, 2012), The Kid with a Bike (Le Gamin au Vélo) (Belgium, France, Italy, 2011); Le Havre (Finland, 2011); Lena (The Netherlands, Belgium, 2011); Love (Amour) (France, Austria, Germany, 2012); The Loneliest Planet (US, Germany, 2011); Monsieur Lazhar (Canada, 2011); Nairobi Half Life (Kenya, Germany, 2012); Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, 2011); The Pirogue (La Pirogue) (France, Senegal, 2012); A Simple Life (Tao Jie) (Hong Kong SAR China, 2011); Sleeper’s Wake (South Africa, 2012); Sleeping Beauty (Australia, 2011); Tabu (Portugal, Germany, 2012), Tey (Aujourd’Hui) (France, Senegal, 2011), and Tyrannosaur (UK, 2011).

The Best South African Feature Film Award (carrying a prize of R30 000) is open to all sixteen South African fiction features that are part of the official selection in DIFF, and will be adjudicated by director and producer for Fineline Productions, Junaid Ahmed; journalist and film critic, Peter Machen and director and producer of Vuleka Productions, Madoda Ncayiyana.

Best Documentary and Best South African Documentary will be adjudicated by Film Afrika Festival director and academic at SOAS, University of London, Lindiwe Dovey; television presenter and actress, Rosie Motene; and Rififi Pictures director and producer, Robbie Thorpe.

Best Short Film and Best South African Short Film will be adjudicated by Durban FilmMart filmmaker and project coordinator, Tiny Mungwe; Collective Film and Video producer, Darren Murray; and Ukhozi FM radio journalist, Zandile Tembe.

Carrying a cash prize of €2 500, the Amnesty International Durban Human Rights Award, organized in conjunction with Amnesty International Durban and the Movies that Matter project of Amnesty International, will be presented to the film that is most reflective of human rights issues. The jury for this prize comprises Catch a Fire Production producer, Hylton Alcock; Uhuru Productions producer, Anita Khana; Durban Gay and Lesbian Centre director, Nonhlanhla Mkhize; Head of School of English at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Lindy Stiebel and Amnesty International Durban's Coral Vinsen.

Three further awards are voted for by members of the public: Audience Choice Best Feature Film, Audience Choice Best Documentary, and Audience Choice Best Wavescape Film.

For more details regarding the film festival programme, visit www.durbanfilmfest.co.za.