The festival’s visionary sponsors include the host City partner, The City of Cape Town; venue partner, The One & Only Hotel; location partner, the V & A Waterfront; financial services partner, Absa Bank; and the China Africa International Film Festival. 

Jury members from across the globe viewed all the films in competition and the following is the full list of winners. The festival selected eight projects from entries who each had to hand in a comprehensive proposal to get selected. They went through workshops and pitch mentoring with the Writers’ Guild of South Africa.

The winner of this year’s prize, worth $20 000 and sponsored by the Moving Billboard Company, is Nathan Theys for the project Ronald. The runner-up prize, also sponsored by the Moving Billboard Company, and worth $10,000, was awarded to Brett Michael Innes for Callus.

South African Short Film honourable mentions include:

  • Jaap by Ian Morgan – Jaap is a road trip movie that starts off with stereotypes but aims to portray characters that turn out well-rounded in the end; and
  • Post – Jesse Brown – Post is a short, hand-held camera documentary that aims to paint a portrait of filmmaker Jesse Brown’s grandfather.

Intergalactic Samurai Hagar Ben-Asher won in the Best Short Film category. The film tells the story of two young Ethiopian girls in Israel and is about identity. It is of relevance to South Africans.

  • Best Actor – Pankaj Tripathi as Salim in Mango Dreams; 
  • Best Actress – Antoinette Louw as Molly Fischer in An Act of Defiance;
  • Best Script – Jean van der Velde for An Act of Defiance;
  • Best Editing – Mustafa Presheva for Ayla: The Daughter of War; and
  • Best Cinematography – Massimo Moschin for The Last Prosecco. 

Hana by Giuseppe Carrieri won Best Documentary Film. The film was selected for its real documented incidents in four different countries concerning a human issue and the high film language. 

KA Bodyscapes by Jayan K Cherian won a Special Mention Award in the Best LGBT Film category. In India, homosexuality is criminalised in law, with high levels of persecution and harassment. 

The film is about working-class LGBT people struggling against both homophobia and sexism. Set in Kerala, the film weaves together several narratives that aim to highlight the vulnerabilities of economic marginalisation, violence, state harassment, and queer resistance in the daily realties of women and LGBT people.

Heartstone by Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson also won Best LGBT Film. The film deals with the crisis in contemporary masculinity and how a heteronormative structure damages genders and sexualities. It is a coming of age story of people that mirrors the Icelandic fishing village in which it is set. 

Catching Feelings by Kagiso Lediga won Best South African Feature Film. The film aims to introduce the audience to characters and conversations that they will recognise from their own lives. 

The festival honoured both Manouj Kadaamh for Horizon (with the accolated of New Director) as well as established director Visa Koiso-Kantilla for Star Boys (with the accolade of Best Director).

Kivanç Sezer won a Grand Prix Award for My Father’s Wings. Sezer was also awarded the Best Feature Film Award.

The CTIFM&F would like to thank the following sponsors and partners:

  • The Marriot Group;
  • The Westin;
  • Radisson Red;
  • Cape Town Comedy Club;
  • Workshop 17;
  • Heart Media;
  • Shape of Africa;
  • Chattels;
  • Media24;
  • Mark Lives;
  • The Call Sheet;
  • Nu Metro & Ster Kinekor cinemas;
  • Wesgro;
  • Film Publication Board;
  • Whats Good Studios;
  • TimeSlice Cinematography;
  • Turkish Airlines;
  • Responsive Digital;
  • Red Flag Content Relations;
  • TeeVee;
  • Ogle; and
  • Costume Hire. 

For more information, visit www.filmfestival.capetown. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook.