The festival focused on various genres including documentary, feature and short films, as well as themed awards such as Best LGBTQ, Best Asian Film, and a notable award for Best New Director.

CTIFM&F festival director Leon van der Merwe, says, "I'd like to congratulate the winners and thank the various judges for the selection of the awards. For more than a week, the judges had the opportunity to watch films from around the world." 

Van der Merwe adds, "The judges were especially impressed by the Asian features from countries such as Thailand, the Philippines and Taiwan that offered innovative aesthetic approaches to the subject matter."

"It was also a pleasure to experience the focus on contemporary Italian and Romanian cinema. The entries from across Africa also increased this year, both in quantity and quality, and it is clear that African film is on the cusp of a major resurgence," says van der Merwe.

The overall winner of the 2018 CTIFM&F, a recipient of three awards, including The Grand Prix, as well as awards for Best Director Award and Best Actor, was the Italian film Dogman. The film competed at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival where Marcello Fonte also won for Best Actor.

The CTIFM&F’s opening film, and South Africa’s official submission for the Oscar’s, Sew the Winter to My Skin, directed by Jahmil X T Qubeka, won the award for Best South African Feature Film, while Rehad Desai’s Everything Must Fall won for Best South African Documentary, and the Best South African Short Film was won by Rea Moeti’s Mma Moeketsi.

South African film Kanarie also took home the award for Best LGBTQ Film, while Kenyan director of Supa Modo, Likarion Wainaina, won the award for Best New Director in the New Voices category and was described by the jury as 'a true new voice of contemporary cinema'.

Additionally, the CTIFM&F announced the winners of the Works in Progress and Screenwriters Guild Pitch competition.

Rafiq Samsodien, chairperson of the CTIFM&F board, adds, "I am so pleased with the outcomes of the festival. We are definitely on the right growth trajectory."

"We had increased levels in participation both in terms of numbers and in terms of the standard of the festival and market submissions. The responses that we are getting from the delegates, festival-goers and filmmakers is a testament to this progress, and we look forward to CTIFM&F 2019," says Samsodien.

For more information, visit www.filmfestival.capetown. You can also follow the CTIFM&F on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram.