Page 25 - DIFF PROGRAMME 2024

CITY OF WIND
Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir, France, Mongolia, Portugal, Netherlands, Qatar, Germany, 2023, 103 min, Mongolian with English subtitles
19 JULY 20:00 GATEWAY 9 25 JULY 17:30 PAVILION 12
A spiritual shaman is a crucial member of the community, the one who everyone depends on when in need of moral and spiritual guidance. What happens when that shaman is a 17-year- old high school student who must balance his profound spiritual responsibilities while also juggling another life, that of a high school student, working hard to succeed in the cold, callous society of modern Mongolia. Introducing Ze, a 17-year-old gentle Mongolian Shaman whose life changes irrevocably after performing a ritual for Marala.
In 1996 Punjab, India, Canadian-born Jassi falls in love with Mithu, a rickshaw driver beneath her social status. Their attraction is pure and unconditional, but is it strong enough to fight the dictates imposed by family and society? They vow to stay together against all social and familial obstacles and the practical complications of treacherous lawyers and immigration officers. With his first film set in India, Tarsem Singh Dhandwar returns to the big screen to tell the shocking true-life tale of a young couple desperate to be together. This is a sobering tragedy of young lovers punished for their class differences.
In present day Madagascar, twenty-year-old Kwame, who struggles to make a living in the clandestine sapphire mines, is taken back to his hometown by an unexpected turn of events. As he reunites with his mother and old friends, he finds himself confronted with the rampant corruption plaguing his country. Now, he will have to choose between easy money and loyalty, between individualism and political awakening. Under a totalitarian regime, political resistance is a necessary and urgent part of life. Set in Toamasina, this is part coming-of-age story, part political awakening, and a fantastic window into daily life in Madagascar.
DEAR JASSI
Tarsem Singh Dhandwar, India, 2023, 132 min, Punjabi, English with English subtitles
20 JULY 20:00 SUNCOAST 8 26 JULY 19:45 SUNCOAST 8
DISCO AFRIKA
Luck Razanajaona, France, Madagascar, Germany, Mauritius, Qatar, South Africa, 2023, 80 min, Malagasy with English subtitles
21 JULY 14:45 SUNCOAST 8 25 JULY 19:15 GATEWAY 9
45TH DURBAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 23