Page 38 - DIFF PROGRAMME 2024

2024 SHORT FILMS
A THOUSAND ODD DAYS
6
Riley Blakeway, Australia, 2023, 14 min, English
20 JULY 12:15 GATEWAY 8 26 JULY 17:30 PAVILION 12
A young man attempts to reconnect with his estranged mother. They share different experiences in a bid to establish a connection He observes the relentless abuse and neglect she experiences daily and her desperate attempts to escape it. Recalling his time with her he struggles to understand her enduring trauma and its effect on their relationship Unable to make sense of her avoidance tactics and her inability to change he must reach a difficult decision.
A short comedy about two astronauts about to take off on a vital mission to Mars. The opening montage shows just how serious, how crucial this mission to Mars is. As the two astronauts sit in the cockpit awaiting launch, Major Tom Collins realises his co-pilot, Abe, is nowhere near as qualified as he should be. Abe has inextricably fumbled his way through training and ended up in the most important seat in the universe. The two grapple with the consequences of taking off anyway or delaying their crucial mission.
Exiled Egyptian photojournalist Alaa finds himself at a friend’s party six months after fleeing from Cairo to Berlin where he meets Lia and is immediately attracted to her. The seemingly genuine and rare connection that develops is choked in a heartbeat the moment he realizes that the person he chose to open to and be vulnerable with, works with the police in Berlin. He is in shock processing the absurdity of the situation and the world around him. He questions his ideas of the ‘other’ and his preconceived notions and sits in helplessness pondering over his place in the world.
ASTRONOTS
6
Andrew John James Seaton, Australia, 2023, 10 min, English
20 JULY 12:15 GATEWAY 8 26 JULY 17:30 PAVILION 12
BANDIDO
4
Mohamad Elhadidi, Egypt, 2023, 23 min, Arabic, English with English subtitles
21 JULY 11:30 GATEWAY 8 26 JULY 17:15 SUNCOAST 8
36 45TH DURBAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL