Acts of Man, Africa AI, We Had the Moon! Among Top Prize Winners at Durban F

Publish date: 2024-08-18

South African supernatural crime series “Acts of Man” took home the biggest cash prize Monday night at the Durban FilmMart award ceremony, while the documentaries “Africa AI” and “We Had the Moon!” were among the projects that took home multiple awards at the close of a spirited week in Durban.

“Acts of Man” scooped the Known Inner Circle Award, which was handed out by the recently launched venture from South Africa’s Known Associates Group (KAG) and Canada’s Inner City Films (ICF) and Circle Blue Entertainment (CBE). The award included a cash prize of $10,000 for the show’s creators, Sheetal Magan and Sean Drummond.

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“Africa AI,” from Amilcar Patel and Chris Kets, investigates the hidden costs of artificial intelligence for the African continent, from the extraction of its raw natural resources to its effects on labor rights, privacy, equality and ideas of freedom. The film took home the Red Sea Film Fund Award for documentary in the amount of $5,000, as well as the DOK Leipzig Award with the support of IEFTA.

“We Had the Moon!” took home four awards, including prizes from South Africa’s National Film and Video Foundation, Swiss doc fest Visions du Réel and Movies That Matter. South African-Zambian fiction feature “The Moon Can’t Run,” about a ragtag Zambian effort to join the space race, was another big winner Monday night, as was Babatunde Apalowo’s “Londoner,” a story of flickering hopes and shattered dreams that won the Red Sea Film Fund Award for fiction in the amount of $5,000.

The 15th edition of the Durban FilmMart, which ran July 19 – 22, welcomed 1,460 industry professionals and filmmakers from 58 countries in Africa and beyond. “We are delighted to have hosted such a dynamic array of filmmakers from across the African continent. They entrusted us with their projects and ideas, and generously shared their time, expertise and passion through enriching conversations, creating a truly African event,” said Magdalene Reddy, director of the Durban FilmMart Institute.

“The talent showcased in this year’s program and film projects presented exemplify the strength of African cinema. The memories made, networks expanded and partnerships forged have significantly contributed to DFM’s enduring legacy and impact. We extend our gratitude to our partners for their support in celebrating and elevating African storytellers, producers and content creators.”

Also this weekend in Durban, the NEFTI All-Stars Competition announced its award winners, with Moreetsi Gabang from Botswana winning the $5,000 grand prize for his film “Hill of Lovers.” Gabang also won the audience award of $2,000.

The event was the culmination of all the NEFTI competitions to date, with the winners from each of the previous competitions vying for cash awards. The four filmmakers represented in the NEFTI All-Stars Competition were Minenhle Luthuli (South Africa) with “Make a Wish”; Nahom Abraham (Eritrea) with “Bedtime”; Moreetsi Gabang (Botswana) with “Hill of Lovers”; and Cheyi Okoaye (Nigeria) with “Boxed In.” All four filmmakers were given $3,000 to create a completely new film.

Here’s a full rundown of the Durban FilmMart award winners:

Known Inner Circle Award
Acts of Man (South Africa)
Producer: Sean Drummond
Director: Sheetal Magan

Red Sea Film Fund Award Fiction
Londoner (Nigeria)
Producers: Pamela Drameh and Sarudzayi Marufu
Director: Babatunde Apalowo

Red Sea Film Fund Award Documentary
Africa AI (South Africa)
Producer: Amílcar Patel
Directors: Amílcar Patel and Chris Kets

Game Changer Films Award
The Moon Can’t Run (South Africa, Zambia)
Producer: Shveta Naidoo
Director: Naishe Nyamubaya
Co-producer: Niza Lou Waldburger

CANAL+ Development Grant
Children of Honey (Tanzania, United Kingdom)
Producer: Natalie Humphreys
Director: Jigar Ganatra

TRT Award
Dear Tarkovsky (Tunisia)
Producer: Asma Chiboub
Director: Firas Khoury

MTN Group Digital Award
The Moon Can’t Run (South Africa, Zambia)
Producer: Shveta Naidoo
Director: Naishe Nyamubaya
Co-producer: Niza Lou Waldburger

IDA Supported Artist Award
Children of Honey (Tanzania, United Kingdom)
Producer: Natalie Humphreys
Director: Jigar Ganatra

Sisters in Cinema Sustainability Award
The Conservationist (Zimbabwe)
Producer and director: Rumbi Katedza
Producer: Siza Mukwedini

Best Fiction Grant National Film and Video Foundation
I’m Coming for You (Cameroon)
Producers: Alice Abah and Jean-Marie Gigon
Director: Cyrielle Raingou

Best Non-Fiction Grant National Film and Video Foundation
We Had the Moon!

Best Animation Grant National Film and Video Foundation
Monster Nanny (South Africa, Zimbabwe)
Producer: Kaya Kuhn
Director: Tafadzwa Hove

Hot Docs-Blue Ice Docs Award
My Father Killed Bourguiba (Tunisia)
Producer: Sarra Ben Hassan
Director: Fatma Riahi

The Whickers Bursary Award
We Had the Moon!

Rotterdam Lab Award
Jua Kali (Kenya)
Producer: Joash Omondi
Director: Yasmin Hassan

The DOK.fest München Award
A Girl and a Gun (South Africa)
Producer: Antoinette Engel
Director: Arya Lalloo

The DOK Leipzig Award
Africa AI (South Africa)
Producer: Amílcar Patel
Directors: Amílcar Patel and Chris Kets

Sørfond Award
Benimana (Ivory Coast)
Producer: Samantha Biffot
Director: Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo

Miradas Doc Award
A Girl and a Gun (South Africa)
Producer: Antoinette Engel
Director: Arya Lalloo

Special GZDOC Invitation
Bitter Seed (Algeria, France)
Producer: Antoine Goldet
Director: Camelia Gadhgadhi

The FIDADOC Award
How Many Nights, How Many Days? (Egypt)
Producer: Kesmat Elsayed
Director: Alaa Dajani

Movies that Matter Award
We Had the Moon!

Visions du Reel Award
We Had the Moon!

Fak’ugesi Residency Award
Oarona (South Africa)
Producers: AJ Pitre and Thandiwe Mlauli
Director: Thandiwe Mlauli
Co-producer: Simangaliso Sibaya

The Hidden Hand Studios presents: The Hidden Talents Award
The Legend of Hyena Man (Tanzania)
Producer: Mathew Valerian
Directors: Elshadye Berhanu and Joshua Faber

OIF-ACP-EU Award
Londoner (Nigeria)
Producers: Pamela Drameh and Sarudzayi Marufu
Director: Babatunde Apalowo

TFL Next Award supported by IEFTA
Numalali (My Voice, My Void) (Guatemala)
Producers: Alberto Rodríguez Collía and Kurt Orderson
Director: Kimeshree Munsamy

Clermont-Ferrand ISFF Award
Nebula (Egypt)
Director: Michel Doss

IEFTA Connect Award       
Baptism of Silence (South Africa)
Director: Kanya Viljoen

DFM Talents Durban Award         
The Space Maasai (Tanzania)
Director: Priscilla Marealle

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