Encounters South African
International Documentary Festival 20-30 August 2020 is breaking boundaries and
responding in real-time to the world’s new reality by making the Festival
available to everyone, everywhere in South Africa .
Encounters cements its place as
Africa’s leading documentary festival as it celebrates its 22nd year by making
most of the films free-of-charge to view on virtual platforms, but will also
screen at selected cinema venues in Johannesburg and Cape Town from 20 -30
August.
In another historic move for the
local film industry, the new Encounters Documentary Festival will première with
the first South African screening of the highly-anticipated political
feature Influence — a profile of ‘morally
slippery British reputation manager’ Lord Timothy Bell of PR firm Bell
Pottinger.
The investigative journalists and
filmmakers Richard Poplak and Diana Neille, who directed the film, say they
can’t wait to see the response from South Africans.
“In the end, Influence is
a triumphant South African David and Goliath Story in which our country
collectively stood up against the abuses of a powerful multinational…and won.
We’re thrilled and so proud to finally be bringing it home.”
During this challenging time of
COVID-19, the courageous step toward a new kind of film festival has been a
monumental team effort, says Encounters Festival Director Mandisa Zitha, and
the result of innovative action from all sides of the film sector.
After two decades offering South
African and international audiences compelling and groundbreaking documentaries
this move into the digital arena sees Encounters at the cutting-edge of
cinema’s next wave.
‘Quote from Mandisa’
Encounters Documentary
Festival’s New Era
Over the coming weeks the
Encounters team will announce its digital plan that will make its aim to make
this year’s selection of films available to everyone an internet reality. The
objective, say the team, is to create a festival accessible to all – whatever
your preference – on the big screen and online.
A Time For Influence
“The decision to open the
documentary festival with Influence was a no-brainer,” says
Zitha, “Encounters has become the home of thoughtful, character-driven
storytelling that adds a necessary dimension to our understanding of the news,
fake news, the hot button issues, other people’s lives and, above all,
ourselves and our place in the world.
Influence, by Daily
Maverick journalist-provocateurs Richard Poplak and Diana Neille, charts the
rise and fall of the infamous London-based PR firm Bell Pottinger. As audiences
and reviewers around the world attest, the film is a stark reminder of the
dangers that lurk within the post-truth era, in which masters of disinformation
use new digital tools to wage ancient propaganda wars — undermining the very
fabric of democratic societies.
The film has only become more
urgent in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, where the media zone is flooded with
so much “news” that it’s difficult to tell up from down. “If anything, the
pandemic crisis has made bad actors like Bell Pottinger appear even more
dangerous,” says Neille, “even the President of the United States is peddling
miracle cures that have no solid basis in science. We certainly didn’t
anticipate that when we turned on the cameras more than two years ago.”
“We feel our film will help
audiences appreciate the relationship between politicians, corporations and the
media” added producer Neil Brandt of Storyscope. We hope Influence will
play a role in pulling back the veil and helping people navigate the uncertain
times ahead of us.”
There will be more exciting films
and events served up which will be announced in the coming weeks. But to stay
up-to-date with the exciting developments happening at Encounters 2020, and to
get the programme as soon as its released, head to encounters.co.za
The National Film and Video
Foundation of South Africa is a funder of the 22nd Encounters South African
International Documentary Festival.
For further information please
contact;
Joy Sapieka and Associates
Email: Joyls@mweb.co.za
Cell: +27(0) 73 212 5492
