Racial and religious intolerance go hand in hand
Day 4 at DIFF consisted of two films that portray Apartheid - one set in modern SA and
the other in the West Bank.
Twenty years after democracy in SA, Fatherland was quite a shock. While most of South
Africa have embraced the rainbow nation, a small group of right wing extremists still
fight the ”negroids".
In this doccie, young boys and men attend a camp, run by ex-SANDF personnel, where
they are bombarded by anti black sentiment. The audience found it funny, while I
thought it was so sad and hopeless. It is an eye opener though. Fatherland has no more
screenings. It is in competition.
I watched Omar while the bombs are falling in Palestine. I don't want to choose sides
between Israel and Palestine, although it seems as if the fight has no solution. The film
portrays a young man's struggle to deal with love, the occupation and the ever present
Israeli soldiers and police. When watching the film, I thought I've seen it all before. Trust
me, it's one of the boldest and cruelest films of its genre. Omar is by the director of the
acclaimed Paradise Now. It has another screening on 26 July.
I closed my day with My blind heart, a very disturbing portrayal of a man living with
Marfan syndrome. In this shocking film, Kurt is seen rebelling against his decaying body.
The film is in competition. There are no more screenings.
* Day 5 will start with The decline of the American empire, made in 1986 and still
relevant, followed by a gritty SA crime drama, Cold Harbour, and two gay films, Out
in the line up (gay surfers and their struggle to fit in) which is part of Wavescapes, and
Salvation Army about gay culture in Morocco.
