The 5th annual Durban Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (DGLFF) will be taking place this year from Thursday 18 to Friday 26 June at the KwaZulu-Natal Society of Arts (KZNSA) gallery, in Glenwood, Durban. Started in 2011 to fulfill a need for queer cinema to be showcased and a platform for LGBTI issues to be highlighted, the DGLFF has also had growing success in connecting young, emerging and established filmmakers from across the globe in an affirming and positive pink space.
The small number of South African and African queer, LGBTI, gender or sexuality-themed productions made annually is something that I hope the DGLFF can encourage an increase in, providing a platform for new productions as it has the past 4 Festivals; connecting international independent and micro-filmmaking practitioners in an atmosphere that celebrates cinema and our LGBTI community.
As the only city-based LGBTI film festival in Africa (to our current knowledge) it remains imperative to hold up a beacon of positive, ground-breaking, thought-provoking and human rights-affirming stories for those who remain oppressed and persecuted throughout Africa and the world. At the opening of the inaugural DGLFF, senior psychology lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Steven Roche, eloquently stated, in reference to LGBTI discrimination, that it remains: "the last acceptable prejudice".
In light of this, and in the spirit and theme of ON COMMON GROUND, they invite a last round of especially South African and African filmmakers to submit feature films, documentaries and short films for consideration for the 2015 Official Selection. The forms can be obtained from Jason Fiddler - email jason@dglff.org.za
Final submissions will be considered up to Friday 8 May 2015.
Join the DGLFF for screenings, participate in filmmaking workshops & dialogues, and network with peers across the spectrum of humanity.
Contact Jason Fiddler the Festival Director for more details
Durban Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014
Auditions
Actors Studio Auditions at the Playhouse
The Playhouse Company is holding auditions for young performers to join their Actors Studio, a resident company aimed primarily at recent graduates who hold a tertiary qualification in drama as well as young professionals with no less than three years practical stage experience will also be considered.
Successful candidates will join the Playhouse Actors Studio for a year during which they will attend workshops and master classes aimed at enhancing their practical skills and further developing their talent in a professional theatre environment. The Studio will also provide opportunities for its members to appear in Playhouse Company productions with established guest artists and to develop educational tours and outreach programmes.
Suitable candidates who wish to audition should prepare two monologues in English; one should be from a classical work, the other from a contrasting contemporary piece. Each monologue should be no longer than three minutes in duration.
Auditions will be held on Wednesday 6 May between 09:00 and 12:00 in Studio A1 (Playhouse Head Office). Please note that you might be required to wait for your audition. To book, please call 031 369 9457.
FILM AUDITION CALL- KEEPING UP WITH THE KANDASAMY’S
Junaid Ahmed Productions, in association with African Lotus Productions, is proud to announce that they will be producing KEEPING UP WITH THE KANDASAMY's, a feature film set in the sprawling township of Chatsworth. This heart-warming comedy revolves around the lives of two women and their journey of friendship. The movie will be directed by Jayan Moodley (White Gold) and produced by Junaid Ahmed and Helena Spring, the team behind the critically acclaimed film Hard To Get.
Keeping Up with The Kandasamy’s will be filmed during September this year and is slated for an April 2016 cinema release.
Excitement is set to hit the Chatsworth Youth Centre as auditions get underway for this new movie. If you’re keen, please send an email to:
keepingupthemovie@gmail.com or call Indhrannie on 031 4096423 (office hours only) to book your audition slot. You will be given a complete character bible and the necessary requirements, including the scenes you would have to prepare for the audition.
Date: 9 and 10 May
Venue: Chatsworth Youth Centre
The following characters are to be auditioned:
Characters:
JENNIFER Kandasamy – Female, around 45 years old. Smart, well-spoken and a real snob. Slim and graceful.
SHANTHI Naidoo – Female, around 45 years old. Chubby, exuberant and a classic people pleaser. Short in stature.
JODI Kandasamy- Female, must pass for 19 years old. First year at University. Beautiful, intelligent, confident and fun loving.
PRANESH Naidoo - Male, 21 years old. Debonair and charming. Third year medical school. Mr Nice Guy.
MARLIN- Male, 23 years old. Flamboyant wedding planner - a real drama queen.
AYA- Female, over 65 years old. Witty and very funny. ‘Inflicted’ with all kinds of ailments.
PREGGIE- Male, 48 years old. Loving husband and loyal friend. Most comfortable in his township.
Auditions will also take place later in May at other various in Durban and Johannesburg- dates to be announced in early May.
AVT applications open for free opera development
The Africa Voices Trust officially opens applications for a free development programme in Opera - Leadership through Music and Performance Excellence.
The Africa Voices Trust is a non-profit organisation that supports the development of highly talented young musicians. Through the Africa Voices Programme, the Trust identifies and educates future stars across all musical genres, providing them with the vital skills they need in order to create financially sustainable and meaningful careers. This intensive programme is designed to fast track and elevate local talent to international standards by providing practical experience and high-level mentorship opportunities.
Selected musicians are guided through a ten month process in mastering their chosen fields both as a performer and industry professional. The goal of the programme is not just to teach participants valuable skills; but to identify and nurture leadership potential, to support their entrepreneurial spirit and to actively inspire and empower them to take responsibility for their role as future standard bearers in the growth of the South African Music Industry. Successful participants work in the largest and best-equipped studios in the country and receive coaching and support from sound engineers, mixing engineers, programmers, producers, managers, arrangers, entertainment lawyers, agents and other industry professionals.
Africa Voices actively nurtures youth entrepreneurship and emphasises the importance of their participants becoming future leaders and socially-responsible mentors within their communities for the duration of their careers. The Africa Voices Trust presents a unique opportunity in developing engaged leadership through the powerful medium of music.
The 2015 Programme is dedicated to Opera due to the demand identified in this genre, and is aimed at building upon the knowledge and experience already gained by dedicated up and coming artists in this field. The Africa Voices Programme is a “master class” which empowers talented local artists and will be valuable to both individuals who have gained experiential skills, as well as individuals who have pursued academic studies in Opera.
Opera is a live performance based genre, and so the programme will be focussed on refining live performance skills as well as training participants to function as effective, professional artists in this often high stress and audition-based world. The genre requires of artists to be able to work in many different environments, and so participants need to be prepared for a very intense and demanding programme - designed to prepare them to work anywhere in the world, under the most challenging career conditions possible.
Selected participants of the 2015 programme will all be considered for the Caroli Singing Award, an exciting new initiative launched through an affiliation with the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich. The award consists of the opportunity to travel to Germany for 10 days in order to experience the inner workings of an internationally acclaimed opera house and have the opportunity to audition for the Young Artist Programme of the Bayerische Staatsoper.
The programme is seeking recommendations of potential participants that come highly recommended by respected individuals and entities within the creative industry. The Africa Voices Trust invites you to recommend individuals that you feel are showing great promise - vocalists you believe in and who have the potential to develop into a standard-bearer as an artist with the right guidance and support.
There is no academic requirement to gain entry to the programme – unlike many other professions, musical talent and potential are not effectively determined by academic accomplishment alone. However successful vocalists must display remarkable musical talent, execution, charisma and ambition distinguishing them from hundreds of applicants. Selection is not only based on musical talent - Africa Voices candidates must display creative energy, a drive to succeed and the courage to hold themselves to the highest standards.
The Africa Voices Programmes are currently held in Cape Town. Applications are open to individuals from across the country, however individuals not living in the Mother City would need to be prepared to travel to or relocate to Cape Town for the duration of the programme.
Participation in the programme itself is at no cost to successful applicants as funds for these expenses are raised by the Africa Voices Trust.
The Africa Voices team is determined to make a real difference in the industry and facilitate a significant impact on the lives and careers of the participants that fall under their care. They commit to building a legacy of excellence and integrity.
The programme will consist of 8 to 12 young lead singers.
All voice types are welcome.
Prospective candidates will need to be formally nominated by either a music professional or an educational or other music institution by means of submitting a recommendation form. Initial selection is made from all received recommendation forms, upon which selected artists will be contacted to submit a participant application form as well as a motivational essay. Once all participant applications have been reviewed, a shortlist of prospective candidates will be required to attend a live audition and interview in front of an independent panel of judges.
Please refer to the online recommendation form here: https://africavoicestrust.typeform.com/to/CAn4hC
The closing date for recommendations is 29 May 2015.
Should you prefer that the recommendation forms be sent to your e-mail address, please request for us to do so at info@africavoices.co.za
For any further queries, please contact the Africa Voices Trust Director:
Jessica Schnehage
021 786 4451
jessica@africavoices.co.za
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