“Every breath of fresh air we take, every mouthful of food that we take, comes from the natural world. And if we damage the natural world, we damage ourselves”
– David Attenborough
As global warming becomes increasingly evident the need for responsible action, education and advocacy for the environment becomes more essential. The Centre for Creative Arts, in collaboration with the Goethe Institute, is excited to announce the upcoming Science Film Festival with a compelling selection of short films centred on the urgent themes of science and nature conservation. Events will be hosted at various art centres, museums, and tertiary institutions throughout Durban.
“We are thrilled to present the Science Film Festival, alongside our already well-established festivals such as the recent Durban International Film Festival, JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Festival and the Time of the Writer Festival. With the Science Film Festival, we want to engage audiences with captivating narratives and ground-breaking scientific themes about the environment”, says Ismail Mahomed, the Director of the Centre for Creative Arts.
The Science Film Festival will showcase short film packages addressing the pressing challenges of global warming and environmental degradation. These packages include films from 8 countries around the world including South Africa.
Short film package 1 includes Inga Tree Model (Honduras), Stephan Harding - Rewild (South Africa), The Currency - Sensing 1 Agbogblsohie (Germany), and Ethiopia: Daily Fight for Recycling (Switzerland).
Package 2 includes Beyond Eureka World - Sustainable Fashion (Colombia), How Bicycle Tires and Inner Tubes are Made: The Path of a Schwalbe Tyre (Germany), and plan B: Treasure Hunt in Scrap – Avoiding and Recycling Electronic Waste (Germany).
Package 3 includes The Heat of Change (Nigeria), Drops of Dew (Italy), and How Bicycle Tires and Inner Tubes are Made: The Path of a Schwalbe Tyre (Germany).
Package 4 has the following films Astronomy Gastronomy (France), and Greenwashing: The Climate Killer (France).
“Through storytelling, we hope to ignite a sense of responsibility and urgency in our audience regarding the environmental challenges we face globally. By highlighting both scientific and traditional conservation methods, these films aim to raise awareness and inspire activism around critical environmental and social justice issues”, says Owethu Dlamini, the Media & Communications Emerging Arts Manager at the Centre for Creative Arts.
The festival will offer diverse perspectives on conservation efforts, sparking important conversations about protecting the planet. Attendees will also have the opportunity to participate in discussions and workshops that foster creative thinking and practical solutions for environmental activism.
“I am very excited to be part of this event. The Science Film Festival will offer a unique experience to the Durban community and nature conservationists. This festival will create a melting pot of ideas and a platform for people to discuss crucial challenges facing our planet, which are also posing serious threats to social and food security. I have no doubt that this event will not only bring people together but will also revive the spirit of activism in our society. I am particularly looking forward to the event, especially the community visits to various organizations.”, says film festival curator Sakhile Gumede.
The Science Film Festival will take place from the 14th to the 18th of October 2024 with an Official Opening at the Howard College Theatre. The Closing Night will be at the Alliance Française featuring a celebration of the festival's highlights with more discussions and exhibitions. Admission to the festival is free. For a detailed schedule of screenings and events, please visit https://cca.ukzn.ac.za/
About the Centre for Creative Arts:
The Centre for the Creative Arts (CCA) is an interdisciplinary hub in the School of the Arts in the College of Humanities at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The Centre plays host to seven festivals, which over many years have built a strong international profile for artistic excellence and for how the arts are engaged to advance social change and to strengthen South Africa’s constitutional democracy.
About the Goethe Institute:
The Goethe-Institut is the cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany with a global reach. We promote knowledge of the German language abroad and foster international cultural cooperation. We convey a comprehensive picture of Germany by providing information on Germany's cultural, social and political life. The Goethe-Instituts activities in this region have a special focus on strengthening the pan-African dialogue, and on promoting mobile access to information and education.