Spotlight on filmmakers and the TV industry at 12th kykNET Silwerskerm Festival
For more than a decade now, the Silwerskerm Festival is regarded as one of the most respected development projects in the local film industry, and this year kykNET will build further on this strong foundation.
“We believe in the future of Afrikaans film and television, in the importance of a wide variety of voices, and in the power of stories to change people’s lives.” These are the thoughts of Waldimar Pelser, director of M-Net Premium Channels, on the 12th kykNET Silwerskerm Festival, held from 28 to 31 August this year at the Bay Hotel and Theatre on the Bay in Camps Bay.
“The kykNET Silwerskerm Festival aims to do everything possible to discover new storytellers, put talent in the spotlight, and to provide the industry with a space where people can talk, show and come together, with Afrikaans as the glue that binds us,” he says.
One of the festival’s key elements is the already successful short film mentorship project that enables kykNET to provide a springboard for launching a new generation of filmmakers’ careers.
In 2023 the project expanded to include documentaries, and this year the exciting shotgun short film initiative will feature prominently. The shotgun shorts concept was launched last year when established filmmakers were invited to submit proposals for professional short films, and in August these films will be introduced at the festival.
Besides the six shotgun short films, six feature films, eight short films (by emerging movie makers) and five short documentaries will debut this year.
The inclusion of pilot episodes of brand-new series on television and streaming services, proved to be a hit last year, and this year festival goers can again look forward to exclusive previews.
As in the past, kykNET will bring several experts to the festival to present informative workshops, panel discussions and masterclasses. Among the topics to be discussed are intimacy management on film sets, the process of adapting books for the silver screen, and all the ins and outs of coproductions.
KykNET will conclude the festival with a glitzy Silwerskerm award ceremony for Film and TV, to honour the best films on the festival as well as top television work. This glamorous event will be held on Saturday 31 August at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), where the coveted Silwerskerm trophies will be handed out to achievers at the film festival and in television over the last year.
During the awards ceremony, kykNET’s iconic blue carpet will be rolled out to welcome the biggest stars, and top musicians will be on stage. The event will be broadcast the next evening, Sunday 1 September, on kykNET (DStv channel 144).
This year kykNET will be able to welcome more members of the public at the festival, and tickets can be purchased from 26 June through Quicket. The 12th kykNET Silwerskerm Festival is sponsored by City of Cape Town and OpenServe.
More about Silwerskerm festival movies
After the festival, all the Silwerskerm films will find their way to screenings on kykNET, and later they will be available on Showmax.
For the complete Silwerskerm Festival programme, visit the festival’s website: www.silwerskermfees.co.za
