“District Six Rising from the Dust”, a local documentary set in Cape Town has managed to bag another prestigious award to add to it’s many accolades.
It was recently awarded Best Documentary, at the Beyond the Curve International Film Festival in France.
The documentary is a deeply personal story, which examines the microcosm within the macrocosm and the legacy of intergenerational pain of the people that were forcibly removed from District Six.
It unpacks the art, history and social landscape of Cape Town’s most remembered district, and takes a personal look at dispossession and restitution, and the legacy of intergenerational loss within the context of South Africa’s current restitution process.
Filmmakers, Weaam Williams and Nafia Kocks completed “District Six Rising from the Dust” towards the end of 2019.
“I decided to submit the final film to international film festivals during the 2020 lockdown period. It was a quiet time, and gave me an opportunity to reflect on the body of work already created by Tribal Alchemy Productions.
The documentary since has been selected to participate in festivals and competitions in India, Turkey, Italy, the US, Australia and France. All of these festivals reached out to me on social media and provided me with considerable fee waivers,” said Williams.
“District Six Rising from the Dust” also won at the Florence Film Award for Best Original Story in 2021; at the Nordic Aurora Award of Excellence, and had a jury special mention as Best SA Documentary at the Cape Town International Film Festival.
The trajectory of “District Six Rising from the Dust”, on the international circuit, has also stirred local interest.
“I am very happy that the film will screen on the Beyond the Curve International Film Festival global streaming platform for free for a period of five days, which means South Africans will be able to watch it,” she said, adding that it’s not just a film about the past, but rather a film for the future of District Six.
The film will stream live from June 25 to 30.