Reigniting Reconciliation Dialogue in Durban

Global Arts Corps is just coming off an exhilarating week in Durban, South Africa, where our documentary film, A Snake Gives Birth to a Snake, had its world premiere at the Durban International Film Festival. We were honored by CNN’s selection as one of the “9 Must See” films at the festival and our nomination by local South African students as one of the top “5 African Films” at DIFF. This year’s festival marked the milestone of twenty years of Nelson Mandela’s presidency and the dawn of democracy in South Africa.

Following the two screenings of A Snake Gives Birth to a Snake, we received an outpouring of support as well as overwhelmingly positive responses to the film. In addition to the two festival screenings, we held a post-film Q&A and an informal discussion, ‘Unmasking Reconciliation‘ facilitated by Mary Papayya (media leader / Secretary-General of SA National Editors Forum) and joined by distinguished panel participants – Dr. Alex Boraine (Vice Chair, Truth and Reconciliation Commission), Max Du Preez (writer, journalist, filmmaker), Vasu Gounden (founder and executive director of ACCORD), Thembi Mtshali-Jones (stage, television, film actress), Ela Gandhi (Gandhi Development Trust/Archivist) and Albie Sachs (activist/former judge on the constitutional court of South Africa).

It was invigorating to see a conversation around reconciliation reignited in the events after the film screenings. As Dr. Alex Boraine put it in our ‘Unmasking Reconciliation’ discussion,

“It’s very difficult to take a public stance for reconciliation when we have so many reminders of corruption in our country today… [reconciliation] is part of justice and if it is not part of justice then frankly it’s not truly reconciliation.”

Estelle Sinkins, a South African critic, echoed similar sentiments in her review of the film,

“Watching A Snake Gives Birth to a Snake, I was struck anew by just how remarkable the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings were. […] A Snake Gives Birth to a Snake is an extraordinary film, which left a deep impression on me. It deserves to be seen by as many people as possible.”

We are very grateful for the warm reception of the film in South Africa, and we look forward to more screenings in cities, festivals, community centers, and schools around the globe.

To read more articles published about the premiere of the film, please visit the press page of the film website.