The annual Out in Africa (OIA) film festival in its 18th outing, is set to be held both in Johannesburg and Cape Town from 21-30 October 2011.

The screenings will be at Nu Metro Hyde Park in Johannesburg and Nu Metro V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.

With this year’s festival divided into three, the October edition will be the last offering for this year.

OIA urged the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex community to attend this edition, adding, “Sure you can get the DVDs and stay at home, but that feels like a return to the closet. Come, be visible, and play with us at the Festival.”  

The October festival edition offers a range of feature films with Howl being the opening night film. Howl is directed by filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, who have two Oscars, three Peabodies and multiple Emmy Awards between them.

Organisers, OIA further said, “Gay and lesbian films are a constant reminder of the rights we enjoy here, but rights can be taken away. The Protection of Information Bill and the Media Tribunal are still lurking in the wings. So, in honour of the late Kader Asmal, a great supporter of LGBTI rights, do as he asked when he opened the Festival in 2008 and be that ‘articulate, occasionally rude and impertinent’ citizen and stand up for our rights and the rights of others.”

The Out in Africa South African Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (OIA) was launched in 1994 to celebrate the inclusion, in the South Africa Constitution, of the clause prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.

OIA promotional literature states, “The Festival set out to address the lack of visibility of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex individuals (LGBTIs) in South African social and cultural life after decades of apartheid repression, to counter negative images of LGBTIs that prevail in traditional and religious communities, and to serve as a platform for discussion and debate about the situation of LGBTIs in a newly founded democracy.”

Not just another fun gathering, the purpose of the Festival is to showcase films from around the world, and to stimulate and promote a home-grown film industry.

OIA says that “As a socially conscious movement with a political purpose, OIA must generate images and representations of its own community that promote a sense of belonging and pride – films that explore our particular identity, lifestyles and concerns. OIA has organised five filmmaking workshops producing South African content – 22 short films have screened at over 52 international Film Festivals.”

Ticket prices are as follows: Joburg – Nu Metro, Hyde Park: R47 and in Cape Town – Nu Metro V&A: R45. Booking opens 1 October 2011.Opening nights: R100 – bookings for these only open on 12 October. Concessions available are Clicks, Metropolitan, OAP (R37), and Woza Wednesday for Fanatics R22.

For more info refer to: www.oia.co.za

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 5th, 2011 at 1:11 pm and is filed under Breaking News, Festivals, Gay Clubbing, Human Rights Monitor, South Africa. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.