A young Cape Town film director Dan
Mace, 26, has won two Silver Screens in the Young Directors Award at Cannes
Film Festival in France, beating more than 400 contenders and becoming the only
African to win an award.Mace entered his documentary on rats detecting
landmines in Mozambique, Mine Detection Rats and Gift, a short film about an
impoverished boy who dances to the sound of his fears to alter his perception
of his surroundings.He said he was among the three
filmmakers from Africa who made the shortlist – where “I went on to win two
silvers – the only African to win an award”.Mine Detection Rats won in the
Changing the world Frame by Frame category while Gift won in the Best Short
Film category.
Mace said his films stood out because
they are unique.
Armed with his camera, Mace went to
Mozambique in October 2015 to do a documentary on how authorities are using
rats to detect buried land mines.“Rats are saving lives in Mozambique.
I was overwhelmed with inspiration from this story so it was a special one for
me to direct,” he said.He said judges could not resist the impact the
documentary had on people’s lives. “The Rats film is a really authentic look at
how rats are changing the world metre by square metre. The story is really
touching and therefore I think the judges chose it for the award as it is truly
moving and touches people.”
Set in Khayelitsha, Gift is about
showcasing the positives of altering perception.As for the Gift he said: “This isn’t
your standard talking heads film but rather poetic. The film is written in the
style of a poem because I wanted to make all the mediums within the story
seamless and flowing from the cinematography and the match cuts to the music – everything
is organic. Therefore a rhythmic poem for me was a beautiful way to link the
aesthetic and the dialogue together so that this fictional ‘fairy tale’ came to
light in the most believable way.”Mace said it was a great feeling to be
acknowledged. “When I saw the first films played the standard was so high. I
didn’t know if mine would be selected. I am just super stoked I won two silvers
at Cannes.“It’s definitely given me a lot of drive and raised the bar since I
returned from Cannes speaking to all the other YDA award winners to see their
drive and focus so I’m keen to get going with my next project,” he said.
0 comentários:
Post a Comment