The ninth T&T Film Festival concludes tomorrow. Guardian columnist BC Pires served on the first TTFF jury in 2009 and wrote the jury's report. BC will pick a Film of the Day for every day of the festival.
Non-linear, essentially visual or special-interest films not intended for the Vin Diesel crowd will be designated as "art films." Films may be chosen ahead of other, perhaps "better," films if the director (or other filmmaker) is present for a Q&A session after the screening.
Today's choice is: Of Good Report (Jahmil XT Qubeka/2013/South Africa/Crime-Drama-Film Noir-Psychological Thriller/101 mins/English & Xhosa with English subtitles/Black & White/For ages 18+) 8.30 pm MovieTowne Port-of-Spain.
Jahmil XT Qubeka's second feature film was set to open the Durban Film Festival a year ago (July 2013) but, instead of raising the curtain, it had the censors' axe dropped on it: on the day of the screening, the film was formally banned for its depiction of underage sex, which the censors called "child pornography"–a clear indication they'd missed the point of a sustained polemic against exactly the attitudes that allow young women to be exploited sexually (and a movie as powerful as this to be banned on the opening night of the country's biggest international film festival).
Yes, there are unpleasant moments, all the more upsetting for being shot in monochrome, but even those are superbly realised. There is almost too much to admire in Of Good Report's 101-minute runtime: the brilliance of underlining the disapproval of the male lead character by not giving him a single spoken line; the ultra-real performances; the genius cinematography that, eg, makes a hole-ridden galvanise annexe look glamorous; the teeth in the opening scene–and the standing ovation late payoff explanation of the grin they prompt from the protagonist; the non-linear storytelling; and a closing frame worthy of Truffaut or Kurosawa; it would take South African censors to ban a masterpiece like this.
On top of all else, the "child" who was the subject of the supposed pornography happened to be aged 23 at the time of shooting. A very strong contender for the best film of this year's festival.
Best of the rest: *Omar, 6 pm MovieTowne PoS.
Films start promptly at advertised times.
* Starred films have been or will be picked as daily selections
�2 Guardian Media Ltd is an official partner of the T&T Film Festival.
Today's line-up at the Film Festival
MovieTowne Port-of-Spain
10.30 am
Entre Deux: Nadia Charlery, 2013, Martinique/Narrative Short/8 mins/ /PG13
Creole Soup: Karine Gama, 2013, Guadeloupe/Narrative Short/15 mins/French, English subtitles/GA
Project 40: Nadia Charlery, Maharaki, Teddy Albert, Khris Burton,Christian Foret, Olivier Ozier Lafontaine, Patrice Le Namouric, Vianney Sot�s, 2014, Martinique/ Medium-length narrative/35 mins/ French, English subtitles/PG13
1 pm
Cutass by Cutlass: 3Canal Making a Statement: Jacquie Thompson, 2014, T&T/Medium-length documentary/30 mins/English/GA
Tania Kross: I Want it All: Barbara Makkinga, 2014, Netherlands,Cura�ao/Medium-length documentary/56 mins/Dutch, Papiamentu, Eng
3.30 pm
Noka: Keeper of Worlds: Shaun Escayg, 2014, T&T, USA/Narrative Short/23 mins/English/16+
Wake: Jos� Mar�a Cabral, 2013, Dominican Republic/Narrative/80 mins/Spanish, English subtitle16+
6 pm
Siddharth: Richie Mehta, 2013, Canada, India/Narrative feature/96 mins/Hindi, English subtitles/PG
8.30 pm
Be a Good Liar, Jackie Chang: Adolfo Mena Cejas, Grethel Castillo, 2014, Cuba/Narrative Short/12 mins/No Dialogue/16+
Of Good Report: Jahmil XT Qubeka, 2013, South Africa/Narrative feature/109 mins/Xosa, Sotho, English, English subtitles/18+
The Little Carib Theatre, Woodbrook
5.30 pm
Lincoln: Dion Samsoondar, 2014, T&T/Documentary Short/17 mins/English/GA
Concerning Violence: G�ran Hugo Olsson, 2014, Sweden, USA, Denmark, Finland/Documentary feature/84 mins/ English, Swedish, French, Portuguese, English subtitles/16+
8 pm
The Lunchbox: Ritesh Batra, 2013, India/Narrative feature/104 mins/Hindi, English, English subtitles/PG
MovieTowne Tobago
11 am
200 Cartas: Bruno Irizarry, 2013, Puerto Rico/Narrative/98 mins/English, Spanish, English subtitles/GA
5.30 pm
The Seawall: Mason Richards, 2010, Guyana,USA/Narrative Short/9 mins/ English/GA
Rebecca's Story: Kwesi Archer,Haresh Bhagwan and Teriq Mohammed, 2013, Guyana/Narrative Short/13 mins/English/GA
A Boy's Choice: Juliette McCawley, 2014, T&T/Narrative Short/13 mins/English/GA
Bike Tales: Jaselle Martino, 2013, Canada,T&T/Narrative Short/14 mins/English/GA
The Cast: Shea Best, 2014, DR,T&T/Narrative Short/15 mins/ Spanish, English subtitles/GA
Kasita: Gabri Christa, 2014, Dutch Antilles/Narrative Short/22 mins/Papiamentu, English subtitles/GA
8 pm
Glass Bottom Boat: Kyle Walcott, 2014, T&T / Documentary Short/15 mins/English/GA
Cows Wearing Glasses: Alex Santiago P�rez, 2014, Puerto Rico/Narrative/93 mins/Spanish, English subtitles/PG
Medulla Art Gallery, Woodbrook
12 pm to 6 pm
New Media Exhibition