Reel to Reality Film Festival 2023 Opening Night
As we approached the 3rd year of our festival, we reflected upon the immense support and success we’ve had over the past 2 years. This year marks an important year in our film curation and the expansion of our festival to greater heights, new regions, new voices and cinematic narratives under a theme that truly encapsulated the ethos of our curatorial theme, “Beyond Borders”.
The festival took place in 3 cities this year, showcasing the largest volume of films we’ve curated thus far and the best stories the African diaspora has to offer. For the very first time, the festival spread its wings outside Johannesburg for 2 Pop-up screenings at The Labia Theatre in Cape Town and a Community screening in Umlazi, KZN, and had its official festival in Johannesburg.
Session One
We’re so honoured to announce that Between Sea and Sky was our film festival’s opening film this year. Directed by the multitalented, Alicia Mendy, Between Sea and Sky tells the tale of a teenage girl who takes refuge in her basement after another dispute with her father. In search of tranquillity, she comes across a concierge who never stops talking to her. After having tried several times to get rid of him, she ends up listening to him and he launches into tales with fantastic turns.
Between Sea and Sky Directed by Alicia Mendy
The film encompasses layered African diasporic themes related to identity, spirituality, space and what forces of nature mean to the central character. The film kicked off our festival on the 31st of March, with Session 1 and was followed by a panel discussion titled “Reflections on African Cinema: The Past, present and Future”.
This was followed by Session 2, featuring a curated selection of African diasporic films.
About The Director ALICIA MENDY
Alicia Mendy is a third-year Bachelor of Cinema student at the HEAD – Genève (Geneva, Switzerland) in Option Direction. After starting a Bachelor of Sociology, she reorients her studies towards her lifelong passion: cinema. She is interested in a cinema that represents and values the African and Afro-descendant peoples through the fantastic genre or science fiction. African spiritualities and oral traditions are an essential point in her short films. Several of her previous projects address various issues related to the traditions and history of the continent focusing on West Africa, particularly Senegal and Guinea-Bissau. She also composes her own music from films, ranging from classical to electro to afro rhythms.
Session Two
To Be Seen Directed by Ntokozo Mlambo | South Africa
Tumi, a young girl, cannot see herself when she looks into the mirror. She has struggled with trauma and insecurities from a young age having lost her mother at birth however she must learn that it was no fault of her own. She has also accepted misconceptions of beauty and must redefine her meaning of what beauty is. The film invites you on a journey of self-discovery, self-reflection and healing with Tumi.
Merlich Merlich Directed by Hannil Ghilas | France
In Marseille, a family meets to mourn the loss of the patriarch. Will generation conflicts be stronger than family spirit?
P.A Bitez: Mother Messiah Directed by CCCompasss
P.A. Bitez’s Mother Messiah highlights the neglected divine feminine and is a spiritually driven, philosophical inquiry about the role of women. She calls for viewers to acknowledge the significance of femininity. The poem weaves its inspiration from a series of historically iconic women. The surrealist style of the poem mirrors the abstract and subconscious meanings we project onto the female form which blinds us to the brilliant power of nature and female bodies.
Second Wind Directed by Celestina Aleobua | South Africa
Second Wind is an ode to victims of abuse who are struggling with the mental trauma of what they’ve experienced and are looking for encouragement and strength to fight that battle, outside of their heads. In the story, the main character, Tebogo, experiences sexual abuse in her first year of university, and ever since then, has been mentally tormented; trying to figure out if the abuse did indeed happen, why the abuser has been acting like it didn’t, what he might say if she asked him why he did it, if she spoke up, people would believe her? Would people judge her and more?