You can now binge-watch all 20 short films that were made for this year’s Silver Screen Festival, because they are first and exclusively available on Showmax. From fantasy and criminal dramas to comedy – the diverse films of this year’s collection show that the future of the Afrikaans film industry looks promising.

Since the first festival in 2011, the short-film industry has introduced a treasure chest of new talent to the Afrikaans film industry, among others Christiaan Olwagen (Johnnie is nie dood nie), Rene van Rooyen (Mooirivier) and Corné van Rooyen (Vaselinetjie, Hollywood in my huis). Some of the earlier short films have been adapted to full-length films (Vuil wasgoed, Nommer 37) and even a TV series (Buurtwag).

Filmmakers enter for the competition by submitting a one-page concept, which is then evaluated anonymously. This year saw 258 entries, of which 31 films were invited to participate in the script workshop. Eventually, 21 of these were developed into short films under the mentorship of people the likes of Brett Michael Innes, Etienne Fourie, Johan Kruger, Josh and Luke Rous, and Jozua Malherbe.

Highlights include:

Soldaat
Best 24-minute short film and script (Amy Jephta)

One day during the school holidays, two young boys overhear a conversation between policeman and a drug dealer. They are abducted and become the drug dealer’s pawns. On the same day, a secretive policeman with an agenda of his own starts his first day at the new job. As the day unfolds, the two stories merge and collide, while lives are changed irrevocably.

Vossie vergas homself
Best actress: June van Merch

Vossie is ready to end his own life, but an eccentric jogger, Antie, has other plans. June van Merch (Die boekklub, Binnelanders) is hysterically funny in the most humoristic short film on suicide that you’ve ever seen.

Slaaf
Best actor: Carel Nel

Carel Nel (Hum) won the award as best actor for the second consecutive year for his role as a man who is torn apart by his two great loves (who have much in common): heroin and his heroine.

Die maan val bewusteloos
Best director of a 24-minute short film: Nico Scheepers

Mia wants to know where she comes from. All she knows are the fairy tales that her grandparents tell her, but what happened to the rest of her family?

Langsaan
Best director of a 12-minute shortfilm: Harold Holscher

She lives in her own imaginary world while her parents work for a better future. Although a silent dream lives deep within her, a child can lose her dream on her own front porch. Watch out for a slimy cameo by Marcel van Heerden (Suidooster) that should come with a #metoo trigger warning.

Skoon
Best editing: Johan Prinsloo
Louis, a young mouth hygienist, cleans more than he should, and always in three steps.

Last year’s winners – Matthys Boshoff’s love-story Vlees van my vlees and Willem Grobler’s se paranoia-creating Hum – is also on Showmax.

Watch the combined short film trailer here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P8QqT47ov0

About Showmax

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