The South African children’s film “Silas en die ysbeer op Tafelberg”, which opened in cinemas nationwide on 18 September, will shortly thereafter take Table Mountain – and a piece of South Africa’s storytelling heritage – to Germany.
The film has been selected for the 31st SCHLiNGEL International Film Festival, taking place from 2 to 10 October in Chemnitz, Germany. SCHLiNGEL is one of Europe’s established platforms for international children’s and youth cinema, screening films from around the world each year.
The international selection follows closely on the film’s success at the recent Silwerskerm Festival, where “Silas en die ysbeer op Tafelberg” won four awards. SCHLiNGEL also has a special history for South African filmmakers.
Hanneke Schutte’s “Meerkat Maantuig” competed at the festival in 2018 and won two significant awards: the SLM Top Award and the FIPRESCI Prize, awarded by international film critics.
Director and co-writer of “Silas en die ysbeer op Tafelberg”, Zandré Coetzer of Nagvlug Films, said that the selection once again affirms something they believe very strongly at the production company, that uniquely South African – and Afrikaans – stories can be universal.
“We deliberately made a very specific South African film. It takes place on and beneath Table Mountain, it draws from the stories we grew up with, and it is in Afrikaans. Now children on the other side of the world will get to step into Dreamland alongside Silas.
“There is something incredibly special about taking Table Mountain out into the world with us in this way,” Coetzer said.
“Silas en die ysbeer op Tafelberg” weaves a contemporary children’s story together with Cape folklore and familiar figures, transforming Table Mountain into the gateway to the fantasy world of Dreamland.
The film was produced locally and uses practical puppetry, prosthetics and handcrafted puppets to bring this world to life. According to Coetzer, the international selection forms part of a larger conversation about the future of the South African film industry.
“We don’t believe we need to make our stories less South African in order to make them more international. In fact, we believe the opposite. The more distinctive and specific a story is, the more it has something new to offer the world,” she said.
The SCHLiNGEL selection comes amid a particularly exciting international period for Nagvlug Films. “My f*k, Marelize!” begins its theatrical run in New Zealand on 25 September, while Nico Scheepers’ “Hen” will screen at the world-renowned Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival in Spain in October.
“Hen” was also awarded the top prize at the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival in Switzerland in July.
Three very different South African films appearing on international platforms within the space of just a few weeks – from commercial cinemas in New Zealand to film festivals in Germany and Spain – form part of Nagvlug’s broader strategy to build new audiences and markets for local stories.
“For us, it isn’t simply about getting a South African film into an international festival,” said Coetzer. “We want to help prove that a sustainable export model for South African films can exist. If we want our local film industry to grow and continue to exist, we also need to find audiences and revenue beyond our own borders – without making our stories any less South African.”
Mario Dos Santos of Filmfinity, said: “For ‘Silas en die ysbeer op Tafelberg’ to be selected for the SCHLiNGEL International Film Festival is an enormous honour and wonderful recognition of the quality, heart and soul of this South African production.
“We are incredibly proud to see local stories being shared with international audiences and for ‘Silas en die ysbeer op Tafelberg’ to receive the global platform it deserves.”
For Coetzer, the idea behind the film’s international journey is ultimately a simple one: “We’re taking Table Mountain with us to Germany. But we hope we’re taking something bigger with us too: proof that there is a place in the world for stories born here, told in our languages and unapologetically our own.”
"Silas en die ysbeer op Tafelberg" is currently showing in cinemas and is distributed by FilmFinity.