Durban — Forty-two years after leaving apartheid South Africa, Cape Town-born helmer and indie film pioneer Michael Oblowitz had a single question for the crowd gathered Sunday night for the opening of the Wavescape Surf Film Festival in Durban: “How’s the surf?”
On a chilly, blustery night, with waves crashing along the Bay of Plenty on the palm-lined stretch of Durban waterfront dubbed the Golden Mile, close to 1,000 movie-goers turned out to unfurl picnic blankets, bundle into their ski parkas, and sip South African pinotage during the African premiere of Oblowitz’s acclaimed surf documentary, “Heavy Water: The Life and Times of Nathan Fletcher.”
The California transplant, who learned the ropes of filmmaking alongside the likes of Jim Jarmusch and Kathryn Bigelow in the gritty, indie New York scene of the 1970s, was a fitting choice to open Wavescape’s 14th edition, running parallel to the Durban Int’l. Film Festival.
On a chilly, blustery night, with waves crashing along the Bay of Plenty on the palm-lined stretch of Durban waterfront dubbed the Golden Mile, close to 1,000 movie-goers turned out to unfurl picnic blankets, bundle into their ski parkas, and sip South African pinotage during the African premiere of Oblowitz’s acclaimed surf documentary, “Heavy Water: The Life and Times of Nathan Fletcher.”
The California transplant, who learned the ropes of filmmaking alongside the likes of Jim Jarmusch and Kathryn Bigelow in the gritty, indie New York scene of the 1970s, was a fitting choice to open Wavescape’s 14th edition, running parallel to the Durban Int’l. Film Festival.
- 7/23/2018
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.