Local films, 'Don't Give Up' and 'Black Women and Sex' win prestigious international awards

South African film "Don’t Give Up" has received international recognition at the prestigious 64th Monte-Carlo Television Festival. 

"Don’t Give Up" which is produced by Anant Singh and directed by Darrell James Roodt, recently screened at the popular festival. It went on to win Best Creation in the Fiction category at the coveted Golden Nymph Awards. 

"Don’t Give Up" stars legendary Mzansi actress, Leleti Khumalo, who plays Faith, a single mother struggling to provide for her two young sons, Lucky and Siyabonga.

She begs for money from disinterested commuters on her corner and lives in an abandoned car in an alleyway of central Johannesburg.

She tries to increase her takings with a sign, but has to beg for the cardboard for the sign from antagonistic newsvendors. She cannot write so has to find someone to write the sign for her, which takes her into the dangerous area of Hillbrow.

"We are thrilled that 'Don't Give Up' was selected by the Monte-Carlo Television Festival. This is an exceptional honour as the festival is among the most prestigious in the world. 'Don't Give Up' is a unique film that was 15 years in the making and used the technique of classic silent films with no dialogue," shared Singh.

He added: "The film confronts the serious social issues of poverty and homelessness that affects people around the world, whose challenges and tribulations are never heard."

The festival culminated with the awards ceremony on Tuesday, June 17.

Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco where in attendance. 

Other award winners included Sweden’s “Vanguard”, which took home the Best Series prize, while Germany's "On A Day In September" won Best Film. 

The Jury Special Prize went to Australia's "Good Cop/Bad Cop".

South Africa's winning streak did not stop there.

Local filmmaker Godisamang Khunou’s documentary, "Black Women and Sex", won the Best Documentary Feature at the American Black Film Festival (ABFF) which took place from June 11 to 15, in Miami Beach, Florida.

Founded in 1997, the ABFF is dedicated to showcasing film and television content by and about people of African descent.

"Black Women and Sex" follows three women; Zambian media personality Iris Kaingu who was incarnated after her sex tape was leaked, South African gender equality activist and transwoman Glow Makatsi and Nigerian chef Olawumi Oloye.

In an online interview, Khunou said the documentary took about six years to make. 

"In the process I was winning a lot of awards too for development, and I worried that the film wouldn’t live up to the hype in the making of it, so it was very validating that I delivered what I had promised in those years when it won as a complete project at ABFF,” she said.

"Black Women and Sex" will also showcase at the National Arts Festival's Fringe Programme later this month.