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Anant Singh responds to open letter

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Anant Singh. Picture: File
Anant Singh. Picture: File

The drama around the curatorial independence of the acclaimed Durban International Film Festival continues. 

Two weeks ago City Press reported on several resignations at the festival, including that of manager Sarah Dawson, because the selection panel was overruled on its choice of opening night film.

Film producer Anant Singh questioned why his big-budget apartheid-era death-penalty drama Shepherds and Butchers was overlooked for the prestigious slot.

The festival is owned by the University of Kwazulu-Natal and he copied the university's deputy vice-chancellor humanities, Professor Cheryl Potgieter, into the mail. Potgieter allegedly then overruled Dawson and told Singh that the film would in fact open the festival.

Dawson resigned, as did other staff members, and later posted an open letter on Facebook, angered by his claims that she had censored him. She stressed that Shepherds and Butchers would receive a gala screening and denied rumours that a film on Nkandla was her choice to open the festival – no such film existed.

She didn’t mince her words, saying that the integrity of the 37-year-old festival was at stake.

Writing from the Cannes Film Festival, Singh has now responded to Dawson in a letter of his own and provided his correspondence with Dawson over the matter.

The full letter is below, in which Singh insists that he did not interfere with the festival’s selection process.

Dawson was not available for comment. 

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