SA film ‘Stam’ chosen to compete at Tofifest International Film Festival

The South African film Stam (The Tree) was recently selected to compete in the 18th annual Tofifest International Film Festival which will be held in Toruń, Poland.

About Stam

Stam, the new film written and directed by Louw Venter, and produced by the team behind the multi award-winning films Inxeba (The Wound, 2017) and This is not a Burial, also scooped the award for Best South African Film at the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) earlier this year.

It tells the story of five vastly different characters over the course of a few hours in Cape Town and explores a range of connections and relationships that go far beyond familiarity, economics, gender, race or social standing.

It is said that the film won over the jurors with its authentic glimpse into the lives of people living on the fringes of society.

“As an outsider, I felt Stam shows the South African social texture in a very special and intriguing way, depicting the various strata of the population living side by side, making it seem like it could not be otherwise,” said juror Or Lee Tal from Israel.

A global cinematic conversation

“We are so excited to have won this prestigious award,” director Louw Venter later said. “This year’s programme was vibrant and diverse and it is a true honour for Stam to have been recognised in this way. It is particularly significant that an Afrikaans language film can compete in a festival that is truly representative and independent. We are deeply honoured to be included in the global cinematic conversation. We are grateful to the organiser, the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for Creative Arts, and to all the organisations and partners who worked so hard to put DIFF together in these strange and difficult times.”

Now the film will head over to compete at the Tofifest International Film which set to take place from Saturday, 17 October until Sunday, 25 October. According to IOL, festival director Kafka Jaworska singled out the film as one of the eleven hottest productions from among over a thousand submissions to compete for the main prize of the festival.

Tofifest will be different this year as the qualifying films will not only be available to viewers visiting Toruń in person, but also to those opting to watch them online.

People from all over the world are invited to participate in Q&As with the filmmakers, which will follow the screening of the films.

Where to watch Stam

The film was released in South Africa on Friday, 2 October and is currently available on DStv’s BoxOffice.