Girl, Taken picks up Best South African Documentary Award at the Durban International Film Festival
Posted: 2nd August 2022
Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland is delighted to congratulate co-directors Francois Verster and Simon Wood and the creative team behind Girl, Taken on picking up the Best South African Documentary award at the Durban International Film Festival.
A South African and Irish co-production, Girl, Taken tells the story of Celeste and Morne Nurse, whose baby daughter Zephany was stolen from the hospital only a few days after her birth in Cape Town. For 17 years, the devastated couple searched for their lost child, until Cassidy, their second daughter, enrolled in a new school and was led to realise her striking resemblance to an older pupil. DNA samples confirmed that the older student was Zephany, to the overwhelming joy of the Nurses. However, the arrest and trial of the woman Zephany once knew as her loving mother made what should have been a heartwarming reunion much more complicated. Through the exploration of two broken families, the true crime documentary explores complicated notions of identity and forgiveness.
The Durban International Film Festival is South Africa's longest-running film festival. Presented by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of Kwazulu-Natal, the festival proactively promotes the development of the African film industry. The programme is a global showcase that centres on films from the continent, those made by Africans in the diaspora and of African descent. The 2022 edition of the festival was presented as a virtual edition with a small selection of live screenings. This year's curatorial theme was 'Adaptation', challenging filmmakers to introduce audiences to fresh perspectives on topics such as migration, climate adjustment, social isolation, hybrid integration, and films that explore other ways in which humanity is expanding. More information about the festival can be found on their website.
Girl, Taken premiered at the Encounters South African International Documentary Festival and screened for the first time in Ireland earlier this year at the Galway Film Fleadh. It is produced by David Rane for Soilsiú Films. Executive Producers are Lesley McKimm for Screen Ireland, Jonathan Ford for Abacus Media Rights, and Guy Davies for Paramount+. Francois Verster also produces, and directs the film alongside Simon Wood. The film was ordered by Guy Davies, VP Commissioning Editor for Paramount+ from Abacus Media Rights, who also will handle global sales.