Budding film directors from the world over are offered a global stage to submit their unique short Fashion Films as well as shooting to the brief of 'bespoke' and Mercedes-Benz.
Adrian Lazarus, MD of the festival commented: “I sometimes pinch myself when I think about my initial idea, which was to create a platform to celebrate the innovation and reach of fashion films. The power of this medium and the creative geniuses that I have come across, together with our incredible forward-thinking sponsors, have allowed us to turn this dream into a leading global movement, literally overnight.”
“We are delighted to be the title sponsor of the Mercedes-Benz Bokeh South Africa International Fashion Film Festival for a third successive year,” said Selvin Govender, marketing director, Mercedes-Benz Cars.
“It is exciting and engaging working with Bokeh and its participants, both local and international, as each fashion film is very different; the entrants consistently create appealing cinematography that one hasn’t viewed previously.
“The awards evening will be the highlight of the festival and our Mercedes-Benz award is a firm favourite at the event. We are seeing a greater number of entrants for this particular award with prize money of $10,000. The synergies between car and designs are evident, as can be seen in these particular fashion films. They are very similar, both are sexy, curvaceous and eye-catching, said Govender.
Also participating in the festival for the third year is the Cape Town Fashion Council (CTFC) adding exciting local colour and flavour. The event will run over three days, culminating in an Oscar-style red-carpet awards ceremony on Saturday, 23 April with nominated prizes being celebrated in specific categories that cover all elements of the filmmaking process.
New award categories have also been included this year, including the best Emerging Talent Award, which offers students, start-ups and novices the opportunity to be on an even keel with big budgets, agencies and big brands. There is also the Top Young Designers Fashion Film Award presented by the CTFC. This category features 10 of the top 2015 CTFC graduates. The designers were paired up with young film makers to each make their own fashion film with support and assistance from Bokeh. The winning film will receive R30,000.
Bryan Ramkilawan, CEO of CTFC commented: "It’s been only a few years that fashion brands could afford to produce their own films. To stimulate this and increase local fashion film content, the CTFC is again proud to participate while this year also sponsoring an exciting new talent fashion film competition. Mentoring these young minds will encourage the growth of the Bokeh brand moving forward. Bokeh is more than fashion, it is art."
Included in the evening will be a spotlight on the exceptional work of acclaimed photographer Rankin who will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award for his important contribution to the world of fashion films. Rankin, who forms part of the festival judging panel, is one of the world’s most acclaimed photographers and founder of Hunger Magazine.
The Best Picture Award on the night has been sponsored by Oude Meeste with the winner receiving a Black Magic Camera, lenses and accessories worth over R100,000. We’re excited about our involvement in the worldwide phenomenon of merging fashion and film through the Mercedes-Benz Bokeh South African International Fashion Film Festival. This is a fitting new partnership between our two brands as our brand pillars are fashion and film and we look forward to contributing to the upliftment of creative industries through this,” commented the brand manager of Oude Meeste, Jerome Adonis.
The grand prize on the night, however, is the Mercedes-Benz award with the winner walking away with $10,000 in cash.
The festival, however, is not only about the glitz and the awards; over the three days there will be screenings of selected fashion films and workshops and talks by leading international and local industry experts in the fashion and film fields. Experts such as: Niccolo Montanari, co-founder and head of communications of the Berlin Fashion Film Festival; Einat Dan also from Berlin, award-winning make-up artist and body painter; as well as Michael O’Neill from the UK who will share his expertise as head trainer of Adobe products worldwide. Local representation comes in the form of DJs Dino Moran and Craig de Souza who will present a workshop on the magical creativity achieved with musical scores.
Other speakers include: Catherine Scorey, womenswear director of Ted Baker UK; Dr Shaun Borstrock, head of design of the University of Hertfordshire; Luisa Sáenz director of the Mexico Fashion Film Festival; Deborah Ferguson from Contentmode; Edward Winters and Ashley Avis-Winters from Los Angeles Winterstone Pictures; Bryan Ramkilawan from the CTFC; and Dr. Mark Vella with speaker from 24 Slides.
The festival also sees the launch of the Global Fashion Revolution 2016 Campaign. a “a global movement that runs throughout the year, celebrating fashion as a positive influence, raising awareness of the fashion industry’s most pressing issues, showing that change is possible - and celebrating those who are on a journey to create a more ethical and sustainable future for fashion,” said Tammi Nicol, fashion revolution coordinator.
As the festival builds towards its Saturday gala night culmination, the strictly ‘by invitation only guest list’ will include A-list celebrities, industry VIPs, producers, fashion film models and high society guests.
As past experiences will attest, guests can anticipate to experience the unexpected in a carefully choreographed carpet ride of glamour, fashion, fun and extravagance. Included amongst the many distractions, anticipate 3-D printed jewellery and Legacy Collection Jewellery displays. Charmaine Taylor from the Legacy Collection has created a jewellery range from the original fence from Robben Island Prison, the fence that once held Nelson Mandela captive. Legacy Collection will also be displaying a custom-made avant garde chandelier that will form part of the entertainment.
MAC makeover and Fox Box manicure stations will also ensure attendees remain looking their stylish best throughout the evening. While Café Lux espresso stations, manned by hostesses dressed in custom designs by the Bokeh in-house design team, and Vada by Sivada, will keep guests well caffeinated, animated and engaged.
Local and international media will be present to broadcast the event to a global audience. Leading the line-up is FashionOne, the leading Fashion and Entertainment channel, which is the official TV partner of the festival. It will be beaming the event to over 10 million homes in Africa, and 170 countries globally.
www.bokehfestival.co.za
Fashion Films: vimeo.com/album/3826625
