The South African Recovery Film Festival returns for a fourth year, continuing its focus on films exploring themes of addiction, mental health issues and recovery.
The festival is taking place at the Labia in Cape Town from Thursday 22 to Sunday 25 September.
The Festival aims to educate, entertain, inform and promote solutions and successes of recovery from addiction and is part of the International Recovery Month initiative. Addiction, alcoholism and mental health issues remain clouded by stigma and lack of understanding, says festival organiser, Dougie Dudgeon.
“Everyone knows someone who is negatively effected by substance abuse, whether alcohol or drugs. Process addictions such as sex, gambling, eating problems, gaming and technology are seemingly increasing. The problems are all too evident, and the impacts on every level of society all too obvious. However, the solutions are too seldom celebrated,” he says.
The South African Recovery Film Festival encourages those in recovery to come together as active members of their communities, as role models and credible messengers of hope, says Dudgeon.
“We believe recovery needs to be celebrated, and addiction needs to be understood, so we welcome those in recovery, family, friends, healthcare professionals, carers of all types, policy makers, law enforcement and most of all anyone who likes good films.”
The festival opening night on Thursday 22 September will be the South African premier of (DIS) Honesty – The Truth About Lies, a film about the ambivalent culture of truth. In recovery honesty is seen as a foundation stone, but what about everyone else? The showing of the documentary will be followed with a Q&A looking at the South African context of issues raised, and the concept of personal honesty.
V All the documentaries in the line-up are showing in South Africa for the first time. To see the full programme, visit www.southafricanrecoveryfilmfestival.com. Tickets are available from Webtickets at R50.
