The final curtain falls at the 39th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) in Durban, South Africa, on Sunday, ten days after it kicked off on July 19, 2018, with the "Rafiki" being its closing film.  

The DIFF was established in 1976, and as the oldest international film festival in South Africa, it is held in Durban for about 10 consecutive days at the end of July each year. 

The festival screens 250 films from all over the world, including rural areas where cinemas have not yet been set up. The festival also hosts forums and workshops to enhance industrial vitality.

The closing film "Rafiki" is written and directed by Wanuri Kahiu, a Kenyan film director, producer and author, as well as a World Economic Forum cultural leader. Patricia Amira and Muthoni Gathecha star in the film.

In this film, Kena and Ziki are good Kenyan girls, and they both long for something more except being good wives in Kenyan. The two girls remain close friends and support each other to fulfill their dreams despite the political rivalry between the two families. 

Deep-rooted cynicism film about same-sex relationships has changed the perspectives among the people in Kenya. 

"Rafiki" has also won three nominations in Cannes Film Festival and the Sydney Film Festival. 

In addition to "Rafiki," the opening film "The Tokoloshe" also impressed audiences with its psychological thriller storyline on child abuse.

The film tells a story of a young destitute hospital cleaner, Susi from Johannesburg. She has to confront her demons from her past in order to save the child from the abusive monster. Director Jerome Pikwane spent ten years writing the script with Richard Kunzmann, a novelist maintaining a close friendship with him.

Taking place during the DIFF, the Durban FilmMart (DFM) is the longest-running film festival in South Africa. Usually, a number of delegates from all over the world will gather together in DFM to engage in the "business" of film.

This year, the DFM partnered with the Durban Film Office, the city's film industry development arm under the Economic and Development sector. According to the DIFF official, the partnership began on July 20 and ended four days later.

The festival attracted an array of filmmakers from domestic and aboard, leading 400 experts and organizations to meet filmmakers in Africa, opened panel discussions and lead different master classes to help African filmmakers catch up with current policies, innovations and trends in the motion picture industry. This occasion marked Durban as a long-term hub for African films and business by pushing African films to a new level.

As an annual five-day training and development program, Talents Durban is in partnership with the Berlin International Film Festival and Berlinale Talents project each year.  It invites rising filmmakers including producers, directors, scriptwriters and actors from the continent for five days’ intensive workshops and seminars in film industries.

The project partnered with DIFF for 10 years and has been a great success. Talents Durban pushes for well-told storylines, strong content and how well the target audience and the distribution strategy work together.