Good News

BULLETIN 18 August

Good afternoon, here is your Good News:

# Cape Town’s Silwerskermfees returns to Camps Bay this week, presenting a rich selection of South African and Afrikaans film content. The programme features 33 films and documentaries of varying lengths, showcasing a diverse array of work from award-winning filmmakers as well as rising local talent. Mayoral committee member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, says alongside the film screenings, Silwerskerm is running an extensive programme of masterclasses and panel discussions, facilitated by industry experts and filmmakers:

# Two University of KwaZulu-Natal students have been honoured with prestigious national awards from the Geological Society of South Africa. This is in recognition of their academic excellence and outstanding contributions to geological research. Marine geologist and MSc graduate, Tamera Heeralal, has been awarded the 2025 John Handley Award for the best MSc thesis in Geology produced at a South African university. Current MSc candidate Ishta Maharaj has received the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions Award for her exceptional academic performance in 2024. 

# The Tsitsikamma Section of the Garden Route National Park donated to the Krakeel Primary School. The donation included 100 pairs of school shoes and socks, 100 shirts and trousers, and 36 packs of sanitary towels. This initiative follows the donation of 200 pairs of school shoes to five schools in the Tsitsikamma area early last year, as part of the park’s Back to School Programme. The donation was made possible through the support of MPM Enviro Enterprise.

# Over 260 souvenirs from the award-winning British series Downton Abbey are being auctioned off. These include pieces from the Grantham family car to the wedding dress worn by Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary for her first marriage to Matthew Crawley, and the iconic Downton Abbey Bell Wall. The show’s executive producer, Gareth Neame, says these iconic set items hold a special place for fans. Proceeds from the auction will go to a charity supporting children with life-limiting conditions and their families, Together for Short Lives.

# And finally: Zach Cregger’s mystery horror Weapons remains top of the North American box office in its second weekend of release. The R-rated horror film is the fifth consecutive hit for Warner Brothers this year. In second place is Disney’s Freakier Friday, which sees Jamie Lee Curtis reunite with Lindsay Lohan. This weekend’s only major new release, Universal’s action thriller Nobody 2, landed in third. Another Disney film, the Marvel superhero adventure The Fantastic Four: First Steps, dropped to fourth with DreamWorks Animation’s The Bad Guys 2 in fifth.

Stay tuned for more news………….