Good News

BULLETIN 19 June 

Good afternoon, here is your Good News:

# A proudly South African documentary, M.A.D Stories, short for Music, Art, and Dreams, has won best documentary at the Cannes Indie Short Film Festival. The film, directed by Mark Anthony and produced by Denis Leach with music by Christopher Beukman, follows two Cape Town creatives navigating South Africa’s underground music scene. The documentary has been praised for its raw and honest exploration of friendship, identity, fame and the price of creative pursuit. It has now been nominated for the Tokyo Indie Short Festival and the Venice Shorts Film Festival.

# Africa’s greatest horse racing and fashion event, the Durban July, will feature a star-studded lineup of South Africa’s most celebrated music talent. Multi-award-winning Afro-pop duo Mafikizolo, the band Sunset Sweatshop, songstress Lira, and DJ Dalootz are some of the artists who will grace the Greyville Racecourse on July 5th. Spokesperson, Zandile Dlamini, says this year’s Durban July is more than just a race; it’s a full cultural experience, where the public will truly feel the pulse and the essence of this lifestyle event.

# Time is running out for South Africans who want to enter the 2025 Championship Boerewors competition, as entries close tomorrow. Participants are expected to demonstrate skill and mastery of the full boerewors crafting process, from blending the perfect mix of herbs and spices, to processing the meat and producing perfectly stuffed and cooked boerewors. Last year’s winner, Ruard Briel, says he will be entering again this year:

# The Funda Community Training Centre has celebrated its 13th anniversary with a career expo in Diepkloof, Soweto. This was done through a joint partnership with Black Child Rise, TCFD, and iLAB Foundation. The event aimed to empower the youth through skills training and career guidance. Success stories include students gaining bursaries, employment, and university access. Programmes range from financial training to fashion and digital skills, with a Culinary Arts Programme launching soon.

# And finally: Rules that banned all sexually active gay and bisexual men from donating blood and plasma are being lifted in Australia. The rules were originally introduced to decrease the risk of blood donations from groups with a higher chance of HIV exposure. Australia will also become the first country to remove all sexual activity-based restrictions on plasma donation. People in a sexual relationship of six months or more with a single partner will be eligible to donate blood, regardless of their gender or sexuality. The new rules will expand the donation pool by 625-thousand people.

Stay tuned for more news………….