DURBAN film-maker Veron Vadivelu's lockdown short film, Untitled For Now, which was selected at six international film festivals, has walked away a winner, twice.
Earlier this year, Vadivelu won Best Debut for Filmmaker of Short Film at the Uruvatti International Film Festival. More recently, as it wrapped up its international festival run, it won the international award at the Europe Film Festival (UK) for Best Soundtrack.
Vadivelu was awarded as the producer and Durban musician Jaedon Daniel for composing the film score.
The film is based on the character Michael. After breaking up with his partner, Michael, a 26-year-old engineer is forced to re-evaluate his life, career and passions. Through odd interactions, he tries to discover who he is and what he wants in his life … An honest portrait of the experience of being an Indian South African.
Vadivelu said Untitled For Now was born out of his need to showcase Indian South Africans in a manner that showed their complete truth and beauty.
Festival submissions for the film began in February and its festival run concluded in August.
“The film was selected at five International film festivals. These were the Phoenix International Short Film Festival (Canada), Lift-Off Global Network Sessions Festival (UK), Lift-Off Global Network First-Time Filmmaker Sessions Festival (UK), Uruvatti International Film Festival (IN) and the Europe Film Festival (UK). The one local film festival was the Rustenburg Film Festival (SA). It was a total of six selections and two international awards.”
He said the film was based on a TV-series he created and wrote, of the same title, with the short film serving as a proof of concept of the series and its intention to showcase contemporary Indian South African content.
Said Daniel: “It's always a great thing when we, as creatives, are acknowledged for our work. Working on the soundtrack was exciting. I really tried to dive into the film and connect with the message. I knew from the get-go that the piece was something I could truly relate to and interpret sonically.”
Daniel, a jazz and hip hop fusion artist, released his debut album, Hold The Game, in 2019. In 2020, he released Future Throwback and a project titled Objects in the Mirror seem Closer than they Appear. He recently released an EP titled, Poets Heart Killer.
Vadivelu is currently working on a short film, Still Night, for which he has written the screenplay. It was submitted to international film festivals and completed its festival run for as an un-produced screenplay.
He said it was selected at the Vetriyur International Film Festival (India), Uruvatti International Film Festival (India), and the Austin International Art Festival (USA).
“It won ‘Best short script / screenplay’ at the Vetriyur festival and the Uruvatti festival. It was nominated for ‘Best Unproduced Short Script’ at the Austin festival.”
The second project is a web-series titled Cake Lyties, about two cousins who see each other after two years at a point where they both find themselves at a crossroads in their lives - professionally, personally, and morally.
“The series came about due to my love of projects that promote and showcase the location they are set in such as Top Boy and Atlanta (both on Netflix); with the location serving as a character in the story. It also about because of my hopes for Durban artists.
“I want them to collaborate out of love for the craft and without ego to make the best work possible. They must create a standard of project and content to elevate ourselves as artists, whilst promoting our authenticity, background, culture, and stories in the city we love so dearly.
“The truth is the only way to get our content at the standard, volume, and quality it should currently be, is together. Film-making and television creation require an army and Durban has the best soldiers,” said Vadivelu.
