The South African Embassy hosted a South African Film screening event in St. Petersburg, in commemoration of Freedom Month and to promote the South African film industry.

The film “The Umbrella Men” won Best Achievement in Script Writing in South Africa, it also won the award for Best Feature Film from the South African National Film & TV Awards, as well as from “Film Africa 2022” in the same category of Best Feature Film. This award-winning film was set in the Bo-Kaap, Cape Town.

Mzuvukile Jeff Maqetuka Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of South Africa to Russia, delivered remarks during the event.

In a special word of acknowledgement, Ambassador Maqetuka thanked the South African Honorary Consul in St. Petersburg, Vladimir Borisenko for his commitment and support in co-hosting the film screening in Saint Petersburg. He also noted that bilateral relations with the Russian Federation over the past 30 years have grown stronger.

Bilateral relations with the Russian Federation over the past 30 years have grown stronger, partly because South Africa and Russia continue to promote people-to-people cooperation to maintain these excellent relations, underlines Maqetuka.

The South African government has identified the film industry as a sector with excellent potential for growth and is regarded as a catalyst for both direct and indirect employment of people from different sectors of the economy. The benefits of international partnership in film result in the direct investment into the economy and addressing existing challenges in unemployment.

Over the years, South Africa has signed co-production treaties with many countries. The South African embassy in Russia emphasises that this is an area of high potential with the Russian Federation.