The second Dili International Film Festival (DIFF) was held in October 2020, as one of the few film festivals in the world able to cater to a live audience this year. The motto of the festival was “Adapting to Change”.

DIFF screened and hosted feature-length and short films, narrative and documentary, from international and local contributors and guests. The festival had a total of almost 100 entry submissions from both international and local filmmakers.

Screening locations were: Top Golf (Opening Ceremony), Fundação Oriente, Beachside Cinema, the Cultural Center of the Portuguese Embassy to Dili and Yayasan HAK. Cinema Lorosa’e, the mobile cinema, travelled to Laulara to screen a film dubbed to Tetun for almost 500 participants at Ego Lemos’ Perma Youth Camp.

Overall, around 800 visitors came to Fundação Oriente, 175 Timorese aspiring and established filmmakers participated in 4 workshops: two live classes: with Timorese trainers Rui Muakandala from Casa Produção Audiovisual (CPA) and Jhonie Borges (Animator) and two online classes with U.S. film professionals Dawn Valadez and Shana Hagan.

One of the online workshops, conducted by U.S. Film Maker Dawn Valadez

12 groups of Timorese Filmmakers participated in the DIFF National Short Film Competition and showed huge quality improvements from last year’s edition. In total 119 members and four LGBTI and Youth Organisations came together to celebrate DIFF Diversity with a Panel Discussion, based on the Brazilian documentary “Say My Name”.

More highlights: Dili Premiere of “Top End Wedding”, dubbed to Tetun, co-hosted by Australian Embassy to Timor-Leste with 150 guests; German Night with a screening of “Cherry Blossoms and Demons”, co-hosted by German Embassy Jakarta, with 100 guests; and a screening of “Zé Pedro Rock’n’Roll” and Happy Hour at Camões Cultural Center with 100 guests.

A total audience of over 350 people visited Beachside cinema for 6 film screenings.

Timorese filmmaker Francisca Maia won the DIFF Award of Honour 2020, for her outstanding contributions to the Timor-Leste film industry, and for her film “Músicas da Resistência”

Timorese filmmaker Francisca Maia (blue blouse, centre) won the DIFF Award of Honour 2020

Source: Dili International Film Festival

Photo Credits:  Dili Photography /  ruralphotography /  Timor Skyview (aerial view) /  Pixelasia