The Apollo Film Festival

The Apollo Film Festival

Buried in Victoria West Cemetery are the remains of Andrew Aristedes Bassil, a Victoria West cafe owner who built the Apollo Theatre in the late 1920s. The theatre has been an important part of Victoria West over the years and saw a revamp in 1956 during which it became the art-deco auditorium that you will find there today. Television and the depopulation of the platteland saw the theatre close its doors in 1981 but in 1998, the national monuments personnel described the Apollo as "unique" and the "only surviving cinema of its type in South Africa" and a plan was devised to save its heritage.

Today the theatre is home to the annual Apollo Film Festival which is one of a kind festival that celebrates South African cinema, features, documentaries and short films. The festival which is funded by the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) also plays a vital role in exposing the wealth of South African cinema to the poorest of the poor in rural areas such as Victoria West. Every year the festival invites filmmakers, producers, directors, scriptwriters, commissioning editors, actors and journalists from all over South Africa to attend. Some of these invitations are extended to for a judging panel which decides on the awards given for the categories of best feature, best documentary and best short film.

The Apollo Film Festival 2011 takes place at The Apollo Theatre, 88 Church Street, in Victoria West from 25 September 2011 to 8 October 2011.

For more information please contact:
Tel: +27-53-6211185
Or email: apollotheatre@intekom.co.za

Directions from Cape Town
Travel up the N1 from Cape Town for approximately 533 kilometres
Turn left onto the N12 and travel a further 61.4 kilometres
Take the Church Street R63 turnoff
After 750 metres the Apollo Theatre will be on your right hand side.