PRESS RELEASE: WOW × DIFF Shorts

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WOW Film Festival launches WOW × DIFF Shorts: a new Wales–South Africa collaboration with Durban International Film Festival

WOW Film Festival (Wales One World) has announced a major new international collaboration for its 25th edition in March 2026: WOW × DIFF Shorts, a co-curated programme created with the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF). Developed through the British Council’s Festival Connects Fund, the project connects audiences in Wales and South Africa through a shared selection of bold contemporary short films.

The WOW × DIFF strand brings together three Welsh shorts and three South African shorts, designed as a single programme to be experienced together. The screening will be co-presented by WOW and DIFF, with Helene Naicker, DIFF co-curator for the project, travelling to Wales to introduce the programme and join post-screening discussion alongside the participating Welsh filmmakers.

The collaboration also gives Welsh work an international platform: the three Welsh shorts selected for WOW × DIFF Shorts will screen as part of the Official Programme of Durban International Film Festival in Durban, taking place 23 July – 2 August 2026, bringing new Welsh filmmaking to audiences across Southern Africa.

Annita Nitsaidou, Festival Director of WOW Film Festival, said:“WOW has always been about cinema as connection between places, people, and perspectives. This collaboration with DIFF is exactly that: a shared curatorial process and a shared screen, built on exchange rather than simple touring. We’re excited to welcome Helene Naicker to Wales and to introduce audiences here to a brilliant set of South African shorts alongside work made in Wales.”

Helene Naicker, Durban International Film Festival’s curator, said:"This partnership reflects DIFF’s commitment to creating meaningful international exchange through cinema. Through this creative curatorial exchange, Welsh and South African storytelling is brought into conversation with one another. We’re excited to present South African films, selected at the previous edition of DIFF, to Welsh audiences through WOW, while also creating a platform for Welsh films to engage with audiences in South Africa. Partnerships like this strengthen industry relationships and deepen cultural understanding through cinema, and we hope this collaboration creates lasting connections between filmmakers and audiences in both regions."

WOW Film Festival returns 20–28 March 2026 across venues in Wales, marking the festival’s 25th edition and a quarter-century of international cinema for Welsh audiences. The festival’s programme includes films from around the world alongside a strengthened focus on Welsh filmmaking, community screenings, and accessible events.

WOW × DIFF Shorts: Programme (6 short films)

South Africa

• Fleas (Amazeze), by Jordy Sank

• Leapt Niches, by Dominique Spies

• B(l)ind the Sacrifice, by Nakhane

Wales

• Mari Lwyd, by Charlie Grayson

• Butty, by Liz Cartwright

• FLOCK, by Mac Nixon

  
  

ENDS

Media contact

Leah-May Newman, wowfilmfestivalmarketing@gmail.com

wowfilmfestival.com

Notes to editors

• WOW Film Festival (Wales One World) is Wales’ longest-running film festival, returning for its 25th edition from 20-28 March 2026.

• The WOW × DIFF Shorts collaboration is supported by the British Council’s Festival Connects Fund.

• Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) is the oldest and largest film festival in Southern Africa, taking place in Durban 23 July – 2 August 2026.