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Inspiration and Vision

In my films, I aspire to bring unimaginable worlds to life, the worlds that have never existed before, the worlds that people will remember. It is fascinating to make text turn into a set and actors turn into the characters of the story you want to tell.

In my movies, I often put characters in extreme circumstances to discover humans’ essence. Through compelling stories, I ask questions, “Why are we here? What are we doing and what are the consequences of our actions?” I believe that the answers are as profound as they are simple: we are the stories we hear and tell ourselves and others.

  1. Otherside the silence

    drama

    A group of unlikely characters come together to do the stage play of their lives- Under the lead of the faithful and dreamful Piet, this group consisting of elders from the old age home needs to find a way to not only put together and act out this play, but to get past the all controlling Sara , who runs the old age home with an iron fist. It is a classic story of the value of each individual person and how even the least expected person can truly contribute to a team. Rich in its humour and old age home story details, this story touches not only the elder of our society- but indeed all to understand and appreciate those we come from and the value they indeed do have. bringing life to what is seen as old bones Award winning director and writer Desmond Denton has initiated this film.

    Anderkant die stilte features legendary actors South African actors Andre Rossouw, Joeye De Koker, Hannetjie Smit, Annemari Blanckenberg, Johan and Lida Botha

  2. a musical film

    drama

    Scary town tells the story of a young girl, innocent exploring the world. She meets a man on this journey and gets taken in by the romantic affair. Before she knows it matters becomes much darker and surreal than she thought. What appeared to be beautiful and all she could dream of turns out to be an illusion, and her life is in danger.
    The video brings together top designers that brought to life a world made of paper- including the dresses, the set and the larger than life flowers.  The musical film has been in official

    bestscreenplay
  3. springflower

    drama

    The film with the help of HORTGRO SA has already reached over 86 000 people with communal film screenings. Trained health care physicians discuss important information relating to HIV/AIDS and the virgin cure myth.

    Lenteblom portrays the dilemma of a man in a community – struggling to stand up against the moral decay of our time. Lenteblom is a story of hope, where love finds a way to blossom – even in the midst of pain, brokenness and evil

    The virgin cure?       The  belief  that  HIV/AIDS  can  be  cured  as  a  result  of  sex  with  a  virgin  has  been  identified  as  a  possible factor  in  the  rape  of  babies  and  children  in  South  Africa.​Lenteblom brings a story of love, with a powerful tool for conversations to expose the virgin cure myth.

  4. BETWEEN ASHES AND HOPE

    drama

    For a young preacher and his wife life seems to be heaven. An unexpected turn unexpectedly changes matters for the worse. Jan, the preacher, looses his wife and unborn child to TB. His life is turned upside down.  He stops preaching, lives a hermit, and hides from society. The church doors are locked.
    A new social worker, Petra arrives on the farm with the challenge of addressing the social ills of the community. Petra suddenly finds herself immersed in a very serious problem. A young child, Lucky, draws her in, as she tactfully tries to address the problem of abusive homes, alcoholism and the threat of TB in the community.
    The young boy finds his way –  not only into her heart, but into the troubled life of Jan. And takes Petra with him. ‘Tussen as en hoop’ brings forth the light of true forgiveness; this –  and finding hope in the midst of despair.

  5. INFIDEL

    drama

    Nominated for 12 awards at the international 48 hour film festival. The story follows a detective and a crime photographer as they investigate a mysterious death of a young woman. A normal Friday evening get together is quickly transformed when they are entangled in talks with a  beautiful stranger. She knows more about them than they would like to be told. A twist of fate and strange incidents follow.​  The film stars acclaimed actors Amalia Uys, Greg Kriek, Bjorn Jorg Walter Steinbach, Auriol Hays, Rudolph Faurie, Storm Barry, Johan Jordaan,  Arina Le Roux and film debut of Mishka Patel

  6. CIRCLE OF FATE

    drama

    Circle of Fate” is directed by Desmond Denton, and is a story centered around an international trafficking industry. Tamara is a journalist investigating the sex industry in Thailand. She goes undercover in one of these trafficking rings in hope of uncovering and stopping the ring from continuing. While there she finds one of the girls being held captive, Eileen, who was abducted from South Africa not too far from where Tamara lives. Protocol says to keep your distance from the sex workers to not draw attention to yourself, but Tamara is desperate to save Eileen from this terrible situation. Will Tamara be able to help Eileen escape? Or will the sex trafficking syndicate discover her, leaving her to live the same fate as Eileen? “Circle Of Fate” brings together heart and desperation, and Is a great introduction to a bigger world crafted by Desmond Denton.Denton has initiated this film.

    Anderkant die stilte features legendary actors South African actors Andre Rossouw, Joeye De Koker, Hannetjie Smit, Annemari Blanckenberg, Johan and Lida Botha

  7. inspired by real life story

    drama

    Heaven Touched Earth tells a story of a family almost losing a child and the miracle that changed it all …in just one moment.  The story follows several characters in dark places in their lives, and through symbolical usage follows their journey to a sense of “light” and hope.

  8. SPELONK

    drama

    The film brings about the best of a post apocalyptic action film with a tale of caution to
    society, a testament to people who care about future generations. “Our apocalypse is not caused by the “what if’s, its caused by the “what
    if we don’t’s “

My Creative Process

I’ve been involved to some degree in every facet of the filmmaking process from writing, production management, producing, art directing, editing, sound design to marketing. Therefore I have a good understanding of each department and can articulate ideas clearly. I usually take my film from script to screen through all the essential stages outlined below. I get inspired and envision the world I am going to recreate, but before I fully develop any project I creatively explore the practical means of completing it.

The next stage is the development of a project plan, a production timeline, and a breakdown of the requirements for all stages, conceptual development of the character arc, a story premise, a visual mood board, and a director’s treatment.

After filming a pilot or a teaser, I align the project with the required funding and distributors. I work on script development and preproduction with a full practical planning of making of the film, assigning a crew and cast, location scouting.

After the production of both the film and the required marketing materials, I get down to postproduction with full editing, sound design, and grading. 

As a final step, I see the movie through the marketing and distribution process starting with building an audience, developing the marketing materials, test screenings, and ending with a cinema launch.

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FILMS

Written, produced and directed Fatherland, Infidel, Land Of Fear, Scarytown, Circle Of Fate, Adoption, Steorra, Anderkant die Stilte, Springflower, Between Ashes and Hope, Spelonk.

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TELEVISION

Directed Turning Point TV Series, NL Travel Show, Cooking in the Danger Zone (BBC), as well as commercials for Dos Equis, Lux, Unilever,Good Food and Wine Show, Table of Peace and Unity, Ford, Newlands Brewery, Mofilm, Paul Steyn Foundation, Gourmet SA, Reps Fitness, ONS TV, Club Mykonos.

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WRITING

Written various scripts for short films and features including Fatherland, Anderkant die Stilte, Springflower, Between ashes and Hope, Spelonk and William Austen Novel Books include William Austen, Tulbagh Earthquake, Spelonk Novel.

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SELECTIONS

Over 70 official selections and nomination in International Film Festivals including Pan Pacific Film Festival, Golden Lion Film Festival, Slamdance film festival, Silwerskerm Film Festival, Equality Film Festival, Sabaoth International Film Festival, 48 Hour Film Festival, Lake International Panafrican Film Festival, Hollywood Divine, US Hollywood Int’l Golden Film Award.

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AWARDS

Best Produced Feature Film and Best Actress at Monaco International Film Festival, Best Director at Apollo International Film Festival, Best International Feature at ICFF, Best Action Screenplay at Angel Film Festival, Audience Selected Best Film and Best VFX at 48 hours Film Festival, Best Feature Film at ACFF.

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MANAGEMENT

Production management and assistant directing of Planet of the sharks, Hunting Emma, Mooirivier, The Pro, Die Skerm.

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CURRENT

Feature Film Spelonk is in post-production. Feature Film Tulbagh Earthquake is in script development. Documentary Film The Journey Home is currently in pre-production.

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FILMMAKER

Over the years Desmond has shown the ability to bring together a team of exceptional professionals and to develop raw talent, drawing them into the world of a story and establishing a film-making family. His background in production management gives him a cutting edge in creative problem-solving.