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.
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
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 officialspringflower
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.
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.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
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
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.
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.
Berlinale Talent Campus
Desmond Denton is proud to be one of the 20 filmmakers across Africa chosen for the
Presenting film masterclasses in Kenia
Desmond Denton was selected to facilitate filmmaking masterclasses at the EXPLORE film and media campus.
London Screenwriter Film Festival
It was an honour to be chosen to represent the Writers Guid of South Africa at