A struggling pilchards factory, an unconventional beauty pageant, and a heartfelt message about self-worth come together in Lucky Fish. The South African family comedy, which opened the 2025 Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) on 17 July, is screening in select Ster-Kinekor cinemas, Nu Metro theatres, and The Bioscope until 27 July. Additional screenings can be found here.
Established in 1979, DIFF is Southern Africa’s oldest and largest film festival, presenting regional premieres alongside workshops, seminars, and outreach screenings, and is an Oscar-qualifying event for select categories.
Lucky Fish follows Sanjay Pillay, a factory owner whose family business, Pillay Pilchards, is on the verge of collapse. Desperate to save it, Sanjay attempts a last-ditch PR stunt by launching a beauty pageant to promote the brand. But when the event is mistakenly advertised as being all inclusive, a wildly diverse group of contestants shows up. This challenges Sanjay’s expectations and long-held notions of beauty.
As the competition unfolds, a journey of personal growth begins. Sanjay’s principled sister, Samantha, agrees to help. She does it not to save the factory, but to show her daughter and the women in her community that beauty is more than skin deep. What begins as a marketing gimmick turns into a touching exploration of identity, empowerment, and self-love, wrapped in humour and Durban flair.
Lucky Fish is directed by multi-SAFTA-winning Joshua Rous (Semi Soet, Semi Soeter) and written by lead actor Meren Reddy. The cast includes Jailoshini Naidoo, Zenobia Kloppers, Jack Devnarain, Nadine Abrahams, Mayuri Naidu, Kaseran Pillay, and Carishma Basday.
Featured films
South African films featured at DIFF include B(l)ind the Sacrifice (Nakhane), Being You (Minenhle Luthuli), Black Burns Fast (Sandulela Asanda), Changing Tempo (Now Now Media), Dears in the Headlights (Julia Jansch), Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight (Embeth Davidtz), Fleas (Jordy Sank), For His Sake (Antoinette Steyn), God’s Work (Michael James), Kelp Town (Will Bendix), King George (Ari Kruger), Leapt Niches (Dominique Spies), Lucky Fish (Joshua Rous), Memoirs of Amanda (Lamar Bonhomme), MFE2 Dilo-Dilo (Mbuso Cyril Gamede), Pigcasso: Million Dollar Pig (Stefan Enslin), Street Trash (Ryan Kruger), Surfing the Island of Sharks (Now Now Media), Swim Hard (Mark Penwill), The Home (Jessie Zinn), The House That Never Sleeps (Sean Mongie), The Source (Nick Sokoloff), and Where We Thrive (Dean Leslie).
Two co-productions feature South African involvement: Punter (Jason Adam Maselle) from the USA and South Africa, and The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos (The Agbajowo Collective: James Tayler, Ogungbamila Temitope, Okechukwu Samuel, Mathew Cerf, Tina Edukpo, Bisola Akinmuyiwa, AS Elijah), a collaboration between Nigeria, Germany, South Africa, and the USA.
Featured films from across the African continent include titles from Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, Lesotho, and Benin. International selections come from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland, Iran, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Canada, Cambodia, Syria, the Philippines, and Venezuela.
* To view all featured films, visit the Durban International Film Festival website here.