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South Africa has had a media makeover. The nation is currently riding high on its triumphant hosting of one of the biggest events in the sporting calendar, the football World Cup. Amongst the guaranteed reams of newspaper analysis and hours of in-depth television punditry, coverage was also dedicated to the social impact of hosting the event.

Given its generally negative perception as a violent and strife-ridden society, South Africa had been a controversial choice for World Cup host, but the competition came and went without major incident. The football community breathed a sigh of relief, and a positive lasing legacy now seems possible with tourism and industry getting a much need boost.

Sport and politics, a force to be reckoned with?

The arts provide a wide scope for exploring what it means to be a modern, progressive South Africa, and films in particular are an important medium for expressing both the darkness and light at the heart of a recovering nation. The country is proving itself to be a burgeoning player in the film market, with the 31st Durban International Film Festival (22nd July-1 August) screening nine world premieres of South African feature films and an extensive documentary programme proclaiming “a sharp insight into a spectrum of African realities”. One such insight is Connie Field’s Have You Heard From Johannesburg?: Fairplay, part of a series charting recent history, which illuminates how sporting boycotts during apartheid stimulated political change. It’s a topical reminder of the influence sport can have on a culture’s social fabric.

The festival has also secured the significant honour of being the focus of the World Cinema Fund’s Spotlight Series, an association set up by the Berlin International Film Festival to support countries in transition.

It’s another small but hugely positive step in gradually changing the world’s view of how South Africa is judged by the rest of the world.

Durban’s full line-up can be viewed here.

Ziman's South Africa is far from the hopes and dreams of World Cup 2010

This summer also sees the 12th Encounters South African International Documentary Festival come to Cape Town and Johannesburg. It showcases its own spotlight on South Africa, with documentaries from both international and home-grown directorial talents presenting their perspectives on the tangled, yet vibrant society.  Clifford Bestall’s The 16th Man is the real-life story that Clint Eastwood’s recent Invictus was inspired by. This time Nelson Mandela plays himself in his incredible mission to heal a divided nation surrounding the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

But should we exercise caution before celebrating South Africa’s political and social renaissance? This week’s feature release Gangster’s Paradise: Jerusalema is a timely reminder of the realities facing so many of the post-apartheid generation. Set in Johannesburg’s most dangerous neighbourhood, the all too believable tale underlines the extent to which organised crime has become the norm in the notorious district of Hillbrow.  An interview with director Ralph Ziman asks questions regarding the film’s effect on South Africa’s current optimism.  His diplomatic response seems reasonable amongst the glitz of the film festival circuit, as the research the film is based upon proves there is still a lot of work to be done.