SOUTH AFRICAN film has been awarded the Silver Lion for best short film at the 1999 Venice International Film Festival. Teboho Mahlatsi’s Portrait of a Young Man Drowning was chosen from 17 other shorts screening in official competition. The judges on this year’s panel were Hilke Doering, renowned director of “The Dreamlife of Angels” Erick Zonca (President) and Andrea Orcchipinto, founder member of Lucky Red, the production company behind Lars von Trier’s “Breaking the Waves” and Scott Hicks’ “Shine”. This is the first time that Venice awarded the Corto-Cortissimo Silver Lion to a South African film in it’s 54 years of existence. Teboho was in Venice to personally receive the award at a ceremony attended by the likes of Martin Scorcese, Brad Pitt, Dennis Hopper and Chinese director Zang Yimou.