South African drama "Ayanda and the Mechanic," directed by Sara Blecher ("Otelo Burning"), has been announced as the opening night film of the 36th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), which takes place from July 16 to 26 this year.

But first, it’ll make its North American premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 13, just 5 days from today.

Set in the vibrant, Afropolitan community of Johannesburg’s Yeoville, "Ayanda and the Mechanic" is a coming-of-age story of a 21-year-old "Afro-hipster," who embarks on a journey of self-discovery when she has to fight to save her late father’s legacy – a motor repair shop – when it is threatened with closure. She’s thrown into a world of greasy overalls, gender stereotypes and abandoned vintage cars once loved, now in need of a young woman’s re-inventive touch to bring them back to life again.

The film stars Fulu Mugovhani and Nigerian actor OC Ukeje, with a star South African cast that includes Ntathi Moshesh, Kenneth Nkosi, Jafta Mamabola, Thomas Gumede, Sihle Xaba and veteran star of stage and screen Vanessa Cooke.

This is director Sara Blecher’s follow-up to her critically-acclaimed "Otelo Burning" (covered quite extensively on this blog), which also opened the Durban International Film Festival in 2011. 

For ticket information for the film’s Los Angeles Film Festival premiere, visit http://bit.ly/1G6zeL7.

First trailer for "Ayanda" follows below: