According To The variety The Joburg Film Festival returns to the heart of South Africa’s entertainment industry from March 11 – 16, with a seventh edition that organizers say is designed to celebrate “the shared experiences and emotions that unite us through the art of storytelling.”
Building on Johannesburg’s reputation as the “city of gold,” the festival is organized around the theme of a “golden thread” running through its selection of nearly 100 feature-length and short films and documentaries. Among them is a mix that includes festival hits from the likes of Sundance, Berlin and Cannes, alongside films from the host nation and the African continent that will be reaching audiences for the first time.
I wanted to find films that would resonate on an emotional and sympathetic level,” says Joburg Film Festival curator Nhlanhla Ndaba, “to remind us that we are a global village and to spread a little love whilst we face the reality of what is happening globally.” The festival kicks off with the African premiere of “Ernest Cole: Lost and Found,” Raoul Peck’s Cannes prize-winning documentary about the trailblazing South Africa photographer who fearlessly chronicled the evils of apartheid before moving to New York in the 1960s. Ndaba, who was inspired by Cole’s powerful images as a boy and credits the photographer with awakening his “political consciousness,” tells Variety he jumped at the chance “to bring this incredible film back home to complete [Cole’s] journey, by allowing South African audiences to immerse themselves in his life story told through his own words.”
Among the screenings taking place over the course of the six-day event will be 28 African premieres and 12 world premieres. Highlights include Magnus von Horn’s Academy Award-nominated “The Girl With the Needle,” Mahdi Fleifel’s Cannes Directors’ Fortnight selection “To a Land Unknown,” Titus Kaphar’s Sundance drama “Exhibiting Forgiveness,” and Dominican filmmaker Johanne Gomez Terrero’s “Sugar Island,” which debuted in the Venice Film Festival’s Venice Days sidebar and is having its African premiere.
Repping the host nation are films including Vusi Africa’s “Happy: The True Story of Happy Sindane,” which celebrates its world premiere, Hendrik Cronje and Mari Molefe van Heerden’s post-apocalyptic thriller “Bos,” and “Old Righteous Blues,” by Muneera Sallies, which was South Africa’s selection for the best international feature film Oscar. Other highlights include the world premiere of “The Man Died,” Nigerian filmmaker Awam Amkpa’s adaptation of the book by Nobel Prize winner Wole Soyinka.
The festival jury is comprised of South African actress, director and creative curator Sthandiwe Kgoroge; producer and president of the Nigerian directors guild Victor Okhai; South African filmmaker Muneera Sallies; Egyptian film critic and FIPRESCI president Ahmed Shawky; South African editor Melissa Parry; and head of industry development at South Africa’s National Film and Video Foundation Yolanda Ncokotwana.
The Joburg Film Festival runs parallel to the third edition of JBX, or Joburg Xchange, a three-day industry event that will host a range of talks, workshops, panel discussions and masterclasses. Timothy Mangwedi, the Joburg Film Festival executive director, says JBX was curated to help “equip professionals with the tools needed to navigate a rapidly evolving media landscape.”
The two events, says Ndaba, are designed to work hand in hand for African film professionals. “We keep growing with each edition of the festival, but authenticity is key for me, and in order for us to tell stories that are authentic we need to ensure that filmmakers have the opportunity to meet with potential funders,” he says. “It’s important for them to participate at JBX, where they can expand their networks and create collaborations for their stories.”
An example of that synergy is a showcase of seven films from first-time directors screening at this year’s festival that emerged from a pitching session at last year’s JBX. A collaboration between the Joburg Film Festival and the pan-African streamer Showmax, it illustrates the fest’s role “in advancing filmmaking and unearthing new talent,” according to Ndaba.
Among the filmmakers taking part in JBX are the Academy Award-nominated Peck, who will deliver a masterclass during the event. Ndaba points to the importance of the Haitian director’s body of work, including his gripping biopic “Lumumba,” about the Congolese revolutionary icon, which he credits with “deepen[ing] my understanding of how it feels to face the world as a person of color, and the resilience that comes with it.”
“It’s important for me especially given global politics,” he adds, “where we will all need that resilience to survive the Trump storm.” The Joburg Film Festival runs March 11 – 16.