The 23rd edition of South African international documentary festival Encounters began this week and is due to run until June 20.
The hybrid event will feature screenings taking place on virtual platforms and at select physical venues in Johannesburg and Cape Town. It is the country’s formative documentary event, screening contemporary South African and international feature-length and short documentaries.
Docs that will be shown at this year’s festival include Toilets to Let, It’s Not Enough, Street Dogs, I Am Samuel, The Last Shelter and We are Zama Zama. In addition, African non-profit organisation The Ladima Foundation will present the Adiaha Award for best documentary film by an African woman.
The Adiaha Award is one of the interventions of the Ladima Foundation aimed at supporting and developing women working in film, television and content creation across Africa. The winner will receive US$2,000 towards their next production and an invitation to attend the Dortmund Cologne International Women’s Film Festival 2022 in Germany, where their film will be screened.
Encounters festival director Mandisa Zitha said: “As the pandemic continues to devastate film festivals around the world, Encounters is no exception. We are grateful to return with our pick of important documentaries that will ignite conversations and bring our community together again, through the online secure cinema platform. We are increasingly engaged with the transformation of the industry during Covid-19 and have planned a series of thought-provoking talks and panels to discuss the shifts in craft and business.”
In addition, there will be panel discussions and industry events with acclaimed and emerging filmmakers discussing their latest films. To stream the films in the virtual cinema, click here.
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