Encounters South African International Documentary Festival

03/06/2026

🎬 CAPE TOWN | SATURDAY AT ❤️
https://linktr.ee/encountersdoc

From powerful local stories and African premieres to filmmaker Q&As and thought-provoking conversations, Saturday is packed with documentaries that will move, challenge, and inspire.

🎥 Spend the day exploring new perspectives.
🎤 Stay for the Q&As.
❤️ Meet the filmmakers behind the stories.

Whether you're joining us at the L***a, V&A Waterfront, Bertha House, or one of our industry events, there's something waiting for you.

🎟️ Browse the full Saturday schedule and book your seats:
linktr.ee/encountersdoc


L***a Theatre
Ster-Kinekor Theatres
berthamoviehouse

03/06/2026

🚨 FULLY BOOKED 🚨 Cape Town, you've done it again ❤️
https://lnkd.in/dcz-9f4M
An Hour After Midnight at Bertha House is officially SOLD OUT.
At this rate, CPT is carrying the team... 👀

Johannesburg and Pretoria, we're looking at you. Time to stand up, show up, and fill those seats this weekend.

Still available:

📍 JHB Rosebank Nouveau — 7 June | 4PM + Q&A
📍 CT Bertha Mowbray — 9 June | 3PM + Q&A
📍 CT Ster-Kinekor V&A — 14 June | 12:30PM + Q&A

🎟️ Book now before these screenings join the sold-out club.

hashtag hashtag

03/06/2026

03/06/2026

Thank you, DOK.fest München ❤️ We're proud of this partnership and excited to welcome Elon Musk Unveiled and Hueck Costa to . Here's to meaningful encounters, great films, and continued collaboration across continents. 🎬🌍 https://encounters.co.za/film/elon-musk-unveiled/

Tomorrow, 4 June, marks the beginning of our DOK.network Africa partner-festival Encounters South African International Documentary Festival Cape Town, Pretoria and Johannesburg. We wish you a thought-provoking festival time and productive encounters!
As part of the cooperation between out festivals, the documentary film ELON MUSK UNVEILED – THE TESLA EXPERIMENT will be screened and producer Yara Hueck Costa will also give a masterclass for filmmakers, supported by German Films.

03/06/2026

🔥 Opening Weekend schedule! Saturday's Johannesburg & Pretoria screenings have something for every documentary lover.
https://linktr.ee/encountersdoc

🎬 Highlights include Nuisance Bear (Ster-Kinekor Brooklyn Commercial), A War on Women (The Bioscope), My Father and Qaddafi (Ster-Kinekor Brooklyn Commercial), Amadou & Mariam (The Bioscope), and Kikuyu Land (Rosebank Nouveau).

🎞️ Also showing at Rosebank Nouveau:
* Salt of the Earth Shorts Block + Q&A
* Thank You for Being Shorts Block + filmmaker Q&As

📍 Rosebank Cinema Nouveau
📍 The Bioscope Independent Cinema
📍 Ster-Kinekor Theatres Brooklyn Commercial

See you at the cinema this Saturday.

03/06/2026

🎬 Just Because I'm a Street Kid: Introducing Shorty the Melville Poet | African Premiere

Meet Shorty, a Johannesburg poet who has published two volumes of poetry while living on the streets.

This moving documentary shines a light on resilience, creativity, and the power of storytelling in the face of hardship.

Part of the Thank You for Being Shorts Block.

🎬 Screenings: https://encounters.co.za/film/just-because-im-a-street-kid/
📍 JHB Rosebank Nouveau — 6 June | 6:30PM + Q&A
📍 CT L***a Theatre — 10 June | 8:30PM
📍 JHB The Bioscope — 12 June | 6PM + Q&A
📍 CT Bertha Khayelitsha — 14 June | 11AM + Q&A

03/06/2026

🎤 INDUSTRY EVENT | Settling Spirits: The Role of the Storyteller and Museum in Repatriation and Spiritual Justice

What does it mean to bring people, stories, and ancestral remains home?

Inspired by Elephants & Squirrels, this thought-provoking panel explores the role of storytellers, museums, and cultural institutions in repatriation, memory, and spiritual justice.

📍 Centre for Humanities Research, UWC
📅 Sat, 6 June
⏰ 1:45PM–3:15PM

🎟️ R100 | Inreach RSVP Free
https://encounters.co.za/industry-event/settling-spirits-the-role-of-the-storyteller-and-museum-in-repatriation-and-spiritual-justice/


University of Cape Town
Centre for Film and Media Studies - UCT
National Film and Video Foundation
City of Cape Town

03/06/2026

🎬 MEET THE FILMMAKER | Yaseen J Khan

Director of Robots — a compelling portrait of Gift, a Johannesburg street performer balancing spectacle, survival, fatherhood, and identity at the city's busiest intersections.

Join Yaseen J Khan at the screenings and stay for the Q&As to dive deeper into this uniquely South African story from the streets of Joburg.

🎬 Screenings + Q&As:
📍 JHB Brooklyn Commercial — 7 June | 2PM
📍 JHB Rosebank Nouveau — 8 June | 7PM
📍 CT Bertha Khayelitsha — 12 June | 6PM

Don't miss the chance to watch the film and engage directly with the filmmaker.

03/06/2026

1 DAY TO GO 🚨

Tomorrow, the stories begin.

🎬 58 documentaries
🌍 33 countries
🎤 Q&As, talks & masterclasses

starts tomorrow ❤️

🎟️ linktr.ee/encountersdoc

02/06/2026

🎬 MEET THE JURY | Ibee Ndaw

French-SeneGambian filmworker Ibee Ndaw joins the jury for the 2026 Encounters Award for Best African Feature Documentary ❤️

For nearly a decade, Ibee has worked across the pan-African cinema ecosystem in film distribution, festival programming, talent development, and industry support. Her journey includes Sudu Connexion, the Mobile Film Festival Africa, Durban International Film Festival, Seytou Africa, and Locarno Open Doors.

Today, she serves as Coordinator of the Yennenga Center in Dakar, continuing her commitment to championing African stories and filmmakers across the continent and beyond.


National Film and Video Foundation