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Prize-winner: Variations on a Theme was cast entirely from the local community. Photos: Supplied

Directors Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar push creative boundaries with Variations on a Theme

A poetic, genre-blurring film, Variations on a Theme excavates ancestral grief, memory and forgotten histories in a Northern Cape community still waiting for justice

Joburg Film Festival 2026 Jurors

‘Silent Rebellion’ wins top honour at Joburg Film Festival 2026

The 2026 Joburg Film Festival concludes with Silent Rebellion winning Best Feature Film and a diverse group of filmmakers recognised across nine award categories.

A hybrid of documentary and drama, The Voice of Hind Rajab brings the chilling real recordings of a child trapped in Gaza to the Joburg Film Festival

Tunisian film highlights the human cost of warmongering Israel

A hybrid of documentary and drama, The Voice of Hind Rajab brings the chilling real recordings of a child trapped in Gaza to the Joburg Film Festival

‘Laundry’ finds resistance in the music

Zamo Mkhwanazi’s striking debut film blends family drama, apartheid oppression and blistering music into a defiant film that refuses to lower its volume

South African cinema takes centre stage at Joburg Film Festival 2026

This year’s festival begins and ends with powerful local films confronting apartheid, colonialism and memory through confident, world-class craft

Close-up: Joburg Film Festival curator Nhlanhla Ndaba. Photos: Supplied

Why craft matters: Curating the Joburg Film Festival 2026

As the Joburg Film Festival returns in 2026, curator Nhlanhla Ndaba explains why craft, care and unseen labour are taking centre stage

Ernest Cole Lost And Found By Raoul Peck (c) Ernest Cole

Ernest Cole: Lost and Found — A profound portrait of the artist in exile

Ernest Cole’s untold story comes home — with a revealing documentary premiering at the Joburg Film Festival this week

Joburg Film Festival and Multichoice partnered up for the launch of this year’s Joburg Film Festival, which will be taking place next year from January 31 to February 5. Photo: Supplied

Joburg Film festival returns after a two-year hiatus

This time, the festival will focus on youth development and empowerment in the film industry