Joburg Film Festival starts today

Today is the day, it’s the kickstart of the Joburg Film Festival! Curated to elevate and celebrate stars, filmmakers, and storytellers from across Africa and the world. The Joburg Film Festival premieres today the 19 November running for six days (19 – 24 November) at different venues across the City of Gold.

These venues include:

Auto & General Theatre on the Square
Free Multi-Choice outdoor screening area at Nelson Mandela Square
Ster-Kinekor Sandton City
Cinema Nouveau Rosebank
Maboneng’s Bioscope
Kings Theatre in Alexandra

Now in its third year, the Joburg Film Festival was born out of the desire to create an independent platform that not only tells Africa’s stories, but showcases and rewards the continent’s and international excellence in film. The festival was inspired by DISCOP AFRICA, a market that brings together content buyers, independent producers, and distributors and provides an opportunity for like-minded entertainment and media players to connect and share experiences about current best practice trends in film.

Movie lovers are spoilt for choice as they will be able to watch a total of 60 films and documentaries from around the world at six venues across Johannesburg. What’s also interesting is that the festival will play host to a number of stars, producers, and directors, who will participate in Q&A sessions after select screenings across the program, with daily red-carpet premieres that will allow them to meet the stars.

Joburg Film Festival Executive Director Tim Mangwedi:

“We couldn’t have asked for a better partner than the MultiChoice Group, an organization that is passionate about African storytelling, as we believe our stories are our gold. We see the film festival as a critical catalyst for social cohesion, showcasing a special collection of films that celebrate Africa’s beauty, people, and creativity and reflect the continent’s bold spirit and talent. We are confident that in collaboration with the MultiChoice Group, we can build a world-class annual film festival that becomes entrenched on the international film circuit and positions Joburg as a prime destination for local and international filmmakers.”

Joe Heshu, MultiChoice Executive Group Corporate Affairs:

“As Africa’s leading storyteller, our partnership with the Joburg Film Festival makes perfect sense. Our collaborative effort to bring African stories to the world and to provide a platform for local talent to shine will be an extremely positive boost for the film industry on the continent.”

Mbali Hlophe, MEC, Gauteng Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation:

“We are investing in the film festival in part through our agency, the Gauteng Film Commission; which was established to stimulate and encourage the growth and development of a sustainable film and television industry that can contribute to our country’s economy and create much-needed jobs. The Joburg Film Festival is a timely and relevant catalytic investment to this end.”

The Line Up:

Opening the night will be the South African horror film, 8, which is set to premiere at the festival hub on Auto & General Theatre on The Square in Sandton.

Starring Tshamano Sebe, Inge Beckmann, Garth Breytenbach, and Chris April – it’s centered around an old man whose fate is to collect souls for eternity and then seeks atonement after trading his daughter’s soul.

Other Films that will be screened include:

Yardie (Idris Elba’s Directorial Debut)
Luce (Starring Octavia Spencer, Kelvin Harrison Jr; Naomi Watts & Tim Roth)
Knuckle City (SA’s selection for Oscars 2020)
Letters Of Hope (Vusi Africa‘s debut feature-length)
Grace Jones: Bloodlight & Bami
My Culture, My Music
A Million Little Pieces
My Friend Fela
21 Bridges
The White Line
Sprinter