Celebrating African stories with 2017 Jozi Film Festival

Showcasing African stories in film

This sixth annual JFF will open with the top 10 films selected in the Discovery Channel Don’t Stop Wondering competition. The competition called for African filmmakers to submit a two to five-minute film that showcased and celebrated unique African stories whilst capturing Discovery’s ethos of sparking curiosity.

The 10 shortlisted films were broadcast on Discovery Channel, after which the general public was asked to vote for their favourite film via Discovery’s website.

“We’re so proud to have been a part of this competition,” says JFF’s founder and organiser Lisa Henry. “Discovery Channel offered African filmmakers a remarkable opportunity with this competitive category and they have been a wonderful group of people to work alongside on this.”

The Don’t Stop Wondering award carries a cash prize of $5,000 (approximately R64,478) from Discovery Channel. The winning filmmaker will be announced on Sunday, 24 September 2017 at the Jozi Film Festival Awards. The awards will be hosted by comedian John Vlismas at The Sheds, 1 Fox Precinct in the Johannesburg CBD.

Screenings and workshops

Marc Serena and Pablo Garcia Perez de Lara’s multi award-winning documentary film Tchindas will be making its South African premiere at the Rosebank Mall Cinema Nouveau on Saturday, 23 September 2017. Serena and De Lara will be in attendance at the film’s South African premiere.

“It's very special to premiere the film in South Africa with Jozi Film Festival. It gives another perspective of the continent and we hope people from Jozi will love it,” said Serena. The Spanish directors travelled to Cape Verde to explore the lives of the transsexual community in the city of Mindelo in the run up to its annual carnival.

The film centres on Cape Verde's most famous transgender activist, Tchinda Andrade. "She was the first to open the way for others to express themselves," says Serena. "Tchinda is a natural leader. She has been so influential that the trans community in Cape Verde is referred to as 'Tchindas' by locals.”

In partnership with the African Academy of Cinematic Arts (AACA), the 2017 JFF will also be running film workshops on Saturday, 23 September 2017 at AACA’s Maboneng premises (10 Van Beek Street). These workshops are free and open to any aspiring or emerging filmmakers.

Maumela Mahuwa from SABC 2’s Muvhango will be speaking about her 12-year history in film and television. No booking is required and the programme of events can be found on AACA’s website.

Bookings for the 2017 JFF can be made online through Ster-Kinekor from Wednesday, 12 September 2017.