Building on the success of its 2026 festival, Encounters invites African and international documentary filmmakers to share their work with South African audiences.
Encounters South African International Documentary Festival has just opened submissions for its 29th edition, taking place from 3 to 13 June 2027.
Since its humble beginnings in 1999, Encounters has played a vital role in bringing documentary cinema from Africa and around the world to South African screens. Over the years, it has grown into more than an annual film festival, becoming a meeting place for filmmakers, industry professionals, students and people with a shared interest in powerful storytelling.
The 2026 edition brought people together across Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria through its screenings, discussions, Encounters Talks and community programmes. Beyond the cinema, the festival created opportunities for learning, exchange and connection, with guests engaging with audiences in different spaces and communities.
Festival Director Mandisa Zitha says, “Documentary has the power to shift perspectives, challenge what we think we know, and bring us closer to experiences beyond our own. At its heart, Encounters is about creating the space for these stories. Every year, we are reminded of the importance of coming together through cinema, and of the people who make this possible.”
For some filmmakers, Encounters becomes part of a longer creative journey, as Nondumiso Masache, whose latest film, Taste of the Land, premiered at the 2026 festival, reflects on how “Encounters has played a significant role in my growth as a filmmaker, so it was a real honour to premiere my latest film at the festival.”
Having first attended Encounters in 2003 with 4 Little Girls, which he co-produced and edited for director Spike Lee, filmmaker Sam Pollard returned to the festival this year for the African Premiere of TUTU. Reflecting on his long-standing relationship with the festival and its contribution to documentary cinema, he described Encounters as “a vitally important festival, presenting work by talented filmmakers from South Africa and around the world. Its commitment to documentary cinema, audience engagement and finding new voices is what makes it so important, with the potential to have a lasting impact on filmmakers from the continent who are continually seeking greater recognition.”
Rosie Motene, producer of The Woman Who Poked The Leopard, which had its African premiere at Encounters 2026, reflected on her experience of the festival in a personal essay, Held by Feminine Energy. Drawing on her experience across the film and media industries, she spoke to the importance of empathy, care and the way artists are welcomed and supported, writing, “I left believing that leadership grounded in empathy creates extraordinary spaces. I left reminded that feminist leadership is not simply about who occupies positions of power. It is about how people are held. It is about creating spaces where stories are nurtured, communities are valued, and artists are treated with dignity.”
These reflections on feminist leadership and creating more equitable spaces for women in the industry also find expression in Encounters’ commitment to REEL BALANCE, a Pan-African initiative advancing gender equity across African film festivals. At the 17th Durban FilmMart in October 2026, Encounters Festival Manager, Tarha McKenzie, signed the pledge on behalf of the festival, joining a growing movement of festivals working towards more equal representation and opportunities for women across the industry.
As Encounters looks towards its 29th edition, its commitment remains rooted in the belief that documentary cinema matters: that the stories we choose to tell, and the spaces we create to share them, can open up new ways of seeing and understanding the world. We remain committed to bringing African stories to the forefront, creating space for diverse voices and connecting filmmakers with audiences who are ready to listen, engage and be moved.
We invite filmmakers from across Africa and around the world to be part of the next chapter. If you are making documentary work that deserves to be seen, shared and experienced on the big screen, we look forward to discovering it.
The 29th Encounters South African International Documentary Festival will take place from 3 to 13 June 2027.
Submission categories
- African feature-length documentaries (50 minutes and longer)
- African short documentaries (under 50 minutes)
- International feature-length documentaries (50 minutes and longer)
- International short documentaries (under 50 minutes)
Submission deadlines
- Early Bird: 17 December 2026
- Regular: 25 January 2027
- Late: 14 February 2027
- Extended: 7 March 2027
Films must have been completed after 1 January 2025.
Submit your film via FilmFreeway:
https://filmfreeway.com/
For enquiries, contact info@encounters.co.za.
