Schedule

Cape Town
The Labia
Labia Cinema logo

68 Orange St, Gardens, Cape Town 8000

https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/event.aspx?itemid=1569660471

Time Film Name Tickets
Fri 20 June
6:30 PM Blue Road: The Edna O’Brien Story A portrait of one of the world’s greatest and most charismatic writers, Irish author Edna O’Brien. Buy Labia Tickets
8:30 PM Albie: A Strange Alchemy W/P + Q&A A poetic portrait of Albie Sachs, anti-apartheid icon and constitutional court judge, whose experiences under the apartheid regime and visionary ideals helped forge South Africaโ€™s path to justice and transformation. Buy Labia Tickets
Sat 21 June
1:30 PM Normal To Me W/P + Q&A An engaging feature documentary that intimately explores the lives of individuals with special needs, all employed at a protective workshop in the charming seaside town of Fish Hoek. Buy Labia Tickets
4:30 PM Womxn: Working W/P + Q&A Against the backdrop of South Africa’s femicide crisis, a fearless group of activist women wages a historic battle for decriminalisation while protecting their vulnerable community through groundbreak Buy Labia Tickets
6:30 PM Yalla Parkour + Q&A In her relentless pursuit of a memory that reinforces her sense of belonging, Areeb crosses paths with Ahmad, a Parkour athlete in Gaza. Nostalgia meets with ambition, and the weight of a confined past meets with an unpredictable future. Buy Labia Tickets
8:30 PM Mr Nobody Against Putin A Russian teacher secretly documents his small town school’s transformation into a war recruitment centre during the Ukraine invasion, revealing the ethical dilemmas educators face amid propaganda and militarisation. Buy Labia Tickets
Sun 22 June
12:30 PM Capturing Water + Q&A Working-class citizens, a farmer, and a suburban activist rise up to defend their water, land, and dignity against a city’s neglect and broken promises. Buy Labia Tickets
2:30 PM Yintah W/P + Panel A focus on the impact on the lives of the Wet’suwet’en people who live on unceded territory, as they oppose the construction of multiple pipelines. Buy Labia Tickets
6:00 PM 6 Kings and 6 Queens W/P + Q&A The sudden passing of Balobedu Rain Queen Modjadji VI in 2005 signalled the end of the 200-year-old dynasty of female rulers; the only matrilineal monarch in Africa. Buy Labia Tickets
8:30 PM Sam Nzima W/P + Q&A In order to truly grasp the significance of the iconic image of Hector Pieterson, we must delve deeper into Sam Nzima’s personal journey, both before and after capturing that life-changing moment. Buy Labia Tickets
Mon 23 June
6:30 PM Fitting In + Q&A Within the walls of a prestigious men’s residence called “Eendrag”, young South African students are confronted with a past that has not been forgotten. Buy Labia Tickets
Tue 24 June
6:30 PM The Land’s Silent Witness Shorts Block Umhlaba Wokhokho: Driven by a prophetic vision, iNkosi Mabaso reclaims his ancestral land. In eMgundeni, a village where grasslands whisper and wetlands cradle life, fulfilling his name, Zwelihle (Beautiful Land).
Spirits of the Land: The film narrates the poignant stories of Black families still living under oppression on white-owned land in South Africa, shedding light on the loss of ancestral lands and the ongoing fight for land.

  • Umhlaba Wokhokho W/P + Q&A
  • Spirits of the Land + Q&A
 Buy Labia Tickets
8:30 PM Fragments of a Forgotten Land Shorts Block The Rock Speaks: A hybrid AI documentary which navigates the trans-global technological production supply chain, told from the perspective of a piece of cobalt.
The Sending of the Crows: This documentary connects a |xam legend told by brother and sister Dia!kwain and !kweiten ta ||ken in Cape Town in 1874 to the present.
Flowers An Amazon ethnocide is justified by war in Ukraine. All streamed on-line under the gaze of the filmmaker, he leaves the screen and meets his 3-year-old son who marvels at the flowers in the garden.

  • The Rock Speaks + Q&A
  • The Sending of the Crows W/P + Q&A
  • Flowers + Q&A
 Buy Labia Tickets
Wed 25 June
6:30 PM This is Ballroom In Rio de Janeiro City and its outskirts, LGBTQ+ youth of color recreates Ballroom culture on their own terms. A portrait of the dramas, the voguing performances, and the art of shade, 50 years after its inception in New York. Buy Labia Tickets
8:30 PM Redefining Desire: From Fear to Freedom Shorts Block What I Do Not Know Will Not Kill Me: In Africa’s biggest economy, a silent killer is causing thousands of avoidable deaths. Aisha, a gynaecologist who survived cervical cancer actively fights for the lives of other cancer patients.
Slut Club: A deliciously daring documentary chronicling a pole dancing show for women and the LGBTQIA+ community, celebrating the divine feminine and sacred sexuality in all of us.
Unyagoni: Bahati’s Sex Education Journey: In the Swahili cultural sex education ‘Unyago’, Bahati Ngazi, a young sex educator, embarks on a compelling journey to elevate her status from an advanced beginner, to an intermediate educator.

  • What I Do Not Know Will Not Kill Me
  • Slut Club W/P + Q&A
  • Unyagoni: Bahati’s Sex Education Journey
 Buy Labia Tickets
Thu 26 June
6:30 PM How to Build a Library + Q&A tbc Two Nairobi women set out to revive a former whites-only library, facing political hurdles, funding battles, and the enduring legacy of colonialism. Buy Labia Tickets
9:00 PM Intercepted Destruction in Ukraine war shown through lengthy tableaux. Soldiers’ phone calls to families reveal parallel world. Sound and image confront one another. Buy Labia Tickets
Fri 27 June
6:30 PM Best of Fest Mr Nobody Against Putin A Russian teacher secretly documents his small town school’s transformation into a war recruitment centre during the Ukraine invasion, revealing the ethical dilemmas educators face amid propaganda and militarisation. Buy Labia Tickets
8:30 PM The Brink of Dreams This documentary chronicles the lives of a group of young Egyptian girls from a very conservative small village in Upper Egypt who formed an all-female acting troupe despite family rejection. Buy Labia Tickets
Sat 28 June
12:30 PM Between Fear and Forgetting Shorts Block Never Come Fetch Me: A moving account of a young boy’s life on the mean streets of Cape Town’s ganglands, where he quickly progresses from selling drugs to getting involved in gangsterism, before being shot in the foot and sent to a home for “rude children”, where he suffers further trauma and violence.
Fear Fokol: Fear Fokol explores South Africa’s private security industry in Johannesburg, revealing the illusion of safety amidst inequality, paranoia and mistrust in a society driven by fear.
They dug a grave in my heart: While a mining company drills into the earth to extract rock salt, a gang of teenagers plan to break the machine responsible for the tremors and sinking of the ground.

  • Never Come Fetch Me W/P + Q&A
  • Fear Fokol + Q&A
  • They dug a grave in my heart W/P
 Buy Labia Tickets
2:30 PM Best of Fest Blue Road: The Edna O’Brien Story A portrait of one of the world’s greatest and most charismatic writers, Irish author Edna O’Brien. Buy Labia Tickets
4:30 PM Best of Fest Mothers of Chibok A community of mothers in a Nigerian village struggle to persevere while grieving for their daughters, who were kidnapped by Boko Haram Buy Labia Tickets
6:30 PM Kabul Chaos + Q&A A look back at the years leading up to the fall of Kabul and the perilous evacuation of civilians trapped inside the French embassy in the hours following the Taliban’s takeover of the country in 2021. Buy Labia Tickets
Sun 29 June
2:30 PM Abo Zaabal 89 In this documentary, he films his efforts to renew and restore relationships with his parents and find a path to historical truth, emotional comprehension and psychological healing. Buy Labia Tickets
4:30 PM Best of Fest Albie: A Strange Alchemy W/P + Q&A A poetic portrait of Albie Sachs, anti-apartheid icon and constitutional court judge, whose experiences under the apartheid regime and visionary ideals helped forge South Africaโ€™s path to justice and transformation. Buy Labia Tickets
6:30 PM Best of Fest And She Didn’t Die A daughter chronicles her mother’s journey from rural storyteller to revolutionary to acclaimed feminist writer in exile, a life that was an act of resistance. Buy Labia Tickets
8:30 PM Best of Fest Yalla Parkour In her relentless pursuit of a memory that reinforces her sense of belonging, Areeb crosses paths with Ahmad, a Parkour athlete in Gaza. Nostalgia meets with ambition, and the weight of a confined past meets with an unpredictable future. Buy Labia Tickets
The Labia Theatre โ€“ Encounters 2025 Film Festival Schedule. Click on film titles for details or on “Buy Labia Tickets” to book.
Ster Kinekor logo

V&A Waterfront, Dock Rd, Cape Town

https://www.sterkinekor.com/find-cinemas/v&a

Cine 11

Time Film Name Tickets
Fri 20 June
7:15 PM Shifting Baselines + Q&A Where the Rio Grande meets the sea, the rockets of SpaceX are launched; astronomers gaze skyward, hawkers shill their wares and environmentalists survey the damage. Welcome to Boca Chica, USA. Buy V&A Tickets
Sat 21 June
3:30 PM Matabeleland + Q&A Chris, a 60-year-old immigrant haunted by the unburied spirit of his fatherโ€”killed in a genocideโ€”struggles to support his sprawling family, but as love with Dumi deepens and demands commitment, he must confront his past, his faith, and the heavy legacy he carries. Buy V&A Tickets
5:30 PM Mothers of Chibok + Q&A A community of mothers in a Nigerian village struggle to persevere while grieving for their daughters, who were kidnapped by Boko Haram. Buy V&A Tickets
8:00 PM Roots of Resistance Shorts Block The Other Side of Beauty: A photographer, captivated by the stars and the beauty of his country, turns his lens toward a darker truth: exposing his government’s role in the Darfur genocide. But his courage comes at a cost.
Dreams of a Revolution: Along the haunted road to Inhaminga, the echoes of past revolutions linger, as a search for meaning uncovers only timeless words and restless ghosts.
The Medallion: Ruth and her mother go back to Ethiopia and explore her mother’s story as a survivor of the Red Terror genocide. Amidst a new civil war, the two revisit a country bursting with history and culture.
Ahmad Alive: Tracing Palestine History Through Good Films No. 4 “Attacks on Gaza Recorded by Citizen Journalists: 2008-09 & 2023-24”

  • The Other Side of Beauty
  • Dreams of a Revolution + Q&A
  • Medallion
  • Ahmad Alive + Q&A
 Buy V&A Tickets
Sun 22 June
2:00 PM And She Didn’t Die A daughter chronicles her mother’s journey from rural storyteller to revolutionary to acclaimed feminist writer in exile, a life that was an act of resistance. Buy V&A Tickets
4:30 PM The Walk Asil, a young Syrian refugee, processes her trauma through Amal, a giant puppet symbolizing millions of displaced children. Amal’s journey from the Syrian border in Turkey across Europe is one of compassion and discovery. Buy V&A Tickets
7:00 PM The Tree of Authenticity A film essay exploring the Democratic Republic of Congo’s colonial history and its ecological significance, highlighting the Congo Basin’s vital role in consuming carbon dioxide and shaping global environmental balance over a century. Buy V&A Tickets
Mon 23 June
8:15 PM Where Zebus Speak French Ly is one of the last farmer-orators in the capital of Madagascar. His life takes a turn in 2016 when power brokers begin to covet the land he cultivates. Buy V&A Tickets
Tue 24 June
6:15 PM Brief Tender Light Four African students at MIT confront culture shock and personal growth as they strive to turn youthful ideals into lasting impact back home. Buy V&A Tickets
Wed 25 June
6:15 PM The Shadow Scholars + Q&A Professor Kingori explores Kenya’s essay mills supplying work for students globally. Thousands of educated but underemployed Kenyans earn from this billion-dollar industry undermining education’s integrity. Buy V&A Tickets
8:45 PM Khartoum + Q&A Five lives, one city, a nation at war. A civil servant, a tea lady, a resistance committee volunteer and two street boys. Five stories from Sudan weave together in search of freedom. Buy V&A Tickets
Thu 26 June
6:15 PM Misty: The Erroll Garner Story Erroll Garner was a self-taught American Jazz pianist considered a genius by his peers. He juggled a tremendously successful career with a complex private life. Buy V&A Tickets
8:15 PM Didy What remains, thirty years on, of the memory of a mother left too soon? Buy V&A Tickets
Fri 27 June
7:15 PM Union A group of current and former Amazon workers in New York City’s Staten Island challenges one of the world’s largest companies in a unionisation battle. Buy V&A Tickets
Sat 28 June
6:00 PM The Thinking Game Chronicles visionary scientist Demis Hassabis’ relentless pursuit to crack artificial general intelligence, a journey of extraordinary perseverance. Buy V&A Tickets
8:00 PM Yumi In a brave fight for survival, South Pacific students like Romabeth (25), Vishal (26) and Solomon (27) are inspiring a global movement to demand legal accountability for climate change at the world’s highest court, pushing for historic action. Buy V&A Tickets
Sun 29 June
12:00 PM Currents of Resilience Shorts Block Guardian of the Well: Amid a historic drought in the southern reaches of Chad’s Sahara Desert, a well-goer recalls his lost cattle and contemplates his plans for a change in livelihood.
Undercurrent: This documentary delves into the decline of South Africa’s local commercial fishing industry, exploring the forces behind its 20-year struggle for survival.
Pouring Water on Troubled Oil: A poetic archival documentary following the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas on his journey through Iran in 1951 on an assignment to write a film script for the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company.
Keeper: A Bronx beekeeper and his 19-year-old daughter care for their hivesโ€”and each otherโ€”in the wake of a life-threatening diagnosis.

  • Guardian of the Well + Q&A
  • Undercurrent + Q&A
  • Pouring Water on Troubled Oil
  • Keeper
 Buy V&A Tickets
3:00 PM Awards Ceremony (Cine 12)
6:00 PM Put your soul on your hand and walk+ Panel

Buy V&A Tickets
Ster Kinekor V&A, Cine 11 โ€“ Encounters 2025 Film Festival Schedule. Click on film titles for details or on “Buy V&A Tickets” to book.

Cine 13

Time Film Name Tickets
Sat 28 June
6:30 PM Anselm in 3D Anselm Kiefer is one of the greatest contemporary artists. His past and present diffuse the line between film and painting, thus giving a unique cinematic experience that dives deep into an artist’s work and reveals his life path. Buy V&A Tickets
Ster Kinekor V&A, Cine 13 โ€“ Encounters 2025 Film Festival Schedule. Click on film titles for details or on “Buy V&A Tickets” to book.

Cine 7

Between the Ordinary and the Uncanny Shorts Block perfectly a strangeness: In the dazzling incandescence of an unknown desert, three donkeys discover an abandoned astronomical observatory and the universe. A sensorial, cinematic exploration of what a story can be.
The Fries Philosopher: Discover the soul of Amsterdam’s Turkish fries baker Abi, as he struggles with the demolition of his beloved snack bar. Abi is a neighborhood father, a poet and an entertainer.

  • perfectly a strangeness
  • The Fries Philosopher
Time Film Name Tickets
Sat 21 June
4:30 PM Unmasking the Self Shorts Block Message from Anonymous: Three people hide a secret, if it comes out, their lives will be turned upside down.
At the Edge of Skin: At the Edge of Skin is an observational documentary guided by the lives of Laiz and Joselito, both black and albino.
Facing Forward: Through the eyes of three para surf athletes, this documentary celebrates resilience, determination, and the unbreakable human spirit.

  • Message from Anonymous
  • At the Edge of Skin W/P
  • Facing Forward W/P
 Buy V&A Tickets
6:30 PM More Than Meets the Eye Shorts Block Sprouting: A poignant look at the lives of young South African women navigating the cultural, emotional, and economic pressures of Eurocentric beauty ideals.
Am I the Skinniest Person You’ve Ever Seen? Follows Eisha and Seema, soul-mate sisters whose shared dietary goal becomes a harrowing descent for Eisha. Years later, her auto-ethnographic narrative revisits her troubling past, addressing body image and self-acceptance.

  • Sprouting + Q&A
  • Am I the Skinniest Person You’ve Ever Seen?
 Buy V&A Tickets
Sun 22 June
4:30 PM Death by Discrimination Shorts Block The Flow of Resilience: A found diary triggers memories, leading a filmmaker on a journey to uncover harrowing stories of accused witches in remote Assam villages.
Onthou vi Fredo? An intimate portrait of Alfredo’s life and legacy, told through the voices of his mother, friends, and Cape Town’s queer community in the wake of his tragic murder in Malmesbury.

  • The Flow of Resilience
  • Onthou vi Fredo? + Q&A
 Buy V&A Tickets
6:30 PM In Her Name Shorts Block Victoria: Victoria sets up a helium balloon business in Nairobi as a means of surrounding herself with joy, as well as finding security after escaping an abusive relationship.
Before 16: Elizabeth became a mother at just 16 after a traumatic sexual assault. Now, 15 years later, she reflects on the profound challenges and emotions of raising her child under extraordinary circumstances.
Seeds from Kivu? In Kivu (DR Congo), women who were gang-raped by the region’s guerrillas who control the mineral resources are undergoing psychological treatment to deal with the dilemma of accepting the babies they have given birth to after being raped.

  • Victoria
  • Before 16
  • Seeds from Kivu
 Buy V&A Tickets
Sat 28 June
4:30 PM Buy V&A Tickets
Sun 29 June
12:30 PM Best of Fest Intercepted Destruction in Ukraine war shown through lengthy tableaux. Soldiers’ phone calls to families reveal parallel world. Sound and image confront one another. Buy V&A Tickets
6:30 PM Best of Fest Matabeleland Chris, a 60-year-old immigrant haunted by the unburied spirit of his fatherโ€”killed in a genocideโ€”struggles to support his sprawling family, but as love with Dumi deepens and demands commitment, he must confront his past, his faith, and the heavy legacy he carries. Buy V&A Tickets
Ster Kinekor V&A, Cine 7 โ€“ Encounters 2025 Film Festival Schedule. Click on film titles for details or on “Buy V&A Tickets” to book.

Bertha Movie House

Ekuphumleni, Cape Town 7784

https://isivivanacentre.org.za/bertha-movie-house/

Time Film Name RSVP
Sat 21 June
2:00 PM Shifting Baselines + Q&A Where the Rio Grande meets the sea, the rockets of SpaceX are launched; astronomers gaze skyward, hawkers shill their wares and environmentalists survey the damage. Welcome to Boca Chica, USA. RSVP
5:00 PM Albie: A Strange Alchemy W/P + Q&A A poetic portrait of Albie Sachs, anti-apartheid icon and constitutional court judge, whose experiences under the apartheid regime and visionary ideals helped forge South Africaโ€™s path to justice and transformation. RSVP
Sun 22 June
4:00 PM Matabeleland + Q&A Chris, a 60-year-old immigrant haunted by the unburied spirit of his fatherโ€”killed in a genocideโ€”struggles to support his sprawling family, but as love with Dumi deepens and demands commitment, he must confront his past, his faith, and the heavy legacy he carries. RSVP
Wed 25 June
6:00 PM And She Didn’t Die A daughter chronicles her mother’s journey from rural storyteller to revolutionary to acclaimed feminist writer in exile, a life that was an act of resistance. RSVP
Thu 26 June
6:00 PM Womxn: Working W/P + Q&A Against the backdrop of South Africa’s femicide crisis, a fearless group of activist women wages a historic battle for decriminalisation while protecting their vulnerable community through groundbreak RSVP
Fri 27 June
6:00 PM Sam Nzima: A Journey Through His Lens W/P In order to truly grasp the significance of the iconic image of Hector Pieterson, we must delve deeper into Sam Nzima’s personal journey, both before and after capturing that life-changing moment. RSVP
Sat 28 June
3:00 PM The Walk Asil, a young Syrian refugee, processes her trauma through Amal, a giant puppet symbolizing millions of displaced children. Amal’s journey from the Syrian border in Turkey across Europe is one of compassion and discovery. RSVP
5:00 PM Normal To Me W/P + Q&A An engaging feature documentary that intimately explores the lives of individuals with special needs, all employed at a protective workshop in the charming seaside town of Fish Hoek. RSVP
Sun 29 June
2:00 PM Green Job Opportunities Info Session
3:00 PM Capturing Water + Q&A Working-class citizens, a farmer, and a suburban activist rise up to defend their water, land, and dignity against a city’s neglect and broken promises. RSVP
Bertha Movie House โ€“ Encounters 2025 Film Festival Schedule. Click on film titles for details or on “RSVP” to book.
Time Film Name Tickets/RSVP Cinema
Fri 20 June
6:30 PM Blue Road: The Edna O’Brien Story A portrait of one of the world’s greatest and most charismatic writers, Irish author Edna O’Brien. Buy Labia Tickets The Labia Theatre
7:15 PM Shifting Baselines + Q&A Where the Rio Grande meets the sea, the rockets of SpaceX are launched; astronomers gaze skyward, hawkers shill their wares and environmentalists survey the damage. Welcome to Boca Chica, USA. Buy V&A Tickets Ster Kinekor V+A
8:30 PM Albie: A Strange Alchemy W/P + Q&A A poetic portrait of Albie Sachs, anti-apartheid icon and constitutional court judge, whose experiences under the apartheid regime and visionary ideals helped forge South Africaโ€™s path to justice and transformation. Buy Labia Tickets The Labia Theatre
Sat 21 June
1:30 PM Normal To Me W/P + Q&A An engaging feature documentary that intimately explores the lives of individuals with special needs, all employed at a protective workshop in the charming seaside town of Fish Hoek. Buy Labia Tickets The Labia Theatre
2:00 PM Shifting Baselines + Q&A Where the Rio Grande meets the sea, the rockets of SpaceX are launched; astronomers gaze skyward, hawkers shill their wares and environmentalists survey the damage. Welcome to Boca Chica, USA. RSVP Bertha Movie House
3:30 PM Matabeleland + Q&A Chris, a 60-year-old immigrant haunted by the unburied spirit of his fatherโ€”killed in a genocideโ€”struggles to support his sprawling family, but as love with Dumi deepens and demands commitment, he must confront his past, his faith, and the heavy legacy he carries. Buy V&A Tickets Ster Kinekor V+A
4:30 PM Unmasking the Self Shorts Block Message from Anonymous: Three people hide a secret, if it comes out, their lives will be turned upside down.
At the Edge of Skin: At the Edge of Skin is an observational documentary guided by the lives of Laiz and Joselito, both black and albino.
Facing Forward: Through the eyes of three para surf athletes, this documentary celebrates resilience, determination, and the unbreakable human spirit.

  • Message from Anonymous
  • At the Edge of Skin W/P
  • Facing Forward W/P
 Buy V&A Tickets Ster Kinekor V+A
4:30 PM Womxn: Working W/P + Q&A Against the backdrop of South Africa’s femicide crisis, a fearless group of activist women wages a historic battle for decriminalisation while protecting their vulnerable community through groundbreak Buy Labia Tickets The Labia Theatre
5:00 PM Albie: A Strange Alchemy W/P + Q&A A poetic portrait of Albie Sachs, anti-apartheid icon and constitutional court judge, whose experiences under the apartheid regime and visionary ideals helped forge South Africaโ€™s path to justice and transformation.

RSVP Bertha Movie House
5:30 PM Mothers of Chibok + Q&A A community of mothers in a Nigerian village struggle to persevere while grieving for their daughters, who were kidnapped by Boko Haram. Buy V&A Tickets Ster Kinekor V+A
6:30 PM More Than Meets the Eye Shorts Block Sprouting: A poignant look at the lives of young South African women navigating the cultural, emotional, and economic pressures of Eurocentric beauty ideals.
Am I the Skinniest Person You’ve Ever Seen? Follows Eisha and Seema, soul-mate sisters whose shared dietary goal becomes a harrowing descent for Eisha. Years later, her auto-ethnographic narrative revisits her troubling past, addressing body image and self-acceptance.

  • Sprouting W/P + Q&A
  • Am I the Skinniest Person You’ve Ever Seen?
 Buy V&A Tickets Ster Kinekor V+A
6:30 PM Yalla Parkour + Q&A In her relentless pursuit of a memory that reinforces her sense of belonging, Areeb crosses paths with Ahmad, a Parkour athlete in Gaza. Nostalgia meets with ambition, and the weight of a confined past meets with an unpredictable future. Buy Labia Tickets The Labia Theatre
8:00 PM Roots of Resistance Shorts Block The Other Side of Beauty: A photographer, captivated by the stars and the beauty of his country, turns his lens toward a darker truth: exposing his government’s role in the Darfur genocide. But his courage comes at a cost.
Dreams of a Revolution: Along the haunted road to Inhaminga, the echoes of past revolutions linger, as a search for meaning uncovers only timeless words and restless ghosts.
The Medallion: Ruth and her mother go back to Ethiopia and explore her mother’s story as a survivor of the Red Terror genocide. Amidst a new civil war, the two revisit a country bursting with history and culture.
Ahmad Alive: Tracing Palestine History Through Good Films No. 4 “Attacks on Gaza Recorded by Citizen Journalists: 2008-09 & 2023-24”

  • The Other Side of Beauty
  • Dreams of a Revolution + Q&A
  • The Medallion
  • Ahmad Alive
 Buy V&A Tickets Ster Kinekor V+A
8:30 PM Mr Nobody Against Putin A Russian teacher secretly documents his small town school’s transformation into a war recruitment centre during the Ukraine invasion, revealing the ethical dilemmas educators face amid propaganda and militarisation. Buy Labia Tickets The Labia Theatre
Sun 22 June
12:30 PM Capturing Water + Q&A Working-class citizens, a farmer, and a suburban activist rise up to defend their water, land, and dignity against a city’s neglect and broken promises. Buy Labia Tickets The Labia Theatre
2:00 PM And She Didn’t Die A daughter chronicles her mother’s journey from rural storyteller to revolutionary to acclaimed feminist writer in exile, a life that was an act of resistance. Buy V&A Tickets Ster Kinekor V+A
2:30 PM Yintah W/P + Panel A focus on the impact on the lives of the Wet’suwet’en people who live on unceded territory, as they oppose the construction of multiple pipelines. Buy Labia Tickets The Labia Theatre
4:00 PM Matabeleland + Q&A Chris, a 60-year-old immigrant haunted by the unburied spirit of his fatherโ€”killed in a genocideโ€”struggles to support his sprawling family, but as love with Dumi deepens and demands commitment, he must confront his past, his faith, and the heavy legacy he carries. RSVP Bertha Movie House
4:30 PM Death by Discrimination Shorts Block The Flow of Resilience: A found diary triggers memories, leading a filmmaker on a journey to uncover harrowing stories of accused witches in remote Assam villages.
Onthou vi Fredo? An intimate portrait of Alfredo’s life and legacy, told through the voices of his mother, friends, and Cape Town’s queer community in the wake of his tragic murder in Malmesbury.

  • The Flow of Resilience
  • Onthou vi Fredo? + Q&A
 Buy V&A Tickets Ster Kinekor V+A
4:30 PM The Walk Asil, a young Syrian refugee, processes her trauma through Amal, a giant puppet symbolizing millions of displaced children. Amal’s journey from the Syrian border in Turkey across Europe is one of compassion and discovery. Buy V&A Tickets Ster Kinekor V+A
6:00 PM 6 Kings and 6 Queens W/P + Q&A The sudden passing of Balobedu Rain Queen Modjadji VI in 2005 signalled the end of the 200-year-old dynasty of female rulers; the only matrilineal monarch in Africa. Buy Labia Tickets The Labia Theatre
6:30 PM In Her Name Shorts Block Victoria: Victoria sets up a helium balloon business in Nairobi as a means of surrounding herself with joy, as well as finding security after escaping an abusive relationship.
Before 16: Elizabeth became a mother at just 16 after a traumatic sexual assault. Now, 15 years later, she reflects on the profound challenges and emotions of raising her child under extraordinary circumstances.
Seeds from Kivu? In Kivu (DR Congo), women who were gang-raped by the region’s guerrillas who control the mineral resources are undergoing psychological treatment to deal with the dilemma of accepting the babies they have given birth to after being raped.

  • Victoria
  • Before 16
  • Seeds from Kivu
 Buy V&A Tickets Ster Kinekor V+A
7:00 PM The Tree of Authenticity A film essay exploring the Democratic Republic of Congo’s colonial history and its ecological significance, highlighting the Congo Basin’s vital role in consuming carbon dioxide and shaping global environmental balance over a century. Buy V&A Tickets Ster Kinekor V+A
8:30 PM Sam Nzima W/P + Q&A In order to truly grasp the significance of the iconic image of Hector Pieterson, we must delve deeper into Sam Nzima’s personal journey, both before and after capturing that life-changing moment. Buy Labia Tickets The Labia Theatre
Mon 23 June
6:30 PM Fitting In + Q&A Within the walls of a prestigious men’s residence called “Eendrag”, young South African students are confronted with a past that has not been forgotten. Buy Labia Tickets The Labia Theatre
8:15 PM Where Zebus Speak French Ly is one of the last farmer-orators in the capital of Madagascar. His life takes a turn in 2016 when power brokers begin to covet the land he cultivates. Buy V&A Tickets Ster Kinekor V+A
Tue 24 June
6:15 PM Brief Tender Light Four African students at MIT confront culture shock and personal growth as they strive to turn youthful ideals into lasting impact back home. Buy V&A Tickets Ster Kinekor V+A
6:30 PM The Land’s Silent Witness Shorts Block Umhlaba Wokhokho: Driven by a prophetic vision, iNkosi Mabaso reclaims his ancestral land. In eMgundeni, a village where grasslands whisper and wetlands cradle life, fulfilling his name, Zwelihle (Beautiful Land).
Spirits of the Land: The film narrates the poignant stories of Black families still living under oppression on white-owned land in South Africa, shedding light on the loss of ancestral lands and the ongoing fight for land.

  • Umhlaba Wokhokho W/P + Q&A
  • Spirits of the Land + Q&A
 Buy Labia Tickets The Labia Theatre
8:30 PM Fragments of a Forgotten Land Shorts Block The Rock Speaks: A hybrid AI documentary which navigates the trans-global technological production supply chain, told from the perspective of a piece of cobalt.
The Sending of the Crows: This documentary connects a |xam legend told by brother and sister Dia!kwain and !kweiten ta ||ken in Cape Town in 1874 to the present.
Flowers An Amazon ethnocide is justified by war in Ukraine. All streamed on-line under the gaze of the filmmaker, he leaves the screen and meets his 3-year-old son who marvels at the flowers in the garden.

  • The Rock Speaks + Q&A
  • The Sending of the Crows W/P + Q&A
  • Flowers + Q&A
 Buy Labia Tickets The Labia Theatre
Wed 25 June
6:00 PM And She Didn’t Die A daughter chronicles her mother’s journey from rural storyteller to revolutionary to acclaimed feminist writer in exile, a life that was an act of resistance. RSVP Bertha Movie House
6:15 PM The Shadow Scholars + Q&A Professor Kingori explores Kenya’s essay mills supplying work for students globally. Thousands of educated but underemployed Kenyans earn from this billion-dollar industry undermining education’s integrity. Buy V&A Tickets Ster Kinekor V+A
6:30 PM This is Ballroom In Rio de Janeiro City and its outskirts, LGBTQ+ youth of color recreates Ballroom culture on their own terms. A portrait of the dramas, the voguing performances, and the art of shade, 50 years after its inception in New York. Buy Labia Tickets The Labia Theatre
8:30 PM Redefining Desire: From Fear to Freedom Shorts Block What I Do Not Know Will Not Kill Me: In Africa’s biggest economy, a silent killer is causing thousands of avoidable deaths. Aisha, a gynaecologist who survived cervical cancer actively fights for the lives of other cancer patients.
Slut Club: A deliciously daring documentary chronicling a pole dancing show for women and the LGBTQIA+ community, celebrating the divine feminine and sacred sexuality in all of us.
Unyagoni: Bahati’s Sex Education Journey: In the Swahili cultural sex education ‘Unyago’, Bahati Ngazi, a young sex educator, embarks on a compelling journey to elevate her status from an advanced beginner, to an intermediate educator.

  • What I Do Not Know Will Not Kill Me
  • Slut Club W/P
  • Unyagoni: Bahati’s Sex Education Journey
 Buy Labia Tickets The Labia Theatre
8:45 PM Khartoum Five lives, one city, a nation at war. A civil servant, a tea lady, a resistance committee volunteer and two street boys. Five stories from Sudan weave together in search of freedom. Buy V&A Tickets Ster Kinekor V+A
Thu 26 June
6:00 PM Womxn: Working W/P + Q&A Against the backdrop of South Africa’s femicide crisis, a fearless group of activist women wages a historic battle for decriminalisation while protecting their vulnerable community through groundbreak. RSVP Bertha Movie House
6:15 PM Misty: The Erroll Garner Story Erroll Garner was a self-taught American Jazz pianist considered a genius by his peers. He juggled a tremendously successful career with a complex private life. Buy V&A Tickets Ster Kinekor V+A
6:30 PM How to Build a Library + Q&A tbc Two Nairobi women set out to revive a former whites-only library, facing political hurdles, funding battles, and the enduring legacy of colonialism. Buy Labia Tickets The Labia Theatre
8:15 PM Didy What remains, thirty years on, of the memory of a mother left too soon? Buy V&A Tickets Ster Kinekor V+A
9:00 PM Intercepted Destruction in Ukraine war shown through lengthy tableaux. Soldiers’ phone calls to families reveal parallel world. Sound and image confront one another. Buy Labia Tickets The Labia Theatre
Fri 27 June
6:00 PM Best of Fest Sam Nzima W/P In order to truly grasp the significance of the iconic image of Hector Pieterson, we must delve deeper into Sam Nzima’s personal journey, both before and after capturing that life-changing moment. RSVP Bertha Movie House
6:30 PM Best of Fest Mr Nobody Against Putin A Russian teacher secretly documents his small town school’s transformation into a war recruitment centre during the Ukraine invasion, revealing the ethical dilemmas educators face amid propaganda and militarisation. Buy Labia Tickets The Labia Theatre
7:15 PM Union A group of current and former Amazon workers in New York City’s Staten Island challenges one of the world’s largest companies in a unionisation battle. Buy V&A Tickets Ster Kinekor V+A
8:30 PM The Brink of Dreams This documentary chronicles the lives of a group of young Egyptian girls from a very conservative small village in Upper Egypt who formed an all-female acting troupe despite family rejection. Buy Labia Tickets The Labia Theatre
Sat 28 June
12:30 PM Between Fear and Forgetting Shorts Block Never Come Fetch Me: A moving account of a young boy’s life on the mean streets of Cape Town’s ganglands, where he quickly progresses from selling drugs to getting involved in gangsterism, before being shot in the foot and sent to a home for “rude children”, where he suffers further trauma and violence.
Fear Fokol: Fear Fokol explores South Africa’s private security industry in Johannesburg, revealing the illusion of safety amidst inequality, paranoia and mistrust in a society driven by fear.
They dug a grave in my heart: While a mining company drills into the earth to extract rock salt, a gang of teenagers plan to break the machine responsible for the tremors and sinking of the ground.

  • Never Come Fetch Me W/P + Q&A
  • Fear Fokol + Q&A
  • They dug a grave in my heart W/P
 Buy Labia Tickets The Labia Theatre
2:30 PM Best of Fest Blue Road: The Edna O’Brien Story A portrait of one of the world’s greatest and most charismatic writers, Irish author Edna O’Brien. Buy Labia Tickets The Labia Theatre
3:00 PM The Walk Asil, a young Syrian refugee, processes her trauma through Amal, a giant puppet symbolizing millions of displaced children. Amal’s journey from the Syrian border in Turkey across Europe is one of compassion and discovery. RSVP Bertha Movie House
4:30 PM Between the Ordinary and the Uncanny Shorts Block perfectly a strangeness: In the dazzling incandescence of an unknown desert, three donkeys discover an abandoned astronomical observatory and the universe. A sensorial, cinematic exploration of what a story can be.
The Fries Philosopher: Discover the soul of Amsterdam’s Turkish fries baker Abi, as he struggles with the demolition of his beloved snack bar. Abi is a neighborhood father, a poet and an entertainer.

  • perfectly a strangeness
  • The Fries Philosopher
 Buy V&A Tickets Ster Kinekor V+A
4:30 PM Best of Fest Mothers of Chibok A community of mothers in a Nigerian village struggle to persevere while grieving for their daughters, who were kidnapped by Boko Haram Buy Labia Tickets The Labia Theatre
5:00 PM Normal To Me W/P + Q&A An engaging feature documentary that intimately explores the lives of individuals with special needs, all employed at a protective workshop in the charming seaside town of Fish Hoek. RSVP Bertha Movie House
6:00 PM The Thinking Game Chronicles visionary scientist Demis Hassabis’ relentless pursuit to crack artificial general intelligence, a journey of extraordinary perseverance. Buy V&A Tickets Ster Kinekor V+A
6:30 PM Anselm in 3D Anselm Kiefer is one of the greatest contemporary artists. His past and present diffuse the line between film and painting, thus giving a unique cinematic experience that dives deep into an artist’s work and reveals his life path. Buy V&A Tickets Ster Kinekor V+A
6:30 PM Kabul Chaos + Q&A A look back at the years leading up to the fall of Kabul and the perilous evacuation of civilians trapped inside the French embassy in the hours following the Taliban’s takeover of the country in 2021. Buy Labia Tickets The Labia Theatre
8:00 PM Yumi In a brave fight for survival, South Pacific students like Romabeth (25), Vishal (26) and Solomon (27) are inspiring a global movement to demand legal accountability for climate change at the world’s highest court, pushing for historic action. Buy V&A Tickets Ster Kinekor V+A
Sun 29 June
12:00 PM Currents of Resilience Shorts Block Guardian of the Well: Amid a historic drought in the southern reaches of Chad’s Sahara Desert, a well-goer recalls his lost cattle and contemplates his plans for a change in livelihood.
Undercurrent: This documentary delves into the decline of South Africa’s local commercial fishing industry, exploring the forces behind its 20-year struggle for survival.
Pouring Water on Troubled Oil: A poetic archival documentary following the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas on his journey through Iran in 1951 on an assignment to write a film script for the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company.
Keeper: A Bronx beekeeper and his 19-year-old daughter care for their hivesโ€”and each otherโ€”in the wake of a life-threatening diagnosis.

  • Guardian of the Well + Q&A
  • Undercurrent W/P + Q&A
  • Pouring Water on Troubled Oil
  • Keeper
 Buy V&A Tickets Ster Kinekor V+A
12:30 PM Best of Fest Intercepted Destruction in Ukraine war shown through lengthy tableaux. Soldiers’ phone calls to families reveal parallel world. Sound and image confront one another. Buy V&A Tickets Ster Kinekor V+A
2:00 PM Green Job Opportunities Info Session
2:30 PM Abo Zaabal 89 In this documentary, he films his efforts to renew and restore relationships with his parents and find a path to historical truth, emotional comprehension and psychological healing. Buy Labia Tickets The Labia Theatre
3:00 PM Awards Ceremony (Cine 12) Ster Kinekor V+A
3:00 PM Capturing Water + Q&A Working-class citizens, a farmer, and a suburban activist rise up to defend their water, land, and dignity against a city’s neglect and broken promises. RSVP Bertha Movie House
4:30 PM Best of Fest Albie: A Strange Alchemy W/P + Q&A A poetic portrait of Albie Sachs, anti-apartheid icon and constitutional court judge, whose experiences under the apartheid regime and visionary ideals helped forge South Africaโ€™s path to justice and transformation. Buy Labia Tickets The Labia Theatre
6:00 PM Put your soul on your hand and walk + Panel Buy V&A Tickets Ster Kinekor V+A
6:30 PM Best of Fest Matabeleland Chris, a 60-year-old immigrant haunted by the unburied spirit of his fatherโ€”killed in a genocideโ€”struggles to support his sprawling family, but as love with Dumi deepens and demands commitment, he must confront his past, his faith, and the heavy legacy he carries. Buy V&A Tickets Ster Kinekor V+A
6:30 PM Best of Fest And She Didn’t Die A daughter chronicles her mother’s journey from rural storyteller to revolutionary to acclaimed feminist writer in exile, a life that was an act of resistance. Buy Labia Tickets The Labia Theatre
8:30 PM Best of Fest Yalla Parkour In her relentless pursuit of a memory that reinforces her sense of belonging, Areeb crosses paths with Ahmad, a Parkour athlete in Gaza. Nostalgia meets with ambition, and the weight of a confined past meets with an unpredictable future. Buy Labia Tickets The Labia Theatre
The Bioscope
The Bioscope Independent Cinema

44 Stanley Ave, Milpark, Johannesburg 2092

https://thebioscope.co.za/

Time Film Name Tickets
Fri 20 June
6:30 PM Mr Nobody Against Putin A Russian teacher secretly documents his small town school’s transformation into a war recruitment centre during the Ukraine invasion, revealing the ethical dilemmas educators face amid propaganda and militarisation. Buy Bioscope Tickets
8:30 PM Khartoum Five lives, one city, a nation at war. A civil servant, a tea lady, a resistance committee volunteer and two street boys. Five stories from Sudan weave together in search of freedom. Buy Bioscope Tickets
Sat 21 June
3:00 PM Redefining Desire: From Fear to Freedom Shorts Block What I Do Not Know Will Not Kill Me: In Africa’s biggest economy, a silent killer is causing thousands of avoidable deaths. Aisha, a gynaecologist who survived cervical cancer actively fights for the lives of other cancer patients.
Slut Club: A deliciously daring documentary chronicling a pole dancing show for women and the LGBTQIA+ community, celebrating the divine feminine and sacred sexuality in all of us.
Unyagoni: Bahati’s Sex Education Journey: In the Swahili cultural sex education ‘Unyago’, Bahati Ngazi, a young sex educator, embarks on a compelling journey to elevate her status from an advanced beginner, to an intermediate educator.

  • What I Do Not Know Will Not Kill Me
  • Slut Club W/P
  • Unyagoni: Bahati’s Sex Education Journey
 Buy Bioscope Tickets
6:00 PM Where Zebus Speak French Ly is one of the last farmer-orators in the capital of Madagascar. His life takes a turn in 2016 when power brokers begin to covet the land he cultivates. Buy Bioscope Tickets
Sun 22 June
11:00 AM Between the Ordinary and the Uncanny Shorts Block perfectly a strangeness: In the dazzling incandescence of an unknown desert, three donkeys discover an abandoned astronomical observatory and the universe. A sensorial, cinematic exploration of what a story can be.
The Fries Philosopher: Discover the soul of Amsterdam’s Turkish fries baker Abi, as he struggles with the demolition of his beloved snack bar. Abi is a neighborhood father, a poet and an entertainer.

  • perfectly a strangeness
  • The Fries Philosopher
 Buy Bioscope Tickets
1:00 PM Between Fear and Forgetting Shorts Block Never Come Fetch Me: A moving account of a young boy’s life on the mean streets of Cape Town’s ganglands, where he quickly progresses from selling drugs to getting involved in gangsterism, before being shot in the foot and sent to a home for “rude children”, where he suffers further trauma and violence.
Fear Fokol: Fear Fokol explores South Africa’s private security industry in Johannesburg, revealing the illusion of safety amidst inequality, paranoia and mistrust in a society driven by fear.
They dug a grave in my heart: While a mining company drills into the earth to extract rock salt, a gang of teenagers plan to break the machine responsible for the tremors and sinking of the ground.

  • Never Come Fetch Me W/P
  • Fear Fokol
  • They dug a grave in my heart W/P
 Buy Bioscope Tickets
3:00 PM Brief Tender Light Four African students at MIT confront culture shock and personal growth as they strive to turn youthful ideals into lasting impact back home. Buy Bioscope Tickets
Mon 23 June
6:30 PM Didy What remains, thirty years on, of the memory of a mother left too soon? Buy Bioscope Tickets
Tue 24 June
6:00 PM 6 Kings and 6 Queens W/P + Q&A The sudden passing of Balobedu Rain Queen Modjadji VI in 2005 signalled the end of the 200-year-old dynasty of female rulers; the only matrilineal monarch in Africa. Buy Bioscope Tickets
8:30 PM Shifting Baselines + Q&A Where the Rio Grande meets the sea, the rockets of SpaceX are launched; astronomers gaze skyward, hawkers shill their wares and environmentalists survey the damage. Welcome to Boca Chica, USA. Buy Bioscope Tickets
Wed 25 June
6:30 PM Womxn: Working W/P + Q&A Against the backdrop of South Africa’s femicide crisis, a fearless group of activist women wages a historic battle for decriminalisation while protecting their vulnerable community through groundbreak. Buy Bioscope Tickets
8:30 PM Normal To Me W/P An engaging feature documentary that intimately explores the lives of individuals with special needs, all employed at a protective workshop in the charming seaside town of Fish Hoek. Buy Bioscope Tickets
Thu 26 June
6:30 PM Fitting in Within the walls of a prestigious men’s residence called “Eendrag”, young South African students are confronted with a past that has not been forgotten. Buy Bioscope Tickets
8:30 PM Sam Nzima W/P + Q&A In order to truly grasp the significance of the iconic image of Hector Pieterson, we must delve deeper into Sam Nzima’s personal journey, both before and after capturing that life-changing moment. Buy Bioscope Tickets
Fri 27 June
6:30 PM The Tree of Authenticity A film essay exploring the Democratic Republic of Congo’s colonial history and its ecological significance, highlighting the Congo Basin’s vital role in consuming carbon dioxide and shaping global environmental balance over a century. Buy Bioscope Tickets
8:30 PM Capturing Water + Q&A Working-class citizens, a farmer, and a suburban activist rise up to defend their water, land, and dignity against a city’s neglect and broken promises. Buy Bioscope Tickets
Sat 28 June
3:00 PM Best of Fest 6 Kings and 6 Queens W/P The sudden passing of Balobedu Rain Queen Modjadji VI in 2005 signalled the end of the 200-year-old dynasty of female rulers; the only matrilineal monarch in Africa. Buy Bioscope Tickets
5:00 PM More Than Meets the Eye Shorts Block Sprouting: A poignant look at the lives of young South African women navigating the cultural, emotional, and economic pressures of Eurocentric beauty ideals.
Am I the Skinniest Person You’ve Ever Seen? Follows Eisha and Seema, soul-mate sisters whose shared dietary goal becomes a harrowing descent for Eisha. Years later, her auto-ethnographic narrative revisits her troubling past, addressing body image and self-acceptance.

  • Sprouting W/P + Q&A
  • Am I the Skinniest Person You’ve Ever Seen?
 Buy Bioscope Tickets
6:00 PM Roots of Resistance Shorts Block The Other Side of Beauty: A photographer, captivated by the stars and the beauty of his country, turns his lens toward a darker truth: exposing his government’s role in the Darfur genocide. But his courage comes at a cost.
Dreams of a Revolution: Along the haunted road to Inhaminga, the echoes of past revolutions linger, as a search for meaning uncovers only timeless words and restless ghosts.
The Medallion: Ruth and her mother go back to Ethiopia and explore her mother’s story as a survivor of the Red Terror genocide. Amidst a new civil war, the two revisit a country bursting with history and culture.
Ahmad Alive: Tracing Palestine History Through Good Films No. 4 “Attacks on Gaza Recorded by Citizen Journalists: 2008-09 & 2023-24”

  • The Other Side of Beauty
  • Dreams of a Revolution + Q&A
  • The Medallion
  • Ahmad Alive
 Buy Bioscope Tickets
8:00 PM Mothers of Chibok A community of mothers in a Nigerian village struggle to persevere while grieving for their daughters, who were kidnapped by Boko Haram. Buy Bioscope Tickets
Sun 29 June
11:00 AM Unmasking the Self Shorts Block Message from Anonymous: Three people hide a secret, if it comes out, their lives will be turned upside down.
At the Edge of Skin: At the Edge of Skin is an observational documentary guided by the lives of Laiz and Joselito, both black and albino.
Facing Forward: Through the eyes of three para surf athletes, this documentary celebrates resilience, determination, and the unbreakable human spirit.

  • Message from Anonymous
  • At the Edge of Skin W/P
  • Facing Forward W/P
 Buy Bioscope Tickets
1:00 PM Death by Discrimination Shorts Block The Flow of Resilience: A found diary triggers memories, leading a filmmaker on a journey to uncover harrowing stories of accused witches in remote Assam villages.
Onthou vi Fredo? An intimate portrait of Alfredo’s life and legacy, told through the voices of his mother, friends, and Cape Town’s queer community in the wake of his tragic murder in Malmesbury.

  • The Flow of Resilience
  • Onthou vi Fredo? + Q&A
 Buy Bioscope Tickets
3:00 PM Best of Fest Sam Nzima W/P In order to truly grasp the significance of the iconic image of Hector Pieterson, we must delve deeper into Sam Nzima’s personal journey, both before and after capturing that life-changing moment. Buy Bioscope Tickets
Bioscope Independent Cinema โ€“ Encounters 2025 Film Festival Schedule. Click on film titles for details or on “Buy Bioscope Tickets” to book.
Ster Kinekor logo

177 Oxford Rd, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196

https://www.sterkinekor.com/find-cinemas/the-zone-@-rosebank

Cine 8

Time Film Name Tickets
Fri 20 June
7:15 PM Intercepted + Q&A Destruction in Ukraine war shown through lengthy tableaux. Soldiers’ phone calls to families reveal parallel world. Sound and image confront one another. Buy Rosebank Tickets
Sat 21 June
5:30 PM Union A group of current and former Amazon workers in New York City’s Staten Island challenges one of the world’s largest companies in a unionisation battle. Buy Rosebank Tickets
8:00 PM The Thinking Game Chronicles visionary scientist Demis Hassabis’ relentless pursuit to crack artificial general intelligence, a journey of extraordinary perseverance. Buy Rosebank Tickets
Sun 22 June
2:00 PM Misty: The Erroll Garner Story Erroll Garner was a self-taught American Jazz pianist considered a genius by his peers. He juggled a tremendously successful career with a complex private life. Buy Rosebank Tickets
4:30 PM The Land’s Silent Witness Shorts Block Umhlaba Wokhokho: Driven by a prophetic vision, iNkosi Mabaso reclaims his ancestral land. In eMgundeni, a village where grasslands whisper and wetlands cradle life, fulfilling his name, Zwelihle (Beautiful Land).
Spirits of the Land: The film narrates the poignant stories of Black families still living under oppression on white-owned land in South Africa, shedding light on the loss of ancestral lands and the ongoing fight for land.

  • Umhlaba Wokhokho W/P + Q&A
  • Spirits of the Land + Q&A
 Buy Rosebank Tickets
6:30 PM Blue Road: The Edna O’Brien Story A portrait of one of the world’s greatest and most charismatic writers, Irish author Edna O’Brien. Buy Rosebank Tickets
Mon 23 June
6:15 PM The Brink of Dreams This documentary chronicles the lives of a group of young Egyptian girls from a very conservative small village in Upper Egypt who formed an all-female acting troupe despite family rejection. Buy Rosebank Tickets
Tue 24 June
6:15 PM Albie: A Strange Alchemy W/P + Q&A A poetic portrait of Albie Sachs, anti-apartheid icon and constitutional court judge, whose experiences under the apartheid regime and visionary ideals helped forge South Africaโ€™s path to justice and transformation. Buy Rosebank Tickets
8:15 PM Abo Zaabal 89 Buy Rosebank Tickets
Wed 25 June
6:15 PM The Walk Asil, a young Syrian refugee, processes her trauma through Amal, a giant puppet symbolizing millions of displaced children. Amal’s journey from the Syrian border in Turkey across Europe is one of compassion and discovery. Buy Rosebank Tickets
8:30 PM Yalla Parkour In her relentless pursuit of a memory that reinforces her sense of belonging, Areeb crosses paths with Ahmad, a Parkour athlete in Gaza. Nostalgia meets with ambition, and the weight of a confined past meets with an unpredictable future. Buy Rosebank Tickets
Thu 26 June
6:15 PM Currents of Resilience Shorts Block Guardian of the Well: Amid a historic drought in the southern reaches of Chad’s Sahara Desert, a well-goer recalls his lost cattle and contemplates his plans for a change in livelihood.
Undercurrent: This documentary delves into the decline of South Africa’s local commercial fishing industry, exploring the forces behind its 20-year struggle for survival.
Pouring Water on Troubled Oil: A poetic archival documentary following the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas on his journey through Iran in 1951 on an assignment to write a film script for the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company.
Keeper: A Bronx beekeeper and his 19-year-old daughter care for their hivesโ€”and each otherโ€”in the wake of a life-threatening diagnosis.

  • Guardian of the Well
  • Undercurrent W/P + Q&A
  • Pouring Water on Troubled Oil
  • Keeper
 Buy Rosebank Tickets
8:15 PM This is Ballroom In Rio de Janeiro City and its outskirts, LGBTQ+ youth of color recreates Ballroom culture on their own terms. A portrait of the dramas, the voguing performances, and the art of shade, 50 years after its inception in New York. Buy Rosebank Tickets
Fri 27 June
6:15 PM And She Didn’t Die + Q&A A daughter chronicles her mother’s journey from rural storyteller to revolutionary to acclaimed feminist writer in exile, a life that was an act of resistance. Buy Rosebank Tickets
8:30 PM Yumi + Q&A In a brave fight for survival, South Pacific students like Romabeth (25), Vishal (26) and Solomon (27) are inspiring a global movement to demand legal accountability for climate change at the world’s highest court, pushing for historic action. Buy Rosebank Tickets
Sat 28 June
1:30 PM Best of the Fest And She Didn’t Die A daughter chronicles her mother’s journey from rural storyteller to revolutionary to acclaimed feminist writer in exile, a life that was an act of resistance. Buy Rosebank Tickets
3:30 PM In Her Name Shorts Block Victoria: Victoria sets up a helium balloon business in Nairobi as a means of surrounding herself with joy, as well as finding security after escaping an abusive relationship.
Before 16: Elizabeth became a mother at just 16 after a traumatic sexual assault. Now, 15 years later, she reflects on the profound challenges and emotions of raising her child under extraordinary circumstances.
Seeds from Kivu? In Kivu (DR Congo), women who were gang-raped by the region’s guerrillas who control the mineral resources are undergoing psychological treatment to deal with the dilemma of accepting the babies they have given birth to after being raped.

  • Victoria
  • Before 16
  • Seeds from Kivu
 Buy Rosebank Tickets
5:30 PM Matabeleland + Q&A Chris, a 60-year-old immigrant haunted by the unburied spirit of his fatherโ€”killed in a genocideโ€”struggles to support his sprawling family, but as love with Dumi deepens and demands commitment, he must confront his past, his faith, and the heavy legacy he carries. Buy Rosebank Tickets
8:00 PM Yintah W/P A focus on the impact on the lives of the Wet’suwet’en people who live on unceded territory, as they oppose the construction of multiple pipelines. Buy Rosebank Tickets
Sun 29 June
12:00 PM The Shadow Scholars + Q&A Professor Kingori explores Kenya’s essay mills supplying work for students globally. Thousands of educated but underemployed Kenyans earn from this billion-dollar industry undermining education’s integrity. Buy Rosebank Tickets
2:00 PM How to Build a Library + Q&A Two Nairobi women set out to revive a former whites-only library, facing political hurdles, funding battles, and the enduring legacy of colonialism. Buy Rosebank Tickets
5:00 PM Fragments of a Forgotten Land Shorts Block The Rock Speaks: A hybrid AI documentary which navigates the trans-global technological production supply chain, told from the perspective of a piece of cobalt.
The Sending of the Crows: This documentary connects a |xam legend told by brother and sister Dia!kwain and !kweiten ta ||ken in Cape Town in 1874 to the present.
Flowers An Amazon ethnocide is justified by war in Ukraine. All streamed on-line under the gaze of the filmmaker, he leaves the screen and meets his 3-year-old son who marvels at the flowers in the garden.

  • The Rock Speaks
  • The Sending of the Crows W/P
  • Flowers
 Buy Rosebank Tickets
7:00 PM Kabul Chaos + Q&A A look back at the years leading up to the fall of Kabul and the perilous evacuation of civilians trapped inside the French embassy in the hours following the Taliban’s takeover of the country in 2021. Buy Rosebank Tickets
The Zone @ Rosebank โ€“ Encounters 2025 Film Festival Schedule. Click on film titles for details or on “Buy Rosebank Tickets” to book.

Cine 5

Time Film Name Tickets
Sat 28 June
8:00 PM Anselm in 3D Anselm Kiefer is one of the greatest contemporary artists. His past and present diffuse the line between film and painting, thus giving a unique cinematic experience that dives deep into an artist’s work and reveals his life path. Buy Rosebank Tickets
The Zone @ Rosebank โ€“ Encounters 2025 Film Festival Schedule. Click on film titles for details or on “Buy Rosebank Tickets” to book.

NMF logo

107 Central Street, Houghton, Johannesburg

Time Film Name Tickets
Wed 25 June
6:00 PM Put your soul on your hand and walk + Panel Buy NMF Tickets
Nelson Mandela Foundation โ€“ Encounters 2025 Film Festival Schedule. Click on film titles for details or on “Buy NMF Tickets” to book.
Time Film Name Tickets Cinema
Mon 23 June
6:15 PM The Brink of Dreams This documentary chronicles the lives of a group of young Egyptian girls from a very conservative small village in Upper Egypt who formed an all-female acting troupe despite family rejection. Buy Rosebank Tickets The Zone @ Rosebank
6:30 PM Didy What remains, thirty years on, of the memory of a mother left too soon? Buy Bioscope Tickets Bioscope Independent Cinema
Tue 24 June
6:00 PM 6 Kings and 6 Queens W/P + Q&A The sudden passing of Balobedu Rain Queen Modjadji VI in 2005 signalled the end of the 200-year-old dynasty of female rulers; the only matrilineal monarch in Africa. Buy Bioscope Tickets Bioscope Independent Cinema
6:15 PM Albie: A Strange Alchemy W/P + Q&A A poetic portrait of Albie Sachs, anti-apartheid icon and constitutional court judge, whose experiences under the apartheid regime and visionary ideals helped forge South Africaโ€™s path to justice and transformation. Buy Rosebank Tickets The Zone @ Rosebank
8:15 PM Abo Zaabal 89 In this documentary, he films his efforts to renew and restore relationships with his parents and find a path to historical truth, emotional comprehension and psychological healing. Buy Rosebank Tickets The Zone @ Rosebank
8:30 PM Shifting Baselines + Q&A Where the Rio Grande meets the sea, the rockets of SpaceX are launched; astronomers gaze skyward, hawkers shill their wares and environmentalists survey the damage. Welcome to Boca Chica, USA. Buy Bioscope Tickets Bioscope Independent Cinema
Wed 25 June
6:00 PM Put your soul on your hand and walk + Panel Buy NMF Tickets Nelson Mandela Foundation
6:15 PM The Walk Asil, a young Syrian refugee, processes her trauma through Amal, a giant puppet symbolizing millions of displaced children. Amal’s journey from the Syrian border in Turkey across Europe is one of compassion and discovery. Buy Rosebank Tickets The Zone @ Rosebank
6:30 PM Womxn: Working W/P + Q&A Against the backdrop of South Africa’s femicide crisis, a fearless group of activist women wages a historic battle for decriminalisation while protecting their vulnerable community through groundbreak Buy Bioscope Tickets Bioscope Independent Cinema
8:30 PM Yalla Parkour In her relentless pursuit of a memory that reinforces her sense of belonging, Areeb crosses paths with Ahmad, a Parkour athlete in Gaza. Nostalgia meets with ambition, and the weight of a confined past meets with an unpredictable future. Buy Rosebank Tickets The Zone @ Rosebank
8:30 PM Normal To Me W/P An engaging feature documentary that intimately explores the lives of individuals with special needs, all employed at a protective workshop in the charming seaside town of Fish Hoek. Buy Bioscope Tickets Bioscope Independent Cinema
Thu 26 June
6:15 PM Currents of Resilience Shorts Block Guardian of the Well: Amid a historic drought in the southern reaches of Chad’s Sahara Desert, a well-goer recalls his lost cattle and contemplates his plans for a change in livelihood.
Undercurrent: This documentary delves into the decline of South Africa’s local commercial fishing industry, exploring the forces behind its 20-year struggle for survival.
Pouring Water on Troubled Oil: A poetic archival documentary following the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas on his journey through Iran in 1951 on an assignment to write a film script for the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company.
Keeper: A Bronx beekeeper and his 19-year-old daughter care for their hivesโ€”and each otherโ€”in the wake of a life-threatening diagnosis.

  • Guardian of the Well
  • Undercurrent W/P + Q&A
  • Pouring Water on Troubled Oil
  • Keeper
 Buy Rosebank Tickets The Zone @ Rosebank
6:30 PM Fitting in Within the walls of a prestigious men’s residence called “Eendrag”, young South African students are confronted with a past that has not been forgotten. Buy Bioscope Tickets Bioscope Independent Cinema
8:15 PM This is Ballroom In Rio de Janeiro City and its outskirts, LGBTQ+ youth of color recreates Ballroom culture on their own terms. A portrait of the dramas, the voguing performances, and the art of shade, 50 years after its inception in New York. Buy Rosebank Tickets The Zone @ Rosebank
8:30 PM Sam Nzima W/P + Q&A In order to truly grasp the significance of the iconic image of Hector Pieterson, we must delve deeper into Sam Nzima’s personal journey, both before and after capturing that life-changing moment. Buy Bioscope Tickets Bioscope Independent Cinema
Fri 27 June
6:15 PM And She Didn’t Die + Q&A A daughter chronicles her mother’s journey from rural storyteller to revolutionary to acclaimed feminist writer in exile, a life that was an act of resistance. Buy Rosebank Tickets The Zone @ Rosebank
6:30 PM The Tree of Authenticity A film essay exploring the Democratic Republic of Congo’s colonial history and its ecological significance, highlighting the Congo Basin’s vital role in consuming carbon dioxide and shaping global environmental balance over a century. Buy Bioscope Tickets Bioscope Independent Cinema
8:30 PM Yumi + Q&A In a brave fight for survival, South Pacific students like Romabeth (25), Vishal (26) and Solomon (27) are inspiring a global movement to demand legal accountability for climate change at the world’s highest court, pushing for historic action. Buy Rosebank Tickets The Zone @ Rosebank
8:30 PM Capturing Water + Q&A Working-class citizens, a farmer, and a suburban activist rise up to defend their water, land, and dignity against a city’s neglect and broken promises. Buy Bioscope Tickets Bioscope Independent Cinema
Sat 28 June
1:30 PM Best of Fest And She Didn’t Die A daughter chronicles her mother’s journey from rural storyteller to revolutionary to acclaimed feminist writer in exile, a life that was an act of resistance. Buy Rosebank Tickets The Zone @ Rosebank
3:00 PM Best of Fest 6 Kings and 6 Queens W/P The sudden passing of Balobedu Rain Queen Modjadji VI in 2005 signalled the end of the 200-year-old dynasty of female rulers; the only matrilineal monarch in Africa. Buy Bioscope Tickets Bioscope Independent Cinema
3:30 PM In Her Name Shorts Block Victoria: Victoria sets up a helium balloon business in Nairobi as a means of surrounding herself with joy, as well as finding security after escaping an abusive relationship.
Before 16: Elizabeth became a mother at just 16 after a traumatic sexual assault. Now, 15 years later, she reflects on the profound challenges and emotions of raising her child under extraordinary circumstances.
Seeds from Kivu? In Kivu (DR Congo), women who were gang-raped by the region’s guerrillas who control the mineral resources are undergoing psychological treatment to deal with the dilemma of accepting the babies they have given birth to after being raped.

  • Victoria
  • Before 16
  • Seeds from Kivu
 Buy Rosebank Tickets The Zone @ Rosebank
5:00 PM More Than Meets the Eye Shorts Block Sprouting: A poignant look at the lives of young South African women navigating the cultural, emotional, and economic pressures of Eurocentric beauty ideals.
Am I the Skinniest Person You’ve Ever Seen? Follows Eisha and Seema, soul-mate sisters whose shared dietary goal becomes a harrowing descent for Eisha. Years later, her auto-ethnographic narrative revisits her troubling past, addressing body image and self-acceptance.

  • Sprouting W/P + Q&A
  • Am I the Skinniest Person You’ve Ever Seen?
 Buy Bioscope Tickets Bioscope Independent Cinema
5:30 PM Matabeleland + Q&A Chris, a 60-year-old immigrant haunted by the unburied spirit of his fatherโ€”killed in a genocideโ€”struggles to support his sprawling family, but as love with Dumi deepens and demands commitment, he must confront his past, his faith, and the heavy legacy he carries. Buy Rosebank Tickets The Zone @ Rosebank
6:00 PM Roots of Resistance Shorts Block The Other Side of Beauty: A photographer, captivated by the stars and the beauty of his country, turns his lens toward a darker truth: exposing his government’s role in the Darfur genocide. But his courage comes at a cost.
Dreams of a Revolution: Along the haunted road to Inhaminga, the echoes of past revolutions linger, as a search for meaning uncovers only timeless words and restless ghosts.
The Medallion: Ruth and her mother go back to Ethiopia and explore her mother’s story as a survivor of the Red Terror genocide. Amidst a new civil war, the two revisit a country bursting with history and culture.
Ahmad Alive: Tracing Palestine History Through Good Films No. 4 “Attacks on Gaza Recorded by Citizen Journalists: 2008-09 & 2023-24”

  • The Other Side of Beauty
  • Dreams of a Revolution + Q&A
  • Medallion
  • Ahmad Alive
 Buy Bioscope Tickets Bioscope Independent Cinema
8:00 PM Yintah W/P A focus on the impact on the lives of the Wet’suwet’en people who live on unceded territory, as they oppose the construction of multiple pipelines. Buy Rosebank Tickets The Zone @ Rosebank
8:00 PM Anselm in 3D Anselm Kiefer is one of the greatest contemporary artists. His past and present diffuse the line between film and painting, thus giving a unique cinematic experience that dives deep into an artist’s work and reveals his life path. Buy Rosebank Tickets The Zone @ Rosebank
8:00 PM Mothers of Chibok A community of mothers in a Nigerian village struggle to persevere while grieving for their daughters, who were kidnapped by Boko Haram. Buy Bioscope Tickets Bioscope Independent Cinema
Sun 29 June
11:00 AM Unmasking the Self Shorts Block Message from Anonymous: Three people hide a secret, if it comes out, their lives will be turned upside down.
At the Edge of Skin: At the Edge of Skin is an observational documentary guided by the lives of Laiz and Joselito, both black and albino.
Facing Forward: Through the eyes of three para surf athletes, this documentary celebrates resilience, determination, and the unbreakable human spirit.

  • Message from Anonymous
  • At the Edge of Skin W/P
  • Facing Forward W/P
 Buy Bioscope Tickets Bioscope Independent Cinema
12:00 PM The Shadow Scholars + Q&A Professor Kingori explores Kenya’s essay mills supplying work for students globally. Thousands of educated but underemployed Kenyans earn from this billion-dollar industry undermining education’s integrity. Buy Rosebank Tickets The Zone @ Rosebank
1:00 PM Death by Discrimination Shorts Block The Flow of Resilience: A found diary triggers memories, leading a filmmaker on a journey to uncover harrowing stories of accused witches in remote Assam villages.
Onthou vi Fredo? An intimate portrait of Alfredo’s life and legacy, told through the voices of his mother, friends, and Cape Town’s queer community in the wake of his tragic murder in Malmesbury.

  • The Flow of Resilience
  • Onthou vi Fredo? + Q&A
 Buy Bioscope Tickets Bioscope Independent Cinema
2:00 PM How to Build a Library + Q&A Two Nairobi women set out to revive a former whites-only library, facing political hurdles, funding battles, and the enduring legacy of colonialism. Buy Rosebank Tickets The Zone @ Rosebank
3:00 PM Best of Fest Sam Nzima W/P In order to truly grasp the significance of the iconic image of Hector Pieterson, we must delve deeper into Sam Nzima’s personal journey, both before and after capturing that life-changing moment. Buy Bioscope Tickets Bioscope Independent Cinema
5:00 PM Fragments of a Forgotten Land Shorts Block The Rock Speaks: A hybrid AI documentary which navigates the trans-global technological production supply chain, told from the perspective of a piece of cobalt.
The Sending of the Crows: This documentary connects a |xam legend told by brother and sister Dia!kwain and !kweiten ta ||ken in Cape Town in 1874 to the present.
Flowers An Amazon ethnocide is justified by war in Ukraine. All streamed on-line under the gaze of the filmmaker, he leaves the screen and meets his 3-year-old son who marvels at the flowers in the garden.

  • The Rock Speaks
  • The Sending of the Crows W/P
  • Flowers
 Buy Rosebank Tickets The Zone @ Rosebank
7:00 PM Kabul Chaos + Q&A A look back at the years leading up to the fall of Kabul and the perilous evacuation of civilians trapped inside the French embassy in the hours following the Taliban’s takeover of the country in 2021. Buy Rosebank Tickets The Zone @ Rosebank
Encounters 2025 Film Festival Schedule. Click on film titles for details or on “Buy Tickets” to book.