Joburg Film Festival Returns For The 7th Edition 

Johannesburg, South Africa’s most populous city and economic hub, welcomes the annual Joburg Film Festival (JFF), Africa’s premier film festival, for the 7th edition taking place from 11th – 16th March 2025. This year’s edition is themed “The Golden Thread – Connected Through Stories” and will feature an exclusive range of Afrocentric and international films.

“We are pleased to present ‘The Golden Thread’ as our theme for the next edition of the festival,” says Tim Mangwedi, founder of JFF. “It represents the unbreakable link that storytelling forms between individuals, communities and cultures. Through our carefully curated selection of films, we aim to show how stories, much like threads, interlace to create a larger tapestry of shared human experience. This is a celebration of connectivity, of learning from one another, and of recognising the meaningful impact.”

Since its inception in 2016 in Johannesburg—the famed City of Gold, the Joburg Film Festival has partnered with MultiChoice to showcase  African cinema and celebrate the diverse African narratives across the globe. As with previous editions, the forthcoming festival will  attract film professionals and audiences from the continent and internationally, providing an avenue to share experiences and create meaningful connections through the global language of cinema. With the lineup of events, JFF intends to promote inclusivity, diversity and narratives of universal concern. 

Over 60 African and international curated tiles, which includes fiction and documentary (feature-length and shorts), are confirmed to be shown to audiences at the festival. 

Leading the lineup is Ernest Cole: Lost and Found, directed by Haitian born, Paris-based director Rauol Peck. Ernest Cole: Lost and Found, which premiered at Cannes in 2024, is a documentary about South African photographer Ernest Cole who is known to have unveiled the horrors of Apartheid through his powerful 1967 book, House of Bondage. The documentary will also screen at the 56th edition of Visions du Réel documentary festival in Switzerland, slated for 4th – 13th April, 2025.

Also included in the film screenings are Sebata, a gripping dark South African detective thriller directed by Norman Maake; The Man Died, an adaptation of Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka’s autobiographical prison experience of same title, directed by Awam Amkpa; Timmy the Kid a family comedy film produced by Nyikiwe Mathye of Mirror Effect Media and directed by Gray Hofmeyr; To a Land Unknown, directed by Lebanese Mahdi Fleifel; and Under the Volcano, directed by Polish filmmaker, Damian Kocur. 

“In the ever-evolving landscape of global media and entertainment, the Joburg Film Festival stands at the forefront of Africa’s cultural and creative revolution,” noted Nhlanhla Ndaba, the curator of Joburg Film Festival. “Now in its 7th year, the festival continues to celebrate filmmaking excellence, offering a unique window into the heart of a continent rich with inspiring stories waiting to be shared on the international stage.”