This year’s Joburg Film Festival (JFF), held in partnership with MultiChoice Group, a CANAL+ company, is challenging audiences to experience cinema in a whole new way.
Rather than simply following the story, viewers are encouraged to engage with the hidden craft behind each frame, from lighting and sound design to the subtle editing that gives a film its emotional resonance.
Running from 3–8 March 2026, the festival will showcase over 60 curated films, including 40 fiction feature films, 18 non-fiction feature films, and 65 short films, of which 9 are student works.
These selections were chosen from 691 submissions spanning Africa, Europe, the USA, South America, the UK, Asia, and the Middle East, and will be screened across multiple cinemas in Johannesburg, offering audiences a truly global and immersive cinematic experience.
Festival founder Tim Mangwedi told the Saturday Star that the 2026 theme, ‘Feel the Frame’, celebrates the artistry of filmmaking.
What makes this year’s edition of the Joburg Film Festival unique compared to previous years, especially with the theme ‘Feel the Frame’?
This year's festival is unique because it fundamentally shifts the focus from what story is told to how it is told. Under the theme Feel the Frame, we are inviting audiences to look beyond just the plot and leading performances, but rather to appreciate the invisible labour of filmmaking, such as the cinematography, sound design, editing, and production design, the blocks that build a film's emotional world. This edition is curated as a deep dive into the artistry and sensory experience of cinema.
How do you hope audiences will connect with the curated selection of over 60 films from across the globe?
Based on the festival theme and the programming choices, I hope audiences don't just watch these films, but physically feel them. With a theme centred on craft, the goal is for viewers to leave the cinema remembering a specific soundscape that haunted them, or a framing choice that made their heart race. For a film like Retreat, a thriller with a deaf cast, I hope hearing audiences connect with the story not through dialogue, but through the intentional absence of sound and the amplified power of visual tension. It’s about connecting to the visceral language of cinema. The selection spans 98 countries, but the themes around family, migration, patriarchy, and self-determination are universal. I hope a viewer in Joburg watches a film from Japan or South America and finds a reflection of their own community’s struggles or joys. The goal is to facilitate a global conversation where audiences realise that while contexts differ, the human condition is shared.
With such a diverse range of submissions, what was the most exciting or surprising trend you noticed in the films chosen this year?
Diving into over 770 submissions from 98 countries and narrowing it down to 60 films is a monumental task, and it certainly reveals some fascinating undercurrents in global cinema, the most exciting and surprising trends I noticed was a move away from didactic, issue-led storytelling towards what I'd call sensory realism were filmmakers, particularly from the continent, are trusting the audience to feel the politics rather than just hear them in dialogue, the collective artistic fearlessness and a willingness to experiment with form. I was also surprised by high-quality genre films arriving from regions not typically associated with them, a surge in sophisticated thrillers and psychological dramas from the Global South that use popular forms to explore serious themes. The trends show that filmmakers are not choosing between being entertaining and being meaningful but they are merging the two with incredible skill.
How does the festival balance celebrating African storytelling while also showcasing international cinema excellence?
That's a central question for any major festival, and for the Joburg Film Festival, it’s not about balancing two separate things, but about creating a dialogue between them. The philosophy isn't African films here, and international films there, but rather using the lens of African storytelling to contextualise and appreciate global cinema, the common denominator is no longer geography, but artistry. By focusing on cinematography, sound, and editing, we can place an auteur from Iran and Brazil in direct conversation with a filmmaker from Nigeria and South Africa. We also actively look for international films that resonate with the African experience. This often means prioritising cinema from the Global South, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East, where filmmakers often grapple with similar legacies of colonialism, rapid urbanisation, and the tension between tradition and modernity.
Beyond screenings, what experiences or moments should attendees be most excited about, from red carpets to masterclasses and Q&As?
Beyond the screen, the Joburg Film Festival transforms into a vibrant, six-day cultural hub where the magic of cinema comes to life through shared experiences. From the glamour of red carpet premieres to deep-dive masterclasses with Hollywood's elite, the festival offers countless moments for connection, learning, and celebration.
The festival's glamorous awards ceremony is a can’t-miss event, where filmmakers are bestowed with the prestigious Nguni Horn. This distinctive emblem, rooted in African heritage, replaces the traditional laurel as a symbol of strength and cinematic excellence, celebrating the talent that shapes and elevates African storytelling.
How do you see the festival helping to nurture emerging filmmakers, especially the student works included in this year’s programme?
JBX Youth: Nurturing the Next Generation
Specifically designed for emerging creatives aged 18-35, JBX Youth is a dedicated space to nurture new talent. This platform offers tailored masterclasses and conversations covering a wide range of topics, from composing music for film “Scoring the Frame” and building screen characters through makeup, to the importance of audio description for accessibility in the industry.
anita.nkonki@inl.co.za
Saturday Star
