The Encounters South African International Documentary Festival returns this June with a bold mix of global stories and local truths. The 27th edition includes a selection of 31 short films that span identity, memory, resistance and survival.
The festival runs from 19 to 29 June in Cape Town and Johannesburg, with screenings, panel talks and community events happening throughout.
This year’s short films are split across 11 themed blocks. Each one brings together a mix of voices and styles. Some are deeply personal. Others take on bigger questions about politics, power and justice. What they share is a raw honesty and a commitment to reflecting the world we live in.
Festival Director Mandisa Zitha says short films are where creativity meets clarity. “They give us concentrated moments of insight. They’re brief but powerful, and often spark new ideas and forms,” she says.
Here’s a glimpse at what’s showing in the Shorts section:
Currents of Resilience
A theme that looks at climate and survival, from water shortages to extractive industries. Includes Guardian of the Well (Chad), Undercurrent (SA), Pouring Water on Troubled Oil (UK/Iran) and Keeper (USA).
More Than Meets the Eye
Short films that question how beauty is shaped. Featuring Sprouting (SA) and Am I the Skinniest Person You’ve Ever Seen? (Canada).
Death by Discrimination
Work that holds a mirror to the violence of systemic prejudice. Includes The Flow of Resilience (India) and Onthou vi Fredo? (SA).
In Her Name
Stories of women’s strength across Africa and the diaspora. Featuring Before 16 (Burundi), Victoria (Kenya and USA), and Seeds from Kivu (Spain).
Fragments of a Forgotten Land
Poetic explorations of land, history and memory. Films include The Rock Speaks and The Sending of the Crows (SA), and Flowers / Flores (Ecuador and SA).
The Land’s Silent Witness
Powerful South African reflections on land, ancestry and identity. Featuring Umhlaba Wokhokho and Spirits of the Land.
Between Fear and Forgetting
Films that navigate trauma, fear and healing across class and geography. Includes They Dug a Grave in My Heart (Brazil), Never Come Fetch Me (SA and UK), and Fear Fokol (Sweden).
Redefining Desire
Work that reclaims sexuality and challenges taboo. Including Slut Club (SA), Unyagoni (Kenya), and What I Do Not Know Will Not Kill Me (Nigeria).
Unmasking the Self
Short films about selfhood and identity. Featuring Message from Anonymous (Egypt), At the Edge of Skin (Brazil), and Facing Forward (SA).
Roots of Resistance
Stories of resistance and survival in the face of colonial and cultural erasure. Includes Ahmad Alive (Palestine and SA), Medallion (UK and Ethiopia), The Other Side of Beauty (Morocco and Sudan), and Dreams of a Revolution (France, Mozambique and Portugal).
Between the Ordinary and the Uncanny
Films that find magic in the everyday. Featuring The Fries Philosopher (Netherlands) and perfectly a strangeness(Canada).
Encounters runs at the Labia and V&A Waterfront Ster-Kinekor in Cape Town, and The Bioscope and The Zone @Rosebank in Johannesburg.
For the full schedule and to book tickets, head to encounters.co.za.
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