Having to adapt to the new norm, the 2020 Joburg Film Festival will be held over two days on 28 and 29 November. In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, the festival will not take place over the usual six days. This year’s festival will focus on a limited film selection with a huge focus on youth development workshops.
The Film Programme, the Industry Programme and the Youth and Audience Development Programme are the three main pillars, which drive and direct all activities and engagements related to the delivery of the festival.
Film showings
This year, three specially curated films will be featured and celebrated at a local cinema over the two days of the festival. The general public will have the opportunity to attend the screenings of these films.
The focus of the 2020 targeted films places the spotlight on ‘displacement’, an apt theme during the global pandemic.
Bullying, harassment and murder have increased throughout the world, as an impact of the pandemic, and although the films may not address the issues directly, they shed light on communities who have been discriminated against and marginalised through various factors.
The Joburg Film Festival will open with film, This is Not A Burial It’s a Resurrection which features the late legendary Joburg born actress Mary Twala.
LGBTI film There’s Power In the Collar will make its global screening debut at the festival. This year’s schedule will also include Canadian/South Africa film Beyond Moving.
Screenings will be held at Cinema Nouveau in the Rosebank Mall and the Bioscope at 22 Stanley in Milpark.
Development programmes
The Youth and Audience Development Programme allows young aspiring filmmakers to share their skills on the platform and gain knowledge and experience. They will be provided with opportunities to engage with industry professionals. The program is hosted in partnership with the Gauteng Film Commission (GFC) and the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF).
The programme is set to be delivered through a one-day workshop that incorporates the province’s youth from different regions at a central location and is also recorded for virtual streaming and broadcast. Thereafter, aspiring filmmakers, aged between aged, between the ages of 18 and 30 will be chosen from the workshop.
Interested participants can visit the website for more information.
“The focus of the 2020 festival will be on the third pillar of the festival which emphasizes JFF’s commitment to developing, empowering and skilling the youth whilst contributing to the development of the cinema culture and growing audience appreciation for local films. We are also extremely honoured to be opening the festival this year with film This is Not A Burial It’s A Resurrection’ finally giving the Joburg audience a chance to catch this brilliant cinematic work on the big screen”, stated Joburg Film Festival Executive Director Tim Mangwedi.
The workshop will be screened and made available via the JFF website post the event to reach and impact an even broader audience than the one that attended physically.
