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What to watch at the Joburg Film Festival

Johannesburg - The Joburg Film Festival (not to be confused with the Jozi Film Festival) has a stunning selection of over 60 local, African and international films from the diaspora playing at 20 venues. It’s a programme tailored to appeal to the city’s large and diverse audience.

“Picking a film programme for Joburg is not an easy task,” says programme director Pedro Pimenta. “It is a fragmented city – economically and racially. So we tried to pick something for everyone, from works that will please the film buffs to selections that are feel-good and entertaining.”

Here are our picks of what you should go see:

Mandela’s Gun

28 Oct 20:00 The Zone 1 Rosebank and The Zone 2 Rosebank

29 Oct 29 18.30 Maponya Mall

Catch the world debut of Mandela’s Gun, a docu-drama that tells the story of a Makarov pistol that Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie gave Nelson Mandela.

Director John Irvin, music legend Abdullah Ibrahim and former minister Tokyo Sexwale will be at the premiere.

Vaya

29 Oct 20:00 The Zone 1 Rosebank and The Zone 2 Rosebank

3 Nov 18:30 Kings Theatre Rosebank

Received with praise at its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, director Akin Omotoso’s Vaya tells the story of Johannesburg’s homeless population.

Watch the trailer here:

The Giant is Falling 

29 Oct 20:00 Alexandra Theatre

30 Oct 16:00 Kings Theatre

3 Nov 20:15 Nouveau 3 Rosebank

This documentary by Rehad Desai, who gave us the Emmy-winning Miners Shot Down, chronicles what Desai sees as the fall of the ANC. He uses the Marikana massacre as the tipping point.

The Whale Caller

30 Oct 20:00 The Zone Rosebank

2 Nov 18:00 Nouveau Rosebank

5 Nov 16:30 Newtown

Based on the critically acclaimed book of the same name by Zakes Mda, director Zola Maseko’s The Whale Caller follows a love triangle between the titular Whale Caller, his beloved whale Sharisha, and Saluni, the village drunk who teaches him to open his heart to people again.

The Unseen 

31 Oct 18:00 Nouveau 1 Rosebank

5 Nov 14:00 Bioscope

Written and directed by Namibia-based Perivi Katjavivi, The Unseen looks at unseen emotional and physical spaces and poetically explores themes of postcolonial identity, culture, music, language.

For a full schedule go to joburgfilmfestival.co.za




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