The Joburg Film Festival (JFF), in partnership with MultiChoice Group, a CANAL+ company, has unveiled its official 2026 programme running from 3 to 8 March 2026 at various venues in Johannesburg. This year, expect a powerful, globally curated selection that firmly positions the festival at the intersection of African storytelling and international cinema excellence.
The film festival will screen more than 60 films, including 40 fiction features, 18 non-fiction features, and 65 short films, among them nine student works. The programme was selected from 691 submissions spanning Africa, Europe, the USA, South America, the UK, Asia and the Middle East. Here’s what you need to know.
The 2026 festival theme: ‘Feel The Frame’
This year’s Joburg Film Festival theme, Feel The Frame, turns the spotlight not only on storytelling, but on the craft of filmmaking itself. From performance and sound to structure, form and visual language, the programme invites audiences to engage deeply with how films are made, not just what they say.
There’s a rich selection of screenings, festival-goers can expect premieres, red-carpet moments, filmmaker Q&As, panel discussions, networking events and exclusive masterclasses.
“We aim to create a platform that reflects the breadth and depth of contemporary cinema,” says Joburg Film Festival Curator Nhlanhla Ndaba. “This year’s programme centres layered, human stories from across Africa and the world — films that are entertaining, challenging and deeply resonant.”
The 2026 edition also highlights JFF’s reputation as a vital platform for emerging African voices, while also showcasing acclaimed international work. Key films to catch include three Academy Award nominees, selections from over 30 distributors, films representing 14 African countries, and a dynamic mix of magical realism, Afrofuturism, docu-fiction, myth and political cinema.
The top films to look out for
Southern African cinema features prominently in this year’s Joburg Film Festival, with several must-see titles leading the lineup. Highlights include Kabelo, fronted by Warren Masemola and set in Lesotho; And She Didn’t Die, an illuminating documentary chronicling the life of celebrated novelist and liberation fighter Lauretta Ngcobo; and Laundry (Uhlanjululo), the striking debut by Zamo Mkhwanazi, starring Tracy September, Ntobeko Sishi, Zekhethelo Zondi, Siyabonga Shibe and Bukamina Cebekhulu.
A number of films engage directly with South Africa’s past and present. These include Diana Keam’s Don’t Be Late for My Funeral, a deeply personal exploration of apartheid-era relationships, and Lemohang Mosese’s Ancestral Visions of the Future, a haunting meditation on identity, memory and belonging.
International highlights are equally compelling, from Zoey Martinson’s Ghana-set The Fisherman — a playful yet poignant tale involving a talking fish — to Dust to Dreams, a short film directed by Idris Elba, set in Lagos and centred on a terminally ill nightclub owner seeking to pass on her legacy.
Where to catch the Joburg Film Festival film screenings
Cost: From R50pp to R200pp per screening. Book via Webtickets or directly via the JFF website
When: Running from 3 to 8 March 2026, various times
Where: Screenings take place at The Bioscope at 44 Stanley, Egrek Cinema in Parkhurst, Theatre on the Square at Nelson Mandela Square, The Forge in Braamfontein, Artistry in Sandton and Nu Metro Hyde Park
Website: joburgfilmfestival.co.za
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: @joburgfilmfest
Instagram: @joburg_film_festival
