In the 27 years of Encounters South African International Documentary Festival, the world has never been more desperate to be documented.
The 2025 festival showcases documentaries from over 40 countries, a boundary-pushing selection of 31 short films, panel discussions, and community screenings at cinemas in Johannesburg from 19 to 29 June 2025. Here’s what you need to know.
Encounters 2025 pushes all the pressure points
In this year’s Encounters Documentary Festival, filmmakers take on tyrants like Putin, Al-Bashir, Musk, Bezos, and AI itself. They champion disruptors who fight femicide, defend indigenous land, or challenge corporate giants, and celebrate artists who push culture and move the world to a better place.
“In 2024, Encounters presented three of the five documentaries later nominated for Oscars, including the winner No Other Land,” explains Mandisa Zitha, Director of Encounters. “This year we’re raising the bar even higher with an excellent selection of films that speak to the role of the documentary and impact filmmaker in 2025.”
Audiences are invited to navigate the programme through five thematic collections.
The Frightening Reality of Now
The first theme – “The Frightening Reality of Now,” captures a world in flux, besieged by war, climate collapse and leaps in technology not fully understood. Rather than spiral into alarmism and dread, these films confront the philosophical gravity of changes happening too rapidly for most of us to process.
The featured festival films representative of this theme include Shifting Baselines (Canada) directed by Julien Elie, The Thinking Game directed by Greg Kohs (USA), Intercepted directed by Oksama Karpovych (Canada, France, Ukraine), and The Tree of Authenticity directed by Sammy Baloji (Belgium, DRC).
Agency – Standing up to Power
The biggest collection of documentaries falls in the theme “Agency – Standing up to Power” for good reason. Here subversives met with persecution in daily life may be celebrated onscreen, as these impact-driven documentaries present defiance, resilience and quiet courage.
The featured festival films representative of this theme include Mr Nobody Against Putin directed by David Borenstein and Pasha Talankin (Denmark, Czech Rep.), The Blue Road directed by Sinaed O’Shea (Ireland, UK), Womxn: Working directed by Shanelle Jewnarain (South Africa), Normal To Me directed by Luke Sharland (South Africa), and 6 Kings and 6 Queens directed by Molatelo Bossman (South Africa), to name just a few.
Memory, Trauma and Identity
The theme “Memory, Trauma and Identity” gathers personal and political reckonings of the residue of the past that lingers in the present, within the minds, within the family, within the nation. Healing inherited trauma, confronting loss, or reclaiming erased histories, memory is both burden and balm in these threads of heritage.
Films in this category include titles such as Albie: A Strange Alchemy directed by Sara de Gouveia (South Africa), Matabeleland directed by Nyasha Kadandara (Zimbabwe, Kenya, Botswana), Kethiwe Ngcobo’s And She Didn’t Die (South Africa), Kabul Chaos directed by Thomas Brémond, David Périssère, Nils Montel and Myriam Weil (Afghanistan), Gaël Kamilindi’s Didy (Rwanda, Switzerland, France), Yalla Parkour by Areeb Zuaiter (Gaza, Palestine), and Abo Zabaal 89 by Bassam Mortada (Egypt).
The Art and Impact
“The Art and Impact” theme frames the inherent ability of the arts to document injustice, shift culture, and move people to action.
Under this theme, you’ll find films such as The Walk directed by Tamara Kotevska (UK, US, Macedonia), Nhlanhla Mthethwa’s Sam Nzima: A Journey Through His Lens (South Africa), Wim Wenders’ Anselm (Germany), and Misty: The Erroll Garner Story directed by Georges Gachot (Switzerland, France, Germany).
Encounters Documentary Festival’s shorts selection
The Shorts Section comprises 11 themed short film blocks featuring documentaries from 20 countries offering personal narratives, socio-political commentaries, and defiant accounts that hold a mirror to the lived experiences of a distinctive range of voices.
This year’s short documentaries have directors confronting issues that span climate justice, gender identity, ancestral land rights, queer desire, and revolutionary memory. Whether poetic or investigative, introspective or confrontational, these films provide deep insights and speak to the world of “now”.
“Shorts by their nature succeed on their creative brevity – the filmmakers can distill powerful stories into concise, impactful experiences, providing us with fresh perspectives and a kind of freedom that often sparks bold innovation,” says Mandisa. “Our shorts programme is not only a celebration of form and creativity, but a reflection on our world, and they are fierce and courageous contributions to the documentary form.”
Need to know before you go
The 2025 edition of the Encounters Festival takes place across a varied and accessible selection of venues. These include Ster-Kinekor at The Zone @ Rosebank, The Bioscope Independent Cinema at 44 Stanley in Milpark, and Goethe-Institut Johannesburg in Parkwood.
See the full list of films and the festival schedule here.
Cost: Free entry for panels, discussions and Q&As. Film tickets are from R90pp, book online
When: 19 to 29 June 2025. Various times
Where: The Zone, 177 Oxford Rd, Rosebank | The Bioscope Independent Cinema, 44 Stanley Ave, Milpark | Goethe-Institut Johannesburg, 119 Jan Smuts Ave, Parkwood
Website: encounters.co.za
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @encountersdoc
Facebook: @encountersdoc
Check out what else is happening in Film, Tech and Gaming in Joburg
