Having to adapt to the new norm, organizers of the annual Joburg Film Festival together with partners NFVF and GFC announced that the 2020 edition of the festival will be staged as a two-day event later this month in the city of gold.
The festival historically staged in the last week of November as a six-day festival, will now take place on 28 and 29 November with a limited film selection with a huge focus on development workshops.
The festival is anchored by three main pillars which drive and direct all activities and engagements related to the delivery of the festival.
These three pillars are the Film Programme, the Industry Programme and the Youth & Audience Development Programme.
This year three specially curated films will be featured and celebrated at a local cinema over the two days of the 2020 instalment, with an opportunity for the general public 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.
With the huge impact of Covid-19 globally, the pandemic has amplified bullying, harassment and murder across the African continent.
Whilst the films may not address these issues directly, they do explore the lives of people who are marginalized, some by choice and others by circumstances they find themselves in, which motivates their decision to find a new place to call home.
The Joburg Film Fest opening film “This is Not A Burial It’s a Resurrection” features the late legendary Joburg born actress Mary Twala just prior to it’s Oscar run post the festival.
Making it’s global screening debut at the Joburg Film Fest this year, LGBTQI+ film “There's Power In the Collar” will also be shown over the festival.
The last addition to this year’s schedule includes Canadian/South Africa film “Beyond Moving”.
“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”, said festival Executive Director Tim Mangwedi.
“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”, he added.