Documentary Festival, FilmNobantu ModiseEncounters Festival, South Africa, Nobantu Modise, Encounters South Africa International Documentary Festival, South African film, African film, South African documentary, African Documentary, How to steal a country, Rehad Desai, Mark Kaplan, Women Hold Up the Sky, african women, cliamte justice, DRC, Uganda, Sharon Farr, Yaba Bade, Nelson Makeng, DokFest.Munich, Swiss Focus, Doci Short Films, Bellingcat, Hans Pool, citizen journalism, Sakawa, Ghana, Ghana Film, con artists africa, con artists, internet fraud africa, internet fraud Ghana, religious rituals africa

2020 Encounters South African International Documentary Festival

Documentary Festival, FilmNobantu ModiseEncounters Festival, South Africa, Nobantu Modise, Encounters South Africa International Documentary Festival, South African film, African film, South African documentary, African Documentary, How to steal a country, Rehad Desai, Mark Kaplan, Women Hold Up the Sky, african women, cliamte justice, DRC, Uganda, Sharon Farr, Yaba Bade, Nelson Makeng, DokFest.Munich, Swiss Focus, Doci Short Films, Bellingcat, Hans Pool, citizen journalism, Sakawa, Ghana, Ghana Film, con artists africa, con artists, internet fraud africa, internet fraud Ghana, religious rituals africa
2020 Encounters South African International Documentary Festival

The 22nd Encounters South African International Documentary Festival is here!

If you have yet to enjoy the famed Encounters Festival, the time to do so is now. Just as exciting, the not- for- profit organisation has made the festival completely free; though they are accepting donations so as to extend the lifespan of the festival. The annual fest of fun and film has been running since 20 August 2020 and will taper to an end on 30 August 2020. The platform is more widely available because it is completely online and rented material will be available for ten days from date of booking. Sadly, the virtual cinema is “geoblocked” to South Africa. Meaning that only those within the borders of the Southern African nation can view the films and documentaries. To those beyond South African shores, do look into lobbying for international access in future as the experience is well worth it.

Featured Films

This year’s audience will be treated to a selection of South African, African and international offerings. Among the twelve South African and African shorts and the twenty three South African and African features, are anticipated titles like How to Steal A Country, directed by Rehad Desai and Mark Kaplan. Side note: for the wellbeing of the continent and its developmental endeavours, do resist taking notes for nefarious reasons. Another highly anticipated film is Women Hold Up the Sky: African Women Rise for Climate Justice. A mid-length film capturing climate activists from the Democracy Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda and South Africa. The special film directed by Sharon Farr, Yaba Bade & Nelson Makeng highlights “the power of resistance and the capacity of women to make change and to take back control of their land, their rights, their bodies and their lives”.

The international cluster of Cine Encounters includes eight international shorts, four international features, and films from DokFest.Munich, Swiss Focus and Doci Short Films. One such notable film is Bellingcat: Truth in a Post-Truth World. A feature directed by Hans Pool which serves as an “inspiring tribute to the power of citizen journalism – and its impact on mainstream reportage”.

African Feature: Sakawa (2018) A behind-the-scenes look at internet scamming business in Ghana, where con artists cheat wealthy Westerners to escape poverty. Sakawa is a Ghanaian word for internet fraud schemes that are often combined with religious rituals. (Action, Crime, Humour)

Encounters Talks

Rounding off the special visual experience is “Encounters Talks”, a selection of conversations with film directors, producers journalists and funders on “critical and urgent issues facing the documentary industry”. Marking this year’s festival experience an entertaining, inspiring, emotionally engaging and educational venture; one stream at a time.

All visuals supplied