Grab your tickets now – the JFF’s most ambitious line-up yet hits screens this March
The Joburg Film Festival (JFF), in partnership with MultiChoice Group a CANAL+ company, has revealed its official 2026 programme; a powerful, globally curated selection that positions the festival firmly at the intersection of African storytelling and international cinema excellence.
Running from 3 – 8 March 2026, the festival will present over 60 curated films, including 40 fiction feature films, 18 non-fiction feature films, 65 short films including 9 student works, selected from 691 submissions spanning Africa, Europe, the USA, South America, the UK, Asia and the Middle East. Screenings will take place at various cinemas across Johannesburg.
A festival that invites audiences to feel the frame
Guided by the 2026 theme ‘Feel The Frame’, this year’s programme celebrates not only stories, but the craft of filmmaking itself, from performance and sound to form, structure and visual language. Beyond screenings, festival-goers can look forward to premieres, red-carpet moments, filmmaker Q&As, panels, networking events and exclusive masterclasses.
“We always seek to create a platform that reflects the breadth and depth of contemporary filmmaking,” says Joburg Film Festival Curator Nhlanhla Ndaba. “This year’s programme centres layered, human stories from across the continent and the world films that are entertaining, challenging and deeply resonant.”
Why the 2026 line-up matters
The 2026 JFF programme reinforces the festival’s reputation as a leading platform for emerging African voices while showcasing acclaimed international work. Highlights include:
- 3 Academy Award nominees
- The Voice of Hind Rajab – Best International Feature
- It Was Just An Accident – Best International Feature
- Kokuho – Best Make Up And Hair
- Selections from over 30 distributors
- Films representing 14 African countries
- A dynamic mix of magical realism, Afro-futurism, docu-fiction, myth and political cinema
Films to watch
South African cinema features prominently with must-see titles such as Warren Masemola-fronted Kabelo which is set in Lesotho, the illuminating documentary And She Didn’t Die, chronicling the life of 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.
Several films engage directly with South Africa’s past and present including Diana Keam’s Don’t Be Late for My Funeral, a deeply personal documentary exploring apartheid-era relationships, and Lemohang Mosese’s Ancestral Visions of the Future, a haunting meditation on identity, memory and belonging.
Standout international titles include Zoey Martinson’s Ghana-set The Fisherman, a playful yet poignant tale involving a talking fish and Dust to Dreams, which is a short film directed by Idris Elba set against the backdrop of a Lagos focusing on a terminally ill mother who runs a nightclub and attempts to pass her legacy on to her daughter.
Cinema that pushes form and feeling
In keeping with the festival’s theme, a number of films explore innovative technical and narrative approaches. These include Ted Evans thriller ‘RETREAT’, which features an entirely deaf cast and builds intimacy through sound alone, Meekaaeel Adam’s The Trek, an immersive Kalahari-set experience, Mehrnoush Alia’s 1001 Frames, a visceral exploration of abuse and the #MeToo movement and Ondřej Provaznik’s Broken Voices, a formally daring thriller that fuses sound, image and emotion and Kaouther Ben Hania’s Oscar-nominated film THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB, which chronicles the harrowing experience of a 6 year old Palestinian girl’s call to an emergency service, the film is made from the actual recordings of the call.
A shared commitment to African storytelling
Such craftsmanship underscores the values shared by JFF and headline sponsor the MultiChoice Group, a CANAL + company; “We’re proud to support a festival that not only showcases Africa’s talent but welcomes the world into our creative ecosystem,” says Nomsa Philiso, Director Content, General Entertainment, English & Portuguese-speaking Africa at MultiChoice Group. “The Joburg Film Festival aligns strongly with our commitment to amplifying African voices and supporting the next generation of filmmakers.”