Encounters Festival South Africa

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Encounters South African International Documentary Festival
LocationCape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa
Founded1999; 25 years ago (1999)
Film titlesDocumentary features and shorts
Artistic directorMandisa Zitha (2011-2012)
LanguageEnglish
Websitehttp://www.encounters.co.za/

Encounters South African International Documentary Festival (Encounters) is the premier documentary festival in Africa[1] and one of the oldest film festivals on the continent. It remains one of only a few on the continent that is solely dedicated to the genre. The festival is organised by the Encounters Training and Development Institute.[2] Since its inception, the festival has advanced the currency of documentaries in the country and region, supporting new productions and giving an African platform to international documentaries.

The 26th edition will take place from 20 to 30 June 2024.[3]

Background

The Encounters South African International Documentary Festival first took place in 1999.[4] Since then, its main objective has been to develop the documentary industry in South Africa, both in terms of increasing production and creating an audience for the genre. The festival actively seeks to support and promote local and African films, filmmakers and festivals to an international market. A submission fee is charged for international documentaries, while South African or African entries are free.

Encounters takes place annually in both Cape Town and Johannesburg during the month of June. The venues used by the festival in Cape Town are The Labia Cinema and V&A Ster Kinekor. In Johannesburg, the festival is hosted at The Bioscope Independent Cinema and The Zone @ Rosebank.

As a non-profit, the Encounters Training and Development Institute also organises training and workshops for filmmakers. Encounters puts great emphasis on the coordination of educational projects. From 1999 to 2007, the Film Laboratory gave selected first-time directors the opportunity to work with a team of experienced filmmakers on proposed projects of their own.[5] Every year, the week-long initiative ended with a final pitching session from which e.tv commissioned two films to be produced. Over the years, the Laboratory trained 58 emerging and experienced filmmakers, producing 46 films including shorts on the mobi platform.

The Producers Workshop,[6] a further educational platform has trained 24 emerging SMME Producers whilst the High Schools Programme has screened films with facilitated discussions in 12 high schools in greater Cape Town.

Annual events

Every year the festival hosts and incorporates a number of events above and beyond the film screenings themselves.

After world premieres (usually of South African films) and screenings of international guests' films, question and answer sessions[7] open to the public often take place. Master classes are conducted by local and international guests — producers, writers, commissioning editors, sales agents and distributors, addressing a wide range of topics; anything from industry trends to effective marketing and crowd funding. Similarly, but more specifically targeted towards government arts & culture departments and institutes, are the Industry Presentations on offer. The festival also aims to help and advise small production companies on best practice through the "Producers Workshop".

To broaden the base of the documentary audience, Encounters offers cinema tickets and free entrance to Industry programmes to students and young professionals from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Audience awards

Encounters implements' an annual Audience Award for Best South African and Best International films. Decided by popular vote, all films are eligible for these honours. By 2013, funding permitted, the Festival will implement a Jury Award with prize money in both categories. Not all films will be included ‘in competition’.

South African Audience Winners

Year Films Director Country
2008 Shamiela's House Robyn Rourke South Africa
2009 "Fokofpolisiekar, Forgive them for they know not what they do". Bryan Little South Africa
2010 "The 16th Man". Cliff Bestall South Africa
2011 "Imam and I". Khalid Shamis South Africa
2012 "The African Cypher". Bryan Little South Africa
2014 Unearthed Jolynn Minnaar South Africa
2015 The Shorebreak Ryley Grunenwald South Africa
2016 Action Kommandante: The Untold Story of the Revolutionary Freedom Fighter Nadine Cloete South Africa
2017 Strike A Rock Aliki Saragas South Africa
2018 The Fun's Not Over: The James Phillips Story & Not In My Neighbourhoods Michael Cross South Africa
2019 STROOP - Journey into the Rhino Horn War Susan Scott South Africa

International Audience Winners

Year Film Director Country
2008 Angels in the Dust Louise Hogarth USA
2009 RiP!: A Remix Manifesto Brett Gaylor Canada
2010 "Of Heart and Courage: Béjart Ballet Lausanne". Arantxa Aguirre Spain
2011 Inside Job Charles H. Ferguson USA
2012 "Under African Skies. Director: Joe Berlinger". Paul Simon USA
2015 Virunga Orlando von Einsiedel USA
2016 Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise Rita Coburn Whack at IMDb & Bob Hercules at IMDb USA
2017 The Eagle Huntress Otto Bell UK
2018 Life is Wonderful: Mandela’s Unsung Heroes Nick Stadlen UK
2019 Silence Of Others Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar USA
Encounters poster 1999

Continental and international profile

Over the years Encounters has collaborated and partnered with international festivals, markets, commissioning editors and sales agents. The festival hosts programmers from international festivals and has forged relationships with foreign correspondents who report on the Festival for their papers (for example, The Guardian). Most major documentary festivals, in selecting African content, also programme from Encounters. Partnerships and collaborations include:

Canada and United States

China

Europe

Qatar

Filmmakers

1999: Alexander J. Seiler, Richard Dindo, Thomas Imbach, Harriet Gavshon, Liz Fish, Cliff Bestall, Nicolaas Hofmeyer, Liza Key, Craig Matthew & Joëlle Chesselet.

2000: Niek Koppen, Hillie Molenaar, Patricia Plattner, Paul Watson, Lauren Groenewald, Lindy Wilson.

2001: Werner Schweizer, Jan Heijs, Darcus Howe, Cliff Bestall, Craig & Damon Foster, Margo Fleiser, Claude Wittwenn, Ebrahim Hajee, Pule Diphare, Cathy Winter, Eddie Edwards, Nokuthula Mazibuko, Rob de Mezieres, Teboho Mahlatsi, Ingrid Gavshon, Rehad Desai, Luiz DeBarros, Craig Matthew & Joëlle Chesselet, Jack Lewis, Sharon Cort, John W Fredericks & Davide Tosco.

2002: Christian Frei, Hetty Naaijekns-Retel Helmrich, Vikram Jayanti, Cliff Bestall & Pearlie Joubert, Rehad Desai, Francois Verster, Tracey Collis, Penny Gaines, Andy Spitz, Eddie Edwards, Mpumi Njinge, Portia Rankoane, Beverley Palesa Ditsie & Nicky Newman, Ernie Vosloo, Jahmil XT Qubeka, Miki Redlinghuys, Gairoonisa Paleker, Renee Rosen, Xoliswa Sithole, Catherine Muller, Ouida Smit & Madoda Ncayiyana, Bearthur Baker, Dumisani Phakathi..

2003: Archie Baron, Paul de Bont, Sam Pollard, Viacheslav Telnov, Peter Wintonick, Craig Foster & Damon Foster, Carina Rubin, Pule Diphare, François Verster, Toni Strasburg, Aryan Kaganof, Ntombi Mzamane, John Fredericks, Vaughan Giose, Brenda Davis, Eugene Paramoer, Clifford Bestall, Emily McKay, Tamsyn Reynolds, Tamara Rothbart, Gerald Kraak, Mark Kaplan, Johnathan de Vries, Kali van der Merwe.

2004: Akiedah Mohamed, Andrea Spitz, Beverley Mitchell, Brian Tilley, Charles Najman, Cliff Bestall, Gillian Schutte, Jack Lewis, Jane Kennedy, Jihan El-Tahri, Karin Slater, Kethiwe Ngcobo, Khalo Matabane, Lauren Groenewald, Laurence Dworkin, Marijke Jongbloed, Martina della Togna, Minky Schlesinger, Omelga Mthiyane, Onyekachi Wambu, Peter Liechti, Riaan Hendricks, Rudzani Dzuguda, Shedreck Mapasa, Shelley Barry, Sipho Singiswa, Sunny Bergman, Teboho Edkins, Vaughan Giose, Zulfah Otto-Sallies

2005: Beverley Palesa Ditsie, Toni Strasburg, Ngaire Blankenberg, Zackie Achmat, Ditsi Carolino, Odette Geldenhuys, Rudzani Dzuguda, Isa-Lee Jacobsen, François Kohler, Bonganjalo Marala, Kim Longinotto, Omelga Hlengiwe Mthiyane, Beverley Mitchell, Leonard Retel Helmrich, Madoda Ncayiyana, Yeppe Rønde, Jemima Spring.

2006: Rehad Desai, Fumane Diseko, John W. Fredericks, Claude Haffner, Wendy Hardie, Susan Levine, Asivhanzhi Mathaba, Vincent Moloi, Omelga Mthiyane, Michael Raimondo, Portia Rankoane, Gillian Schutte-Singiswa, Sipho Singiswa, Karin Slater, Francois Verster, Nokuthula Dhladhla, Zanele Muholi, Salim Amin, Anna Bucchetti, Erik Gandini Gitmo, Jean-Pierre Krief, William Nessen, Tarek Saleh Gitmo, Sky Sitney, Bernard Surugue, Jean-Marie Teno.

2007: Cliff Bestall, Belinda Blignaut & Bridget Pickering Imbokodo, Ditsi Carolino, Nikki Comninos, Tamsen de Beer, Jihan El-Tahri, Angèle Diabang Brener, Sharon Farr, Liz Fish, Simon Klose, Karabo Lediga & Tamsin Andersson, Jack Lewis, Vincent Moloi, Premilla Murcott, Tebogo Ngoma, Eva Mulvad, Lindiwe Nkutha, Miki Redelinghuys, Leonard Retel Helmrich, Lomin Saayman & Lloyd Ross, Julian Shaw, Dylan Valley, Thomas Wallner, Carla Garapedian, Yunus Vally.

2008: Liza Aziz, Tony Bensusan, Sunny Bergman, Lucilla Blankenberg, Lederle Bosch, Don Edkins, Liz Fish, André Cronje & Carlos Francisco, Rehad Desai & Anita Khanna, Bertram Fredericks, Jeanette Jagger, Mali Kambandu, Tamarin Kaplan, Liza Key, Sifiso Khanyile, Kekeletso Khena, Joanne Levitan, Jane Lipman, Thapelo Maleka, Cyrille Maso, Dorothy Meck-Chimbuya, Nami Mhlongo, Steve Kwena Mokwena, Themba Monare, Villant Virginia Ndasowa, Stanley Nelson, Rob Nicholls, Makela Pululu, Robyn Rorke, Karin Slater, Shaun Tomson, Catherine Winter.

2009: Emma Bestall, Angèle Diabang Brener, Nadine Angel Cloete, Liz Fish, Katrin Hansing, Freddy Ilanga, Riaan Hendricks, Jabulani Tsambo, Mark J. Kaplan, William Karel, Liza Key, Brian Little, Ntokozo Mahlalela, Zola Maseko, Dawn Matthews, Thabo Bruno Mokoena, Nhlanhla Mthethwa, Velcrow Ripper, Yoav Shamir, Lisa Swart, Francois Verster, Lindy Wilson.

2010: Cliff Bestall, Dylan Valley, Rina Jooste, Rehad Desai, Helena Kingwill, Tamandani Kapisa, Palesa Shongwe, Masechaba Mogane, Nami Mhlongo, Khanysile Maimela, Michael Raimondo, David Forbes, Lucilla Blankenberg, Steve Kwena Mokwena, Lesedi Mogoatlhe, Makela Yulele Pululu, Odette Geldenhuys, Stefanie Brockhaus & Andy Wolff, Mike Bardsley & Ayla Hilli, Denis Delstrac, Yoruba Richens, Daniel Yon, Omelga Mthiyane, Riaan Henricks, Jo Menell, Adrian Loveland.

2011: Göran Olsson, Jacques de Villiers, Julian Shaw, David Sieveking, Simon Wood, Tanswell Jansen, Ségolène Hanotaux, Lauren Beukes, Brian Tilley & Laurence Dworkin, Khalid Shamis, Karin Slater, Tim Wege, Omelga Mthiyane, Ángela Ramirez, Sara Gouveia, Calum McNaughton, Eric Miyeni, Navan Chetty, Eddie Edwards, Matthew Kalil, Tiny Laubscher, Chris Schutte, Kyle O’Donoghue, Wellbodi Biznes, Miki Redelinghuys, Kagiso Sesoko, Simon Bright, Shelley Barry.

2012: Bryan Little, James Walsh & Katherine Millar, Kurt & Crystal Orderson, Cliff Bestall, William Nessen, Riaan Hendricks, Mitzi Goldman & Andrea Durbach, Dylan Mohan Gray, Tsholofelo Monare, Thomas Barry, Jon Blair, Mandisa Madikane, Erez & Miri Laufer, Isy India Geronimo, Felix Seuffert, Simon Taylor, Wiseman Mabusela, Michael Cross, Richard Slater-Jones, Izette Mostert, Tamsyn Reynolds, Dowelani Nenzhelele, Sarah Ping Nie.

See also

References

  1. ^ Wightman, Tamlin (13 June 2012). "Will you be in Cape Town or Johannesburg between 7 & 24 June 2012?". rhinoafrica.com.
  2. ^ "Encounters South African International Documentary Festival Honoured at the SAFTAs with Outstanding Provincial Contributor Award | Encounters SA International Doc Film Festival". encounters.co.za. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  3. ^ "Encounters SA International Doc Film Festival | Africa's premier documentary event". encounters.co.za. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  4. ^ "Western Cape Events. Encounters International Documentary Festival. When: Dates to be confirmed (Friday, 12 August 2011 to Monday, 29 August 2011)". SA Venues. SA-Venues.com. Archived from the original on 13 February 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  5. ^ "Encounters archive".
  6. ^ "Documentary Producers' Workshop 2011. 13 – 15 June 2011, Cape Town". Encounters South African International Documentary Film Festival. 2011. Archived from the original on 14 September 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  7. ^ Encounters Annual Report. Encounters Festival. 2012.
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