The Encounters South African International Documentary Festival.
Now in its 28th year, Encounters returns to The Bioscope with another line-up of documentary films from South Africa and around the world.
A Little Black Man From The Congo
South African filmmaker Tshililo wa ha Muzila journeys along the Camino de Santiago wearing an orange life jacket, using the pilgrimage to reflect on migration, xenophobia and Black identity across both Europe and Africa.
Date: 5 June 2026
Time: 18:00
Strange Journey: The Story Of Rocky Horror
Strange Journey traces how The Rocky Horror Picture Show went from flop to cult classic, becoming a long-running theatrical hit and a symbol of queer liberation, self-expression, and audience participation.
Date: 5 June 2026
Time: 20:15
A War On Women
A War on Women follows Iranian women across generations as they resist decades of state control since the 1979 revolution. Through personal testimonies and events like “Woman, Life, Freedom,” it shows their ongoing struggle for rights, dignity, and freedom under a system of enforced gender restrictions.
Date: 6 June 2026
Time: 16:00
Amadou & Mariam - The Blind Couple From Mali.
The film follows Malian music duo Amadou & Mariam, tracing their global success and lifelong partnership as blind musicians whose music spreads joy worldwide. It also reflects on Mali’s political unrest and the suppression of music by jihadist groups, highlighting music’s enduring power to unite and uplift.
Date: 6 June 2026
Time: 18:30
Amílcar
The film offers an impressionistic portrait of Amílcar Cabral, using his writings, letters, and poetry to explore his life and anti-colonial struggle. Blending 16mm imagery, archival footage, and official records, it creates a poetic yet forensic account of resistance and political history.
Date: 7 June 2026
Time: 12:00
Shorts Block - Where Grief Settles
Mama Micra is a stop-motion film about a mother’s quiet search for freedom in a time when women’s desires were often restricted.
An Open Field follows filmmaker Teboho Edkins as he returns to the site of his brother’s 2019 Ethiopian Airlines crash, where grief and landscape merge into a living memorial.
Date: 7 June 2026
Time: 16:00
SHORTS BLOCK – Salt of the Earth
A selection of short films exploring land, memory, and lived experience, including Taste of the Land (with Q&A), VET vannie Land, A Place Called Paradise, and Voices from the Abyss.
Date: 9 June 2026
Time: 18:00
Kikuyu Land
On Kenya’s tea plantations, a man confronts colonial-era land dispossession and seeks restitution for his family’s land.
Date: 10 June 2026
Time: 18:00
My Father’s Son
Two estranged South African brothers reconnect online and uncover a shared history shaped by trauma and separation.
Date: 10 June 2026
Time: 20:00
Fantastique
A 14-year-old girl in Conakry pursues her dream of becoming a gymnast while navigating family expectations and ambition.
Date: 11 June 2026
Time: 17:00
Life After Siham
A filmmaker reconstructs his late mother’s life through memory, archive, and fiction, exploring grief and identity.
Date: 11 June 2026
Time: 19:00
SHORTS BLOCK - Thank You For Being
A programme of short films exploring everyday resilience and survival, including Inyembezi Zendoda, Just Because I’m a Street Kid (with Q&A), Dear Sikhonkwane (with Q&A), and One Last Order.
Date: 12 June 2026
Time: 18:00
All About the Money
A surreal portrait of extreme wealth, exploring power, detachment, and consequence.
Date: 12 June 2026
Time: 20:00
SHORTS BLOCK – The Body Remembers
Short films exploring memory and the body, including Bones, Eyes to See, and Wat Was Hie?
Date: 13 June 2026
Time: 14:00
My Father and Qaddafi
A daughter investigates her father’s disappearance under Qaddafi’s regime, uncovering decades of silence and political violence.
Date: 13 June 2026
Time: 16:00
Nuisance Bear
A young polar bear, separated from its mother, becomes a “nuisance” in human spaces, revealing fragile coexistence with nature.
Date: 13 June 2026
Time: 18:00
SHORTS BLOCK – When Things Fall Apart
Short films exploring collapse and uncertainty, including Broken Windows, Oops, I Died, The Spectacle, and Sueña Ahora.
Date: 14 June 2026
Time: 11:00
Tristan Forever
A doctor reflects on decades of visits to Tristan da Cunha and his decision to make the remote island his home.
Date: 14 June 2026
Time: 14:00
Notes From the Underground
A documentary tracing the history of Cape Hip Hop through key Cape Town artists and its cultural impact.
Date: 14 June 2026
Time: 16:00
Tickets and bookings: here.