Every year since our founding in 2010, The Bioscope has proudly hosted screenings of The Encounters South African International Documentary Festival. Celebrating its 25 year as a festival, Encounters returns to The Bioscope once again with screenings from 23 June – 2 July. Tickets are R80. For more information on the festival as a whole, please visit encounters.co.za
BOOKING ESSENTIAL
WEEK 1 PROGRAMME
FRI 23 June 7pm: The Subtle Art of Performance (with Q&) (Shorts Compilation) BOOK NOW FILMS INCLUDED; Coach, A Performance On Femininity, Breaking Barriers: The Ricardo Fitzpatrick Story, Faces of Fortune
FRI 23 June 8:45pm: This Is National Wake (with Q&) BOOK NOW Explores the rise and fall of a multiracial punk band during the decline of Apartheid. The film fervently examines the band’s outlaw lifestyle, their liberal philosophy, and the internal tragedy that brewed divisions between the members.
SAT 24 June 4pm: Survival, Sacrifice & Self Awareness (Shorts Compilation) BOOK NOW FILMS INCLUDED; Push Comes To Shove: Stories of Obstetric Violence – Bongie’s Story, Crushed, Ikinji’s Stories.
SAT 24 June 5pm: We, Students! BOOK NOW Portrays the harsh realities of university life in Central African Republic, where poverty and corruption run rampant. Despite these challenges, a group of inspiring students persevere, showing the power of hope and resilience in the face of adversity.
SAT 24 June 7:30pm: Don’t Worry About India BOOK NOW A young Indian filmmaker living in Europe returns to India to document the 2019 election in this charming film. As he travels, his footage uncovers flaws in India’s majoritarian democracy and economic disparities.
SUN 25 June 12pm: This Is National Wake SECOND SCREENING ADDED!! (with Q&) SOLD OUT! Explores the rise and fall of a multiracial punk band during the decline of Apartheid. The film fervently examines the band’s outlaw lifestyle, their liberal philosophy, and the internal tragedy that brewed divisions between the members.
SUN 25 June 2pm: Who’s Land Is It Anyways? (Shorts Compilation) BOOK NOW FILMS INCLUDED; Our Land, The Gooseberry Grandmothers, What The Soil Remembers.
SUN 25 June 4pm: !Aitsa SOLD OUT! !Aitsa, transcends tradition, science and spirituality, immersing viewers on a journey that explores the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project in the Karoo. The film delves into the Khoi and San populations’ traditional roots and highlights the sacred value of the land.
WEEK 2 PROGRAMME
TUE 27 June 7pm: Money Freedom: A Story Of The CFA Franc BOOK NOW Money Freedom is an ambitious and detailed documentary exploring the controversial use of the CFA franc currency in West and Central Africa. The film highlights the ongoing impact of colonialism and urges action for economic independence and sovereignty in Africa.
WED 28 June 6:15pm: 1001 Days (with Q&) BOOK NOW 1001 Days offers a tender and eye-opening account of the Ubulele Visiting Home programme in Alexandra, South Africa. Following eight devoted women, the film is a poignant reminder of the strength of the human spirit and the transformative power of communal support.
WED 28 June 8:30pm: Dorpie BOOK NOW Dorpie follows social worker Lana O’Neill as she establishes a safe house in Bredasdorp, a town plagued by poverty, addiction and sexual violence against women. The film offers a moving tribute to Lana’s compassion, while highlighting important structural inequalities.
THUR 29 June 6pm: Legends and Story-Keepers (Shorts Compilation)BOOK NOW FILMS INCLUDED; The Translator, Apostles Of Cinema, Ben Nomoyi, Booking She Comes.
THUR 29 June 8pm: Eat Bitter BOOK NOW Two worlds coexist in Eat Bitter, a visually engaging documentary centred around a sand diver, with a modest ambition of providing for his family, and a Chinese construction manager working in Central African Republic. The film passionately showcases their unwavering resilience.
FRI 30 June 6:30pm: Out Of Uganda BOOK NOW Out of Uganda powerfully documents the struggles of four LGBT youth in Uganda facing continual harassment and threats. With no safe harbour, the only way for them to guarantee their safety is to seek asylum in Switzerland.
FRI 30 June 8:30pm: Beyond The Light Barrier (with Q&) SOLD OUT! Elizabeth Klarer’s extraordinary life is explored in depth, narrated by John Kani. The South African meteorologist’s devotion to proving the existence of Akon, her extraterrestrial lover, as well as her enigmatic life on the alien planet Meton.
SAT 1 July 3pm: Le Spectre de Boko Haram BOOK NOW Set in Cameroon’s Far North, this anti-war film captures children’s lives under constant threat of Boko Haram’s violence. Despite their losses and difficult circumstances, the film celebrates children’s innocence while acknowledging the devastating impact of war on their psyche.
SAT 1 July 5pm: 20 Days in Mariupol BOOK NOW The first 20 days of the war in Ukraine, documenting the siege of Mariupol that lasted for 86 days before the city fell to the invading Russian forces. Urgent and visceral in its construction, the film is a difficult but riveting watch.
SAT 1 July 7:30pm: Milisuthando (with Q&) SOLD OUT! Milisuthando Bongela’s coming-of-age documentary explores growing up in South Africa during and after Apartheid. Bongela blurs the lines between personal and historic, object and subject, and citizen and country. The film is an original and poetic meditation
SUN 2 July 2pm: Our Climate, Our Future (Shorts Compilation) BOOK NOW FILMS INCLUDED; Go To The Mines, Forever Home, The Reclaimers, Older Than Trees, I Am This Water
SUN 2 July 4pm: The Other Profile BOOK NOW The Other Profile is a comedic documentary exploring identity and social media. Armel Hostiou investigates a fake Facebook account using his name to lure women in Kinshasa. Through personal storytelling and social commentary, the impact of social media on our lives is revealed.