Film Festival

The South African Film Festival has returned. Image: Supplied.

The South African Film Festival returns: What you need to know

The South African Film Festival (SAFF) returns in May with a stellar program for Australian and New Zealand audiences.

Film Festival

The South African Film Festival has returned. Image: Supplied.

The South African Film Festival (SAFF) will once again return from the 7-24 May – bringing the very best of contemporary South African film to Australian and New Zealand audiences, both in-cinema and online.

THE SOUTH AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL RETURNS 

This year’s festival features a diverse program of 21 films, from hard-hitting documentaries to heart-warming short films, and from blockbuster features to personal stories. This rich offering gives diverse audiences unique insights into South Africa, 

  • Its creative force
  • The strength of its people
  • It’s challenges 
  • The richness of its vibrant cultures and languages. 

And the festival offers an incredible selection of bonus content, including an interview with South African-born Hollywood icon Charlize Theron! 

More than just a celebration of cinematic art, SAFF is a festival with a conscience! All profits from the festival go to supporting the vital work of Education without Borders (EwB), a not-for-profit that is changing the lives of disadvantaged and at-risk youth in South Africa’s Western Cape.

“We are thrilled to be bringing the 4th South African Film Festival to audiences here in Australia and New Zealand. With captivating features and documentaries that educate and engage, the Festival offers glimpses into the land, the people, the culture, and the complexities of South Africa,” said Festival Director Claire Jankelson.

“Importantly, the SAFF is a festival with a conscience: all profits go towards enhancing education for underprivileged youth in Cape Town,” she continued.

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WHAT SCREENINGS VIEWERS CAN EXPECT

  • The South African Film Festival opens on 7 May with in-cinema screenings of Nobody’s Died Laughing in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast and Brisbane. 
  • Nobody’s Died Laughing is a revealing and intimate documentary about the legendary South African performer, author, satirist, and activist, Pieter-Dirk Uys whose alter ego, Evita Bezuidenhout, has been entertaining audiences around the world for over 40 years.
  • There are a further eight documentaries on offer, including the delightful Pluck which takes a rollicking, warts-and-all look at the infamous Nando’s ads that have held up a mirror to South African society. 
  • Dare to Dream is a fun, feel good film about the whirling, twirling lives of the young performers at Zip Zap Circus in Cape Town, and a look at how marginalised youth are getting the chance to turn their lives around by joining this social venture. 
  • Four documentaries offer an insightful look into South Africa’ s social issues, both past and present. The five short films in the Festival line-up offer a poignant mix of magic and hope, trauma and survival. 
  • Now in its fourth year, the SAFF (Australia and New Zealand) is part of a global network of South African film festivals, all of which are supported by teams of passionate volunteers, sponsors, and audience members.

THE SOUTH AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL DETAILS

  • What: South African Film Festival 2022
  • When: Saturday 7 – 24 May 2022
  • Where: Online here
  • In-cinema screening on 7 May in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast
  • Tickets: Online Festival pass: $70 (R1107 or $100 (R15982) for a household; 
  • single film: $10 (R158)
  • In-cinema tickets: $22 (R348) – Available from 15 April

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