News24 | Encounters documentary festival opens with Cape Town ceremony

The Encounters South African International Documentary Festival officially opened its 28th edition on Thursday night in Cape Town.

The festival, which features 58 documentaries from 33 countries, runs until 14 June 2026 and takes place in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria.

The opening ceremony took place at the V&A Waterfront’s Ster Kinekor.

“I’m extremely proud that Encounters is 28 years [old] and we’ve never missed a single edition,” said festival director Mandisa Zitha during opening remarks.

“For nearly three decades, Encounters has remained the leading platform for documentary storytelling on the African continent,” Zitha said.

“In a world that is increasingly fragmented, documentary film remains one of the most powerful ways that we can understand one another,” the organiser stated. “Documentary allows us to witness lives beyond our own experiences; they challenge our assumptions, they preserve memory, they hold power accountable, and perhaps most importantly, they remind us of our shared humanity.”

This year’s edition felt particularly significant for the organisers.

“As we were planning and organising this festival, we were operating in a world that is witnessing conflict, genocide, displacement, growing inequality, political uncertainty, climate crisis, and increasing social division - and we’ve kept all of that in mind.”

“Yet amid all of this, we continue to see extraordinary acts of resilience, solidarity, creativity, and care,” she added.

The theme of this year’s edition is “Love, in all its forms, endures”, which was exemplified in the fest’s first film.

After opening remarks, Truck Mama, directed by Zipporah Nyaruri, was screened for its African premiere. The film follows a truck driver and mother of two, Evaline Wambua Mutuku, as she attempts to deliver cargo from Kenya, driving through Uganda and South Sudan. The trip eventually goes awry when Evaline encounters truck problems halfway through.

The filmmaker and Mutuku were present at the opening ceremony, with Nyaruri thanking the audience for attending.

This year’s festival includes 27 feature films and 31 short films, with 32 projects from Africa.

Notes from the Underground, by Adrian Van Wyk and Chris Kets, a music documentary about the history of hip hop in Cape Town.

Marxism & Period Pains, by Mmabatho Montsho, which focuses on the impact of period pains on girls and women and touches on issues of class and capitalism.

The Hour After Midnight, by Pat van Heerden and Edwin Wes, which investigates the death in detention of trade unionist Dr Neil Aggett during aparthe