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# South African Film Festival: Bringing you the best in South African Film. SAFF is a festival with a conscience. All net proceeds support Education without Borders (EwB), a non-profit organisation that funds educational programs for at-risk children in South Africa..

## Sitemaps
[XML Sitemap](https://saff.org.au/sitemap_index.xml): Includes all crawlable and indexable pages.

## Pages
- [Subscribe](https://saff.org.au/subscribe/): The South African Film Festival brings the very best of contemporary South African film to Australian and New Zealand audiences. Stay up to date with all the latest films, Q&As, festival news and free screenings.
- [In Memoriam – Di Singer](https://saff.org.au/di-singer/): Without Di Singer there would be no South African Film Festival.  She initiated the festival and, with Co-Founder, Claire Jankelson, drove it forward with unstinting passion. With a well-developed capacity for deep listening, Di brought care and curiosity and gave the moment her full attention. Seldom the first to respond to an issue, she listened to others and then brought an incisive response – which was usually the shape of exactly what was needed and the direction that was then taken. Daring with goals and vision, Di was excited to consider the big picture. She was unafraid and courageous in expanding the festival. Bold and expansive, Di gave careful thought to the numbers and the many details. So many hours were spent in exacting spreadsheets. Documents and reports were edited again and again, ensuring that the work served our customers with consideration and thoughtfulness. Relationships on the committee and outside were priority; yet another phone call, a checking in, a care for the soul of the other, the sending of gifts, even when the other was little known. The South African Film Festival is eternally grateful to the extraordinary woman Di was.  She lives forever in our hearts.
- [Volunteer](https://saff.org.au/volunteer/): SAFF is staffed entirely by volunteers, Every member of our volunteer team is integral to the success of the festival and, ultimately, to the contribution we make to Education without Borders.
- [Cinema Schedule](https://saff.org.au/cinema-schedule/): The South African Film Festival 2026 brings you a special cinematic experience in select cinemas across Australia and New Zealand.
- [Home](https://saff.org.au/): Discover the beauty, vibrancy and complexity of South Africa through the inspirational films featured in our annual South African Film Festival.
- [PROGRAM](https://saff.org.au/program/): SAFF brings the very best of South African films to your home, proudly presenting features, documentaries, and short films that explore the rich culture, history, and politics of South Africa.
- [EwB](https://saff.org.au/ewb/): Established in 2002, Education without Borders (EwB) provides educational opportunities for at-risk learners through after-school programs in maths, English and science, and extracurricular activities such as holiday programs, surfing and leadership camps.
- [SUBMIT A FILM](https://saff.org.au/submit-a-film/): Submissions are closed for the 2026 program, please follow the instructions below to submit your film for our 2027 program.
- [FAQ](https://saff.org.au/faq/): Films are available ONLINE from the 26 June – 26 July 2026
- [FILM ARCHIVE](https://saff.org.au/films/): Film Archive 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019
- [ABOUT](https://saff.org.au/about/): Staffed by film-loving volunteers who care deeply about South Africa, SAFF (Australia and New Zealand) is part of a global network of South African film festivals in Canada, the US and soon the UK.
- [CONTACT](https://saff.org.au/contact/): General inquiries: info@saff.org.au
- [DONATE](https://saff.org.au/donate/): We believe every child deserves an education that not only teaches, but reminds them: you belong here, you matter, your future is real. 
- [PARTNERS](https://saff.org.au/partners/): The South African Film Festival, as a charitable organisation, relies on the generous support of our partners, sponsors and donors, without whom the Festival wouldn’t exist. 

## Films
- [Are Your Eyes Nicely Open?](https://saff.org.au/film/are-your-eyes-nicely-open/): Are Your Eyes Nicely Open? is a documentary that examines the modern world, sustainability, climate change, and what we can learn from the ancient culture of the Bushmen that could help us live in harmony with our planet. The documentary also focuses on the dispossession of the Bushmen people of Southern Africa, and how Western demand for minerals has robbed them of their homeland. Are Your Eyes Nicely Open? draws on surrealist techniques and a poetic documentary style to drive home the message that we are wandering, blinded by our own rampant ego and consumerism, into oblivion.
- [Sundown Syndrome](https://saff.org.au/film/sundown-syndrome/): From the gentle chaos of a warm family kitchen where the weight of motherhood once consumed her, to the cold stark present where memory no longer holds. Haunted by the relentless ticking of a clock and the ghost of a ringing phone, Elsie is caught in the haunting beauty of a life she once longed to escape but now cannot quite let go of.
- [Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight](https://saff.org.au/film/dont-lets-go-to-the-dogs-tonight/): "Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight" thrusts us into the tumultuous world of 8-year-old Bobo, whose childhood unfolds on her family's Rhodesian farm, now Zimbabwe, as the Bush War rages to its bitter end. Set against this violent backdrop, and seen through her eyes, we witness the family's desperate attachment to Africa's soil and the deep, festering scars of a war that reshapes both land and soul.
- [AIDA](https://saff.org.au/film/aida/): Cape Town Opera brings Verdi’s powerful Aida to life with an all-South African cast, presenting a futuristic reimagining of this beloved opera.
- [Womxn: Working](https://saff.org.au/film/womxn-working/): Against the backdrop of South Africa's femicide crisis, a fearless group of activist women wages a historic battle for decriminalization while protecting their vulnerable community through groundbreaking initiatives and unwavering solidarity.
- [Vet vannie Land (Fat of the Land)](https://saff.org.au/film/vet-vannie-land-fat-of-the-land/): In the harsh, mysterious landscape of the Richtersveld, a passionate botanist battles against time and organised crime to save South Africa’s rare succulents - revealing an underground world of greed, resilience and hope.
- [The Shakedown](https://saff.org.au/film/the-shakedown/): "The Shakedown" follows the story of Justin Diamond, a well-respected medical aid broker who finds himself entangled in the Cape Town underworld after his mistress threatens to reveal the secret of their affair. The plot thickens as Justin's desperate attempts to maintain his golden boy reputation, lead him down a path filled with dangerous criminals, mistaken identities, and comic mishaps. As Justin teams up with his ‘black sheep’ brother, Dovi, to handle the escalating chaos, viewers are in for a comedy-of-errors crime caper that will keep them on the edge of their seats.
- [The House That Never Sleeps](https://saff.org.au/film/the-house-that-never-sleeps/): When a once-prolific novelist, now reclusive and no longer writing, is interviewed by a fan podcaster about his process and first short story, he must confront the secret behind his prolific work and be reborn as an artist.
- [The Heart Is a Muscle](https://saff.org.au/film/the-heart-is-a-muscle/): At a barbecue, Ryan’s five-year-old son briefly goes missing. Ryan’s violent reaction to this scare sets off a chain of events and unearths secrets from the past. A journey of self-discovery and forgiveness begins.
- [Squashbox](https://saff.org.au/film/squashbox/): SQUASHBOX is a short poetic documentary that tells the story of the history, meeting, and work of Qadasi & Maqhinga, a SAMA (South African Music Award) Award-winning South African maskandi duo.
- [Sam Nzima: Journey Through His Lens](https://saff.org.au/film/sam-nzima-journey-through-his-lens/): When Sam Nzima captured the haunting image of Hector Pieterson during the Soweto Uprising, his photograph helped expose the brutality of apartheid to the world—yet the man behind the lens was thrust into a life of exile, sacrifice, and resilience; Journey Through His Lens uncovers the untold story of the photographer whose single frame changed a nation forever.
- [Runs in the Family](https://saff.org.au/film/runs-in-the-family/): A modest tailor and single Indian dad, Varun (Ace Bhatti) and his transmasculine son, River (Gabe Gabriel), take a road trip across South Africa to break River’s estranged mother, Monica (Diaan Lawrenson), out of a rehab clinic.
- [PUNTER](https://saff.org.au/film/punter/): Young Brett must navigate the underbelly of the Johannesburg gambling world as a seemingly harmless horse-racing bet jeopardizes the surprise he's prepared for his father's birthday.
- [Pigcasso: Million Dollar Pig](https://saff.org.au/film/pigcasso-million-dollar-pig/): In Franschhoek Valley, South Africa, a piglet destined for slaughter is given a second chance at life. Pigcasso, rescued by animal rights activist Joanne Lefson, becomes the world’s first painting pig, creating artworks that challenge perceptions of animal intelligence and artistic expression.
- [Pangolin – Journey to Freedom](https://saff.org.au/film/pangolin-journey-to-freedom/): The inspiring story of Kosha, a pangolin rescued from the illegal wildlife trade in Zimbabwe, whose extraordinary journey challenged everything we thought we knew about her species and redefined the future of pangolin conservation.
- [Normal To Me](https://saff.org.au/film/normal-to-me/): Normal To Me is an engaging feature documentary that intimately explores the lives of individuals with special needs, all employed at a protective workshop in the charming seaside town of Fish Hoek, South Africa. The film delves into the unique stories of selected individuals, showcasing their resilience and triumphs as they challenge societal expectations and redefine the notion of 'normal.' Through heartfelt interviews and compelling visuals, the documentary takes viewers on a journey through the daily lives of these individuals, shedding light on the diverse talents and perspectives that make each person extraordinary. The film not only captures the challenges faced by these individuals but also emphasizes the strength found in embracing their true selves.
- [My F*k, Marelize!](https://saff.org.au/film/my-fk-marelize/): My F*k, Marelize! tells the story of Heidi, a strong-willed woman who hides her cancer from her family, and Marelize, her ill-fated daughter who must learn how to ride a bike so she can become an au pair in the Netherlands. What could go wrong? Based on a true story that inspired a nation.
- [Lucky Fish](https://saff.org.au/film/lucky-fish/): With heavy competition from much larger companies and his own bad management of finances, Sanjay Pillay’s tinned fish company is circling the drain. After being inspired by all the publicity that the local Miss Chatsworth beauty pageant is getting, Sanjay decides to rope his sister, Samantha, into helping him organize and sponsor his very own beauty contest, Miss Pillay Pilchards, to give his company a PR boost in order to increase sales. On insistence from Samantha, the pageant becomes an all-inclusive competition.
- [Loom Body](https://saff.org.au/film/loom-body/): Set in contemporary South Africa, Loom Body traces an intimate dialogue between body and machine. As dancers and looms echo one another’s rhythm, the film becomes a meditation on how movement and making intertwine - weaving labour, ritual, and memory into a living tapestry of resilience and renewal.
- [King George](https://saff.org.au/film/king-george/): After being handed an eviction notice, a wily strip club owner goes to war with a ruthless property developer.
- [Amazeze (Fleas)](https://saff.org.au/film/amazeze-fleas/): Tonderai, a young Zimbabwean boy living in a South African township, watches as a xenophobic mob runs rampant through his neighbourhood. He watches over his gravely ill younger brother, who becomes desperate for drinking water.
- [Fitting In](https://saff.org.au/film/fitting-in/): Young South Africans from all walks of life begin their student experience at the elite University of Stellenbosch. Within the walls of a prestigious student residence called "Eendrag“, the newcomers are confronted with colonial structures. They try to navigate between personal growth, cultural differences and a past that has not been forgotten.
- [Die Dekonstruksie van Retta Blom](https://saff.org.au/film/die-dekonstruksie-van-retta-blom/): Retta Blom has the perfect life. Or so it seems. A loving husband, a son, her beloved dog and a dream house in a leafy Johannesburg suburb. When her perfectionist eye spots a tiny crack in the varnish of her flawless life, doubt seeps in. She starts investigating. Perhaps her husband, Tobias, isn’t all he pretends to be. Has he been hiding a dark secret from her all these years? When she joins her madcap friend Leigh on a road trip to Cape Town, the puzzle pieces start falling into place one by one. And with each new piece, Retta falls apart a little more.
- [Dears In The Headlights](https://saff.org.au/film/dears-in-the-headlights/): While Philli works in silence, her mother Caro takes to the streets, founding South Africans Against Drunk Driving (SADD), determined that no other mother should know her pain. Together, mother and daughter embody two polar expressions of mourning: one intimate, one galvanizing. Yet both with one mission: to turn sorrow into meaning.
- [Carissa](https://saff.org.au/film/carissa/): In a quiet village, a young woman is pushed by her grandmother to apply for a job opportunity on a new golf estate being developed in the mountains. However, when she learns that the estate will be built over her estranged grandfather's rooibos tea lands, she is confronted with a difficult choice.
- [Capturing Water](https://saff.org.au/film/capturing-water/): Capturing Water delves into Cape Town’s escalating water crisis, a growing emergency in recent years. As pollution of natural water sources worsens and industrial and urban developments threaten access to clean water, government responses remain inadequate.
- [Being You](https://saff.org.au/film/being-you/): Being You follows Sheila, a 37-year-old Oscar-winning filmmaker who attempts to take her own life during a panic attack triggered by a question about her deeply personal film, The Barren. Instead of dying, she wakes up 20 years earlier in a club bathroom in Melville, Johannesburg, where she encounters her 16-year-old self, Shishiliza, confident, carefree, and on her way to meet a sugar daddy in Sandton. Knowing the night ends in a life-altering trauma that leaves her barren, Sheila tries to stop Shishiliza from going. What follows is a tense, surreal chase through the night as Sheila fights to rewrite her past. But as the night unfolds, Sheila realises that changing the past could erase the woman she has become. In a heartbreaking twist, Shishiliza chooses to go, understanding that the pain ahead is part of her becoming. Being You is a psychological drama about identity, regret, and the impossible complexity of self-forgiveness.
- [B(l)ind the Sacrifice](https://saff.org.au/film/blind-the-sacrifice/): Based on the biblical story of Abraham and Isaac, from Genesis: “God promised Sarah and Abraham they would have a son, even though she was past childbearing age.” After Isaac is born, to test Abraham’s obedience, God instructs him to sacrifice his only son. As the pious Abraham begins to prepare for the ritual sacrifice, he is stopped by the angel of the Lord and Isaac’s life is spared at the last moment.
- [A Karoo Odyssey](https://saff.org.au/film/a-karoo-odyssey/): Wheelchair bound Multiple Sclerosis sufferer Theo Voss-Price undertakes the Nieu-Bethesda Camino - an over 80km 'walk' through the rugged landscape of the Karoo in South Africa.
- [Hier.Na](https://saff.org.au/film/hier-na/): The Burgess family is a typical modern, culturally blended South African family in the northern suburbs of Cape Town, on top of a hill, under a cross. Eric is secular, but his wife, Juleigha, who prefers to be called Julie, is a non-practicing Muslim. They have two children. Dean is a professional online gamer, and Leila, a medical student, celebrates her Muslim identity, which she recently rediscovered – something that irritates her mother greatly. When Julie suddenly dies of a heart attack, Leila undertakes to arrange a Muslim funeral for her with the help of Julie’s mother. This upsets the whole family. Everyone must now navigate years of conflicts and undercurrents within one tumultuous day so that Julie can be buried before sunset, as Muslim custom requires.
- [Special Event – Is there an Elephant in the Room](https://saff.org.au/film/is-there-an-elephant-in-the-room/): In an online conversation, comedians, Schalk Bezuidenhout and Joel Creasy provide insights into the world of comedy. You’ll get to peek behind the curtain and glean fascinating information about these worldclass artists in a first-of-its-kind event for SAFF.
- [Spud](https://saff.org.au/film/spud/): It's South Africa 1990. Two major events are about to happen: The release of Nelson Mandela and, more importantly, it's Spud Milton's first year at an elite boys only private boarding school.–
- [Month End](https://saff.org.au/film/month-end/): A slacker and her buddy have to come up with a thousand rands that they owe a loan shark to retrieve her grandmother’s new TV set before she returns from church when he confiscates and threatens to sell it off to recover his money.
- [Masiphumelele](https://saff.org.au/film/masiphumelele/): Masiphumelele means “We will succeed” in Xhosa. In the early 1980’s a group of 400-500 black people started an informal settlement in the bushes close to where Masiphumelele is today. Today more than 26,000 people live in Masiphumelele. Zintle Magazi is a young woman and activist born and bred in Masiphumelele. Her quest to explore the notion of home and identity within this space resulted in a storytelling project to recapture the beauty of Masi. Through Struggles We Rise is an ode to Masi and brings together young and old voices in an exploration of Masiphumelele’s identity.
- [Mamelodi – A Timeline of Heroes](https://saff.org.au/film/mamelodi-a-timeline-of-heroes/): In this short film documentary, titled "Mamelodi - A Timeline of Heroes," we delve into the importance of storytelling and the impact it has on understanding our roots and preserving our history. The documentary draws inspiration from Aubrey Mogase, an esteemed author and founder of an organization dedicated to researching and documenting the history of Mamelodi. With his extensive knowledge of the township, Mogase highlights significant local heroes and pivotal moments in Mamelodi's development.
- [The Last Ranger](https://saff.org.au/film/the-last-ranger/): When young Litha is introduced to the magic of a game reserve by the last remaining ranger, they are ambushed by poachers. In the ensuing battle to save the rhinos, Litha discovers a terrible secret.
- [Wild Coast Warriors](https://saff.org.au/film/wild-coast-warriors/): The story is constructed as an almighty existential clash of cultures. The amaMpondo protagonists, conserving nature, their way of life and their very existence, battle the antagonists, Shell, Impact Africa (British oil), and the South African government, their profit-driven fossil fuel exploration that could potentially destroy marine life and indigenous culture, leading to a climactic courtroom ruling that might influence the direction of travel for the years leading up to 2030 that humanity has left to prevent a burning planet.
- [The Wait](https://saff.org.au/film/the-wait/): The station is busy and the old man is confused with no one to assist him. Mzu then takes it upon himself to see that the old man is helped but quickly finds resistance from those ahead in line and the stifling bureaucratic system. The Wait is an allegory of South Africa’s complex society, where a sense powerlessness and hope exist together at all times.
- [The Showerhead](https://saff.org.au/film/the-showerhead/): The Showerhead, directed by Craig Tanner, examines the work of cartoonist Zapiro from his period as an anti-apartheid struggle-artist to his enduring role as a progressive commentator and freedom-of-expression champion who has stood his ground against powerful politician Jacob Zuma. SAFF is delighted that Zapiro, aka Jonathan Shapiro, will be in Australia to support the film at select cinema screenings.
- [The Friendship Bench](https://saff.org.au/film/the-friendship-bench/): In 2006, Dr. Dixon Chibanda, a psychiatrist in Zimbabwe, was ordered by the government to deal with the severe mental health crisis afflicting the nation. However, there was literally a handful of psychiatrists in the entire country, which meant searching for a solution beyond conventional medicine. That forced him to consider grandmothers (Gogos) as his only option. Starting with a group of 14 Gogos, he began training them in cognitive therapy to treat depression on public benches.
- [Temperature Rising](https://saff.org.au/film/temperature-rising/): Taking place between two major climate conferences – COP26 Glasgow and COP27 Sharm el-Sheikh, Temperature Rising uncovers the barriers to climate action and calls loudly for movement building from below, at a time where the very survival of large numbers of people depends on what activists can get political leaders to do.
- [Take a Seat](https://saff.org.au/film/take-a-seat/): After receiving her vaccine, a young woman unexpectedly reunites with her ex-boyfriend in the crowded observation room, leading to an awkward situation that forces them to confront unresolved issues from their past in the most inconvenient and amusing way possible.
- [Sonti](https://saff.org.au/film/sonti/): A 19-year-old village boy saves the life of a woman who has been kidnapped. In doing so he endangers the lives of his family. His courage is not appreciated by his family and when the killers stop at nothing to find him, he must face a difficult decision and choose between saving his family or the life of a stranger.
- [Snake](https://saff.org.au/film/snake/): When a luminous stranger arrives on the farm, Stella’s father stays sober and her mother begins to laugh again. But the man with the silver cross has not come to save them. As jerry slithers his way into their hearts, his own dark wounds begin to show. Stella must shut up and watch him strangle her family or use the truth to fight for their lives.
- [Sierra’s Gold](https://saff.org.au/film/sierras-gold/): Sierra, an eccentric young black visual artist in Johannesburg discovers she's pregnant with her boyfriend, who also happens to be her manager. Tiro, the boyfriend, presents Sierra with a hard choice: abort the pregnancy or lose him forever. Sierra chooses Tiro over the growing child within her. She consumes a strange concoction, given to her by Tiro, designed to abort the baby but instead it bestows her with the inexplicable ability to excrete gold coins. What follows is an uproarious and darkly comedic chain of events as Skorra, an Afrikaner Pawn shop owner and his henchmen invade Sierra's home with the hope of extracting the gold coins from her.
- [Shap Shap](https://saff.org.au/film/shap-shap/): After a challenging childhood with his grandmother in a remote village, 13-year-old Mmusi sets off to the township in search of his father. Instead, he’s taken in by a strict Jehovah’s Witness, whose unyielding beliefs leave him feeling out of place. Struggling to fit in, Mmusi ends up homeless, rejected by society. Determined to reunite with his mother in Johannesburg, he faces prejudice and false accusations at every turn. Along the way, unexpected friendships teach him resilience and hope. When he’s offered a scholarship to America, a dream he once thought impossible, he’s forced to confront the reality that without a home, his future remains uncertain. Shap Shap is a powerful story of survival, strength, and the search for belonging.
- [Shame](https://saff.org.au/film/shame/): Shame is based on a poem by Education without Borders' (EwB) co-founder, Cecil Hershler, this short film was proudly produced by EwB. Through the medium of dance, the film tells the story of a young girl in a South African township.
- [Over my dead body](https://saff.org.au/film/over-my-dead-body/): Kids talking about death, Heaven and Hell during a funeral.
- [Old Righteous Blues](https://saff.org.au/film/old-righteous-blues/): South Africa's submission for the 97th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film. A young man is forced to confront his limitations, face the ghosts of the past in order to unite a fractured community and realise his dream of leading his town's Christmas Choir Band to former glory.
- [Of Bread and Water](https://saff.org.au/film/of-bread-and-water/): In a South African fishing community, Witbrood (White Bread) and his wife, Monica, face endless hardships. Nevertheless, they share what they have – and take in a child, who they raise as their own.

## Film Year
- [2019](https://saff.org.au/film_year/2019-films/)
- [2020](https://saff.org.au/film_year/2020-films/)
- [2021](https://saff.org.au/film_year/2021-films/)
- [2022](https://saff.org.au/film_year/2022-films/)
- [2023](https://saff.org.au/film_year/2023-films/)
- [2024](https://saff.org.au/film_year/2024-films/)
- [2025](https://saff.org.au/film_year/2025-films/)
- [2026](https://saff.org.au/film_year/2026-films/)
- [In Cinema](https://saff.org.au/film_year/in-cinema/)
- [Online](https://saff.org.au/film_year/online/)

## Categories
- [Festival Extras](https://saff.org.au/category/festival-news/)
- [Newsletters](https://saff.org.au/category/news/)
- [uncategorized](https://saff.org.au/category/uncategorized/)