Cinema fans are in for a treat as the Joburg Film Festival kicks off once again from 19 to 24 November and offers the chance to see a curated mix of the finest films and documentaries from across Africa and around the world, including a one-off screening of South Africa’s 2020 Academy Award contender, Knuckle City.

The six day celebration of African and International film runs at six venues across Johannesburg, with a hub in Sandton (Auto & General Theatre on the Square, a free outdoor area at Nelson Mandela Square and at Ster-Kinekor Sandton City). The other venues are Cinema Nouveau Rosebank; The Bioscope in Maboneng and Kings Theatre in Alexandra, which offers free screenings.

The festival opens with the South African premiere of the locally-produced horror film, 8, at the Auto & General Theatre on the Square on 19 November.

Twice-daily premieres at the same venue will add extra red carpet glamour and select screenings will be capped with Q&A sessions with the film’s stars, producers and directors. The films in competition at the Joburg Film Festival include Papicha (Algeria); Rocks (UK); Letters of Hope (SA); Redemption (Mozambique); Bombay Rose (India); Flatland (SA); Farming (UK); Indigo (Morocco); Our Lady of the Nile (France) and Yardie (UK).

“We’re incredibly proud of the lineup of powerful films we’ve secured as part of the Festival,” says Joburg Film Festival Executive Director Timothy Mangwedi. “It also shows that films from the continent sit comfortably alongside films from elsewhere in the world – and we hope to inspire budding filmmakers to raise the standard of African cinema even higher”.

For a full list of the 60 films which make up the Joburg Film Festival – and to book tickets – visit www.joburgfilmfestival.co.za