Now in its 27th year, the Encounters South African International Documentary Festival is known for its broad selection of some of the best short contemporary documentary films from around the world, with a selection of 31 titles on the 2025 programme. Encounters runs from Fri, Jun 20 – Sat, Jun 29 at The Bioscope independent cinema at 44 Stanley and at Ster Kinekor at The Zone @ Rosebank.

The short films on the lineup confront issues that span climate justice, gender identity, ancestral land rights, queer desire, and revolutionary memory. Highlights of the 2025 programme include:

Shifting Baselines (with Q and A): Set on the perimeter of Elon Musk’s Starbase facility where SpaceX rockets and Starlink’s satellites are launched, the film includes interviews with people who have come from around the United States to set up camp in the area and bear witness to what some of them view as our first tentative steps towards becoming an intergalactic species. The Bioscope, Tue, Jun 24, 20:30.  

Womxn: Working (with Q and A): Despite having one of the world’s most progressive constitutions, sex work remains illegal in South Africa. Womxn Working documents the ongoing attempt by a group of women in the industry to legalise and destigmatise sex work in South Africa, while providing rich insights into the lives of the women and their personal struggles. The Bioscope, Wed, Jun 25, 20:30.  

Fitting In: Fitting in spends a year with the residents of Eendrag, a male residence in The University Of Stellenbosch, which, like the rest of the campus, is steeped in colonial traditions – something that many of the new generation think needs changing. The Bioscope, Thu, Jun 26, 20:30.  

The Tree of Authenticity: In Sammy Baloji’s meditative film, a forest giant bears witness to centuries of colonial violence and environmental destruction in the Congo. Tree of Authenticity uses its archetypal oppositionality to render the broader narrative of colonialism. It is the tree of the title, however, that has the last word. The Bioscope, Fri, Jun 27, 18:30. 

Best of The Fest – 6 Kings And 6 Queens: A succession dispute unfolds in South Africa’s Balobedu Kingdom, as Queen Masalanabo and her brother Prince Lekukela contend for the throne, challenging the long-standing matriarchal tradition of the Rain Queens. The Bioscope, Sat, Jun 28, 15:00. 

Best of The Fest – Sam Nzima: A Journey Through His Lens: Going behind the lens, Sam Nzima’s life unfolds against one of history’s most recognised photographs, the haunting image of Hector Pieterson during the 1976 Soweto Uprising. The Bioscope, Sat, Jun 29, 15:00. 

The full programme can be viewed online.

The 27th Encounters South African International Documentary Festival is on from Fri, Jun 20 – Sun, Jun 29 at The Bioscope at 44 Stanley. Book your tickets here.