5 must-sees at the 2018 Jozi Film Festival

Jozi Film Festival 2018

When: 27 - 30 September 

Where: The Bioscope and the Olive Tree Theatre

Cost: Olive Tree Theatre screenings are free; R50 for screenings at The Bioscope

Every year, we have a few excellent films, but this year, all are of a very high standard. Being asked to highlight a few is tough, but, with a gun to my head, here goes:

29 September, 16:00

This short fiction film by Dian Weys is based on true and current events. As two paramedics treat a patient in the Cape Flats, they’re attacked by gang members. Between 2016 and last year, more than 150 paramedics and other medical professionals were victimised or attacked in and around Cape Town.

2. Mma Moeketsi 

The Bioscope 

28 September, 18:00

Directed by Reabetswe Moeti, this film won an award at the Zanzibar International Film Festival earlier this year. This local short fiction film is also based on true events. Mma Moeketsi is a domestic worker from Lesotho working for a suburban family in Johannesburg. Her son Moeketsi is a mine worker in Marikana. In the wake of the strike in August 2012, Moeketsi’s phone is off and he is nowhere to be found. Mma Moeketsi can do nothing but wait for her son to call her.

3. The Oslo Diaries

The Bioscope

29 September, 20:00

30 September, 18:00

On the international front, The Oslo Diaries is doccie film making at its most powerful. The year is 1992 and Israeli-Palestinian relations are at an all-time low. Attempting to stop the bloodshed, a small group of Israelis and Palestinians meet secretly in Oslo. The meetings that changed the Middle East were not officially sanctioned and were chronicled only in the negotiators’ diaries. We’re proud to present the African premiere of this incredibly moving film.

4. Missing Piece

The Bioscope

29 September, 12.30

This short documentary from the US surprised me the most while going through selections because of its unique approach to the subject. It chronicles Tim Guthrie’s process of grieving for his dead wife who passed away at 49. He began taking pictures of honeymoon photos of Beth reframed in the places where they were originally taken. By recreating the memories while travelling the world, Guthrie could relive time spent with his soulmate and say goodbye to her at the same time.

Missing Piece screening at Film Streams from ArtsyFartsyTim on Vimeo.

5. Whispering Truth to Power

The Olive Tree Theatre

27 September, 18:30

The Bioscope

28 September, 20:00

Back to South Africa, I can’t not mention our opening night film: Whispering Truth to Power, a feature-length documentary on Professor Thuli Madonsela’s last year in office as Public Protector. Director Shameela Seedat will be at both screenings.

For the full programme, go to jozifilmfestival.co.za