The Joburg Film Festival kickstarts the year by announcing the jury for its 8th edition. Our jury comprises six figures whose work spans filmmaking, production, curation, and global cinema. Entrusted with evaluating the Official Selection, they will engage with films that reflect this year’s theme, Feel the Frame, bringing a considered and critical lens to both emerging and established African and international voices.
For 2026, we sharpen our focus on cinema’s sensory essence. Feel the Frame invites audiences to move beyond the what of the story to the how of its experience – the textures, rhythms, and atmosphere crafted by the director. This year’s selection prioritises films where cinematic craft is felt as much as it is seen, from the sun-baked landscapes of The Trek to the intimate nostalgia of The Ancestral Vision of the Future, and the reflective historical lens of Raoul Peck’s ORWELL 2+2 =5. This edition is a journey for the senses, celebrating films with immersive cinematography, soundscapes, and textures that linger beyond the screen.
View
Purchase Tickets
Bongiwe Selane
Producer | South Africa
Bongiwe Selane is an acclaimed producer working across film, television, and documentary. Her credits include Happiness Is a Four-Letter Word, Happiness Ever After, Do Your Worst, and Happiness Is. She is widely recognised for championing African storytelling and for her commitment to developing new voices, including producing 26 short films by women writers and directors through the NFVF Female Only Filmmakers Project.
Cait Pansegrouw
Producer | South Africa
Cait Pansegrouw is a multi-award-winning producer whose work has screened at Sundance, Berlinale, Venice, and FESPACO. Her credits include Inxeba (The Wound), South Africa’s 2018 Academy Awards entry, and This Is Not A Burial, It’s a Resurrection, winner of the Jury Prize for Visionary Filmmaking at Sundance 2020. She is a co-founder of the Realness Institute and an active mentor to emerging African filmmakers.
Dorothee Wenner
Filmmaker, Curator, Writer | Germany
Based in Berlin, Dorothee Wenner is a filmmaker and film curator with long-standing involvement in international festival programming. She is part of the Panorama selection committee at the Berlin International Film Festival, serves on the World Cinema Fund jury, and curates film programmes at the Humboldt Forum. She has also been a jury member of the African Movie Academy Awards since 2005.
Keith Shiri
Curator, Producer, African Cinema Advocate | United Kingdom
Keith Shiri is an internationally respected curator and producer specialising in African cinema and visual arts. He has programmed for major festivals including Venice, Toronto, and BFI London, and has played a key role in supporting emerging African filmmakers through initiatives such as the Africa Movie Academy Awards and the Federation of African Filmmakers (FEPACI).
Jan-Willem Breure (Nsekanabo)
Founder & Director, Septimius Awards | Netherlands
Jan-Willem Breure is the founder and director of the internationally recognised Septimius Awards, based in the Netherlands. Born in Rwanda, he is committed to amplifying underrepresented voices through a global awards structure that celebrates films, series, and screenplays across regional categories, promoting cultural diversity in world cinema.
Sia Stewart
Producer, Director, Showrunner | USA
Sia Stewart, also known as Sia Savvy, creates documentary and unscripted content for global platforms including ESPN, Netflix, and ABC. She is the founder of Savvy Media Group, where she develops culturally grounded work that centres community and underrepresented voices. Her projects include Why Not Us: Southern Dance and Gone Before His Time: Kobe Bryant.
ABOUT JOBURG FILM FESTIVAL
The Joburg Film Festival is a six-day annual event that showcases African films within a global cinema context. The festival presents over 60 expertly curated films from around the world, including South Africa, Africa, and the diaspora. Presented in partnership with MultiChoice, a Canal+ Company, JFF has established itself as an independent platform that not only celebrates African stories but also rewards excellence in film.
