Mpumalanga International Film Festival 2027

Beyond the Screen

Your story deserves an afterlife.

2–10 August 2027 · Mpumalanga · South Africa

SUBMISSIONS NOW OPEN · Early Bird 31 Oct 2026 · Regular 15 Dec 2026 · Late 31 Jan 2027 · Extended 20 Feb 2027* · Notification 31 Mar 2027
*Final deadline being confirmed — submit via FilmFreeway or Festhome; always check the official listing before submitting.

Why submit to MIFF 2027?

MIFF is more than a screening — it is a platform that connects your film to audiences, industry and opportunity in the heart of South Africa’s wildest province.

Cinema screenings & Q&As

Your film on the big screen in Mbombela, followed by a moderated audience Q&A.

Industry access & masterclasses

Keynotes, workshops and funding sessions with local and international experts.

Networking & markets

Meet producers, investors, broadcasters and distributors across the festival week.

Destination experiences

Skukuza and Kruger National Park experiences for selected filmmakers.

Awards & recognition

Competitive awards across eight core categories, celebrated at the closing ceremony.

Optional MPPLUS consideration

An optional pathway to digital audiences after the festival — you keep your rights.

2027 Competition Categories

Best Feature Film

Narrative feature-length films demonstrating strong storytelling, direction, performance and cinematic execution.

Best Short Film

Short-form narrative filmmaking showcasing original and memorable storytelling.

Best Documentary

Feature and short documentaries exploring people, communities, environments, history, ideas and contemporary issues.

Best Student Film

Films produced by students or as part of recognised educational or training programmes.

Best Animation

Traditional, digital, stop-motion, experimental and hybrid animation.

Best African Film

Films from Africa and African storytellers representing African experiences, perspectives and imagination.

Best Mpumalanga Film

Films and filmmakers connected to Mpumalanga — its people, languages, landscapes, heritage and communities.

Best Wildlife, Environment & Conservation Film

Wildlife, biodiversity, conservation, climate, landscapes, indigenous knowledge and humanity’s relationship with nature.

US$3,500 Prize Pool

Five major winning categories each receive US$700 (per the current FilmFreeway award description).

Official MIFF recognition
Potential MPPLUS licensing for selected films
Potential MPPLUS streaming / digital arrangements
Potential future development consideration
Selected Skukuza experience
Selected Lime Time travel opportunities
Festival screening & audience exposure
Industry networking

MIFF 2026 Award-Winning Stories

Before we welcome the next generation of filmmakers, we celebrate the stories that defined MIFF 2026.

Best Wild Film

The Legacy of Megaherbivores

Tom Bouyer & Aimee Tallian
United States

Local Is Lekker Award

A Dream (Liphupho)

Siphosethu Nkosivile Sibandze
Eswatini

Women Behind the Scenes Award

Mufunwa: Kiss of the Blood

Lufuno
South Africa

Best Producer

Remember Their Names

Sihle Hlophe
South Africa

Could your film be next?

MIFF in Mpumalanga

MIFF lives in Mbombela, the capital of Mpumalanga — a naturally cinematic province of mountains, heritage sites and communities, connected to the Kruger National Park through conservation storytelling partnerships.

WildMarket Africa

Wildlife × conservation × film — in Skukuza and the Kruger National Park, in partnership with conservation bodies. Where wildlife filmmakers meet the industry.

Film Industry Summit

Funding, co-production, technology, production, investment, distribution and market access — the working heart of the festival.

From MIFF to MPPLUS

An optional post-festival discovery pathway. Filmmakers retain their rights; submission does not license your film to MPPLUS, and any streaming arrangement requires a separate agreement.

MIFF 2026 Festival Highlights

Eight days across Mbombela and the Kruger National Park — 98 films from 25+ countries, 40+ industry sessions, WildMarket Africa and a closing awards ceremony that launched this journey.

Your film's journey should not end with the credits.

2–10 AUGUST 2027 · MPUMALANGA · SOUTH AFRICA

Mpumalanga International Film Festival 2027

Stories That Belong. Voices That Matter. Beyond the Screen.

Bring your story to audiences, industry, opportunity and one of Africa’s most distinctive filmmaking destinations.

Relive MIFF 2026 → · Also on Festhome

MIFF 2026 · PROVEN ON THE GROUND

98

FILMS SCREENED

25+

COUNTRIES REPRESENTED

40+

INDUSTRY SESSIONS

8

FESTIVAL DAYS

Your Story Should Travel Further

CINEMA

Screen your work for real audiences

From packed cinemas in Mbombela to outdoor community screenings, MIFF puts films in front of audiences who show up — every screening followed by a filmmaker Q&A.

INDUSTRY

Meet the people who move film forward

Funding bodies, technology brands, broadcasters, producers and distributors — the Film Industry Summit is where careers and co-productions begin.

MPUMALANGA

Experience a naturally cinematic province

Mbombela, the Panorama Route, Skukuza and the Kruger National Park — a filmmaking destination unlike anywhere else on the continent.

BEYOND THE SCREEN

Your film's journey doesn't end with the credits

Awards, recognition, and optional MPPLUS consideration — MIFF is built to give selected stories an afterlife with digital audiences. You keep your rights.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS 2027

Your Film Could Be Here Next

Eight core competition categories — features, shorts, documentary, student, animation, African, Mpumalanga and wildlife & conservation film. Festival dates: 2–10 August 2027. Notification: 31 March 2027.

MIFF 2026 · SOCIAL PROOF

Stories That Left Their Mark

BEST DOCUMENTARY · BEST DIRECTOR

Equilibrio: The SOMA Surf Story

Ana-Filipa Domingues · São Tomé and Príncipe

BEST WILD FILM

The Legacy of Megaherbivores

Tom Bouyer & Aimee Tallian · United States

LOCAL IS LEKKER

A Dream (Liphupho)

Siphosethu Nkosivile Sibandze · Eswatini

BEST SHORT FILM

Alex Süd

Bongani Baloyi & Botlhale Boikanyo · South Africa

Could your story be next?

FILM INDUSTRY SUMMIT

Where Film Meets Business

Funding. Technology. Co-production. Markets & distribution. The working heart of MIFF brings filmmakers together with government programmes, global technology brands and the people who finance, produce and distribute African stories.

Funding

NFVF, government programmes and private capital.

Technology

Cameras, lighting, wireless, LED and AI workflows.

Co-production

Treaties and cross-border partnerships.

Markets

Distribution, streaming and market access.

WILDMARKET AFRICA

Where Cinema Meets the Wild

WildMarket Africa brings filmmakers, conservation voices and industry together in one of the world’s most recognised wildlife destinations — Skukuza, in the Kruger National Park.