OFFICIAL SELECTION · 2–9 AUGUST 2026
Festival Programme
The complete MIFF 2026 screening schedule — cinema screenings at Ster-Kinekor Ilanga Mall, conference screenings at Southern Sun Riverside, wildlife cinema at Skukuza and the closing awards ceremony. Every film screening is followed by a 10-minute moderated Q&A with the filmmaker.
SCREENING SCHEDULE
Day by Day
SUNDAY 2 AUGUST · OPENING NIGHT · STER-KINEKOR CINEMA 3
Stories That Belong, Voices That Matter
- 14:00–14:30 · Guest Arrival / Red Carpet (South Africa)
- 14:30–14:45 · Welcome Speech & Festival Overview (South Africa)
- 14:45–14:54 · Dread — Loren Loubser, Gabe Gabriel (South Africa, United Kingdom)
- 14:54–15:09 · VULTURES — Dian Weys (France, South Africa)
- 15:09–15:25 · Tuskers. Saving the last gentle giants — Nick Chevallier, Leigh Wood (South Africa)
- 15:25–16:23 · UCELIWE — Lwazi Duma (South Africa)
- 17:45–18:00 · USA Embassy Special Presentation — U.S. Embassy / MIFF (United States)
Every film screening is followed by a 10-minute moderated Q&A with the filmmaker.
MONDAY 3 AUGUST · STER-KINEKOR CINEMA 1
Regional Voices & Youth-Friendly Cinema
- 08:00–09:00 · A Dream(Liphupho) — Siphosethu Nkosivile Sibandze (Eswatini)
- 09:10–09:40 · Seeds We Bury — Olivia Hansen, Soledad Robins (United States)
- 09:50–10:01 · Threading Dreams — Zane Colquhoun (South Africa)
- 10:11–10:17 · The Path to Healing — MICHAEL D ELLIOTT (United States)
Every film screening is followed by a 10-minute moderated Q&A with the filmmaker.
TUESDAY 4 AUGUST · STER-KINEKOR CINEMA 1
South African Stories & Healing
- 08:00–09:15 · Beauty For Ashes — Federico Ancillai, Nqobile Nunu K.H (South Africa)
- 09:25–10:48 · The Boy Behind the Wardrobe: The Story of Winston Wicomb — Albert Maritz (South Africa)
- 10:58–11:10 · Bluepill — Thubelihle Sithole (South Africa)
Every film screening is followed by a 10-minute moderated Q&A with the filmmaker.
WEDNESDAY 5 AUGUST · STER-KINEKOR CINEMA 1
Change, Memory & Social Impact
- 08:00–08:09 · A Passion's Night Bloom — Kwesi Awotwi (United Kingdom)
- 08:19–08:58 · Indikwe - As Long as There Is Life — Indi Casadei (Switzerland)
- 09:08–09:38 · With Grace — Dina Mwende, Julia Dahr (Kenya, Norway)
- 09:48–10:11 · Quantum — Nqanawe Shangase (South Africa)
- 10:21–10:49 · THE SEX TAPE — davies Zihanzu (Zimbabwe)
- 10:59–11:19 · Dear Sikhonkwane — Sihle Hlophe (South Africa)
Every film screening is followed by a 10-minute moderated Q&A with the filmmaker.
THURSDAY 6 AUGUST · STER-KINEKOR CINEMA 1
Inclusion, Disability & Belonging
- 08:00–08:39 · Where is Home?. — Lamtiar Simorangkir (Indonesia)
- 08:49–09:09 · RETURN TO THE LAND — Lauren Groenewald (Malawi)
- 09:19–09:32 · Miss You in Dancing Cross-stitch — Li-Yu Fu, Vick Wang, Yi-Feng Kao (Taiwan)
- 09:42–09:48 · The Injustice of Justice: a Short Film Animation by Molly Crabapple and Ohio Death Row Prisoner Keith LaMar — Keith LaMar, Jim Batt, Max Boekbinder (United States)
- 09:58–11:19 · Normal To Me — Luke Sharland (South Africa)
Every film screening is followed by a 10-minute moderated Q&A with the filmmaker.
FRIDAY 7 AUGUST · STER-KINEKOR CINEMA 1
Filmmaking as a Career · Business & Local Showcase
- 08:00–08:28 · écH2osystème : From the River to the Stage — Geneviève Dupéré, Alex Côté Hallée (Canada)
- 08:38–08:47 · UBANI LORE? — Nqanawe Cebolenkosi Shangase (South Africa)
- 08:57–10:04 · Stolen Ground: The Tygerberg Racetrack Land Invasion — Joe Emilio (South Africa)
Every film screening is followed by a 10-minute moderated Q&A with the filmmaker.
MONDAY–FRIDAY · SOUTHERN SUN HOTEL RIVERSIDE · CONFERENCE ROOM
Industry Engagement & Happy Hour Screenings
- Monday · 12:00–16:00 · Industry Engagement: MIFF x USA Embassy Masterclass (South Africa)
- Monday · 16:30–16:35 · The Path to Healing — MICHAEL D ELLIOTT (United States)
- Tuesday · 12:00–16:00 · Industry Engagement: Funding Independent Film (South Africa)
- Tuesday · 16:30–16:42 · Bluepill — Thubelihle Sithole (South Africa)
- Wednesday · 12:00–16:00 · Industry Engagement: Film for Change (South Africa)
- Wednesday · 16:30–16:39 · A Passion's Night Bloom — Kwesi Awotwi (United Kingdom)
- Thursday · 12:00–16:00 · Industry Engagement: Stories That Matter, Stories That Belong (South Africa)
- Thursday · 16:30–17:09 · Where is Home?. — Lamtiar Simorangkir (Indonesia)
- Friday · 12:00–16:00 · Industry Engagement: Film Career & Film Business (South Africa)
- Friday · 16:30–16:39 · UBANI LORE? — Nqanawe Cebolenkosi Shangase (South Africa)
Daily 12:00–16:00 industry engagement, followed by a 16:30 conference screening and Happy Hour.
SATURDAY 8 AUGUST · SKUKUZA, KRUGER NATIONAL PARK
WildMarket Africa — Wildlife & Biodiversity Day
- 08:00–09:00 · Opening, Equipment Exhibition & Wildlife Networking — MIFF / MTPA / Partners (South Africa)
- 09:00–09:10 · The Silent Retreat — Mason Mirabile (Switzerland)
- 09:20–09:32 · The Land Remembers — Nathan Rice (South Africa)
- 09:42–09:49 · Zora and The Zebra — Amirah J Adem (United States)
- 09:59–10:11 · UNSEEN LINE — Niklas von Klitzing, Leo Stolz (Germany)
- 11:20–13:00 · Accessibility, Conservation & Wildlife Storytelling Session — Guest Speakers (South Africa)
- 13:00–14:00 · The secret of the Ethiopian Wolf — Baptiste Deturche, Adrien Lesaffre (France)
- 14:10–15:02 · Wild Waterfront — Marguerite Venter (South Africa)
- 15:12–16:14 · Pantanal — Environmental Justice Foundation (Brazil, United Kingdom)
- 18:00–18:19 · The Legacy of Megaherbivores — Tom Bouyer, Aimee Tallian (United States)
- 18:29–18:46 · Elephant in the Room — Jura Bakx (Netherlands)
- 18:56–20:22 · The StoryTraveller — Giovanni Costa Massa (Brazil, United States)
No Ster-Kinekor cinema screenings on Saturday — the festival moves to Skukuza/Kruger and online. Evening screenings are open to the park’s public audience.
SUNDAY 9 AUGUST · CLOSING DAY
Women's Day, Memory & Belonging + Awards Ceremony
- 09:00–12:00 · Women's Day Programme — MIFF / Women in Film Guests (South Africa)
- 14:30–15:00 · Fractured — Katlego Evelyn Nkgodi (South Africa)
- 15:10–15:25 · Remember Their Names — Sihle Hlophe (South Africa)
- 15:35–15:55 · Equilibrio: The SOMA Surf Story — Ana-Filipa Domingues (Sao Tome and Principe)
- 18:00–20:00 · Closing Night Awards Ceremony (South Africa)
The MIFF 2026 Awards Ceremony (18:00–20:00) closes the festival: Best South African Film, Best Wildlife/Conservation Film, Best Documentary, Best Director, Best Student Short, Women Behind the Scenes, Best Producer, NYDA Youth Filmmaker Award and Special Recognition Awards.
Formats & Venues
Cinema — DCP
All Ster-Kinekor cinema screenings are projected from DCP packages prepared by MIFF.
Conference & Kruger — MP4
Southern Sun, Skukuza/Kruger and online screenings run MP4 format.
Online — Private YouTube
Online screenings run on the MIFF Online Screening Page and are removed after each window.
MIFF 2026 has concluded. MIFF 2027 submissions are now open.
Take your story beyond the screen.