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.