Johannesburg - To celebrate filmmakers who have been flourishing in their designations, the Joburg Film Festival hosted an awards ceremony where notables were honoured at The Theatre on the Square in Sandton, Johannesburg.
The recipients included the popular actresses Connie Chiume (The Anasi Award), Siphosethu Tshapu (Milton Empire), The Global Storyteller Award: Phathutshedzo Makwarela and Gwydion Beynon (Tshedza Pictures), The Fearless Storyteller Award: Chris Q. Radebe (Match Pictures), and The Rising African Star Award: Star Kganki Mphahlele (Pula Bakgaga Media).
The Awards Night also saw the announcement of the 2023 winner of the Young Voices film competition, an initiative of the Joburg Film Festival Youth and Audience Development Programme.
This year, the programme embarked on a province-wide skills transfer initiative that reached over 300 young people via a series of workshops in Ekurhuleni, Tshwane, the West Rand, Sedibeng, and Johannesburg.
The workshops specifically targeted youth living in townships and involved industry professionals sharing their extensive experience and knowledge of the amazing craft of cinematic storytelling with enthusiastic audiences.
"Our partnership with the Joburg Film Festival is one that speaks to our ethos of being Africa’s most loved storyteller," affirmed Multichoice Group Executive for Corporate Affairs Collen Dlamini.
"We thank the Joburg Film Festival for partnering with us once again as we celebrate the amazing storytellers that have inspired us. Congratulations to all those who were nominated and all the winners; you have shown us all what it means to embrace the art of storytelling," said Dlamini.
Aspiring filmmakers from across South Africa between the ages of 18 and 25 were also invited to submit a video with the theme "Our Stories, Our Gold" as part of the Young Voices film competition.
Among all the entries, the Young Voices Award went to Tshwane local George Temba for his short film "Young Shepherd."
The festival’s official closing also saw the screening of the South African comedic film "The Umbrella Men," directed by John Barker.
The festival presented some of the finest films from over 35 countries across the globe, including 20 African premieres and 27 South African premieres, from January 31 to February 5 at various locations across the city.
Festival screenings took place at Ster Kinekor Sandton (Sandton City Mall) and Maponya Mall (Soweto), Cinema Nouveau Rosebank (Rosebank Mall), The Bioscope (Maboneng), and Theatre on the Square (Nelson Mandela Square).
The Star