BIYO FESTIVAL
SOWETO FILM FESTIVAL #WeUprising × Eyethu Heritage Hall With Jozi My Jozi & Gauteng Film Commission
A multi-venue film-screening festival across Soweto's most iconic arts and culture spaces, honouring June 16, community, and the stories that shaped us.
Each venue offers a unique experience: film screenings followed by live Q&As with directors, film experts and cultural figures, woven together with local music, performance art and exhibitions.
EYETHU HERITAGE HALL - One of South Africa's first Black-owned cinemas, founded in 1969 in the heart of apartheid-era Soweto. A living symbol of Black excellence and storytelling, still telling stories today.
Screening: BEYOND FORGIVING (2013, 28 min) A profound documentary following Ginn Fourie and Letlapa Mphahlele on a true journey of healing and reconciliation in post-apartheid South Africa. A story of tragedy, forgiveness and hope.
SOWETO GALLERY - Orlando West Behind the red-brick walls of a historic matchbox home, a world of art, heritage and creativity opens up.
Screening: UBANI LORE? (2025, 10 min) A wildly original South African surrealist comedy, three odd friends on a bizarre quest for a book that doesn't exist. Celebrated for its grassroots storytelling and national community tour.
NATIVE REBELS - Central Western Jabavu An Austrian ski lodge meets Joburg lounge protest posters, reclaimed wood and global flavours in the heart of Soweto.
Closing Ceremony - Philani Brown Retrospective The Closing Ceremony celebrates an established filmmaker whose journey can inspire young storytellers — a reminder that beginnings don't define the future. Through screenings, conversation and reflection, Philani Brown traces the evolution of his voice from early shorts to a bold, celebrated body of work.