Film & Cinematography News South Africa

Jozi Film Festival adds new category with partner Discovery Channel

The Jozi Film Festival (JFF) is collaborating with Discovery Networks to launch a new category to this year's lineup. The ‘Discovery Channel Don't Stop Wondering Award' calls for two to five minute documentaries from filmmakers across Africa, which highlight and celebrate unique African stories and capture Discovery's ethos of sparking curiosity.
Lee Hobbs
Lee Hobbs

This is an Africa-wide search for filmmaking talent that carries a cash prize from Discovery Channel of $5,000 for the final winner to go towards his or her next filming project. Entry is free and multiple entries are welcome.

Lee Hobbs, VP of brand and content, Discovery Networks CEEMEA, says, “For over 30 years, Discovery has been satisfying curiosity, breaking ground with high-quality factual entertainment programming that inspires and entertains audiences around the world.

“Discovery Channel’s Don’t Stop Wondering brand positioning is a call to action; a challenge to always remain curious and celebrate the value of treading your own path. Through this new partnership with the Jozi Film Festival, we hope to discover films that showcase what curiosity means to individuals today, all shot within a contemporary African context and celebrate the continent’s remarkable filmmaking talent.”

The Top 10 films as selected by a JFF and Discovery jury will be broadcast on Discovery Channel in July and August and later at the sixth annual Jozi Film Festival in September. The winning film will be selected by popular vote via the voting tool on www.discoverychannelafrica.com and the winner will be flown to Johannesburg to receive his or her prize at the Jozi Film Festival awards being held on 24 September 2017.

Submissions for the sixth annual JFF open at noon on Monday 6 February 2017 and close at 6pm on Wednesday 31 May 2017. The festival is calling for feature films, short fiction films, documentaries (both short and long) as well as student films, both from South Africa and internationally. Entrants must be 18 years or older and must reside on the African continent. For more information, go to www.jozifilmfestival.co.za.

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