Celebrating and showcasing the future stars of the creative economy.
Afda is delighted to announce that the annual Afda Graduation Festival showcasing work from our final year undergraduate and postgraduate degree students will kick off from 14 to 22 November 2025. The festival will be hosted by Afda in cinemas, theatres and studio venues in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, and Gqeberha.
This year’s festival will showcase well over 100 productions and project pitches from our Film School, School of Live Performance, School of Business and Innovation, and School of Creative Writing. These include live action short films, animation films, documentary films, telenovela pilots, theatre plays, live music performance shows, business innovation projects, and creative writing projects.
“The annual Afda Graduation Festival serves as a significant platform for our final-year undergraduate and postgraduate students to showcase the culmination of their learning journey, the final practical outcome of their qualification. This moment represents the realisation of years of creative exploration, academic rigor, and professional preparation, as our students find and refine their unique voices as emerging creatives.
The content produced by Afda graduates continues to be culturally relevant, innovative, and deeply engaging, reflecting the diversity and dynamism of their chosen target markets. Over the years, the Graduation Festival has facilitated numerous meaningful industry collaborations and connections, generating valuable opportunities for students, as well as for industry and media stakeholders.
Beyond these collaborations, many of our student projects have travelled across the globe, earning international recognition and awards, securing representation by agents, and opening doors to successful professional pathways for our recent graduates.
"This Festival stands as the defining moment for our Motion Picture, Live Performance, Business and Innovation, and Creative Writing students, the moment they have worked tirelessly towards. We eagerly anticipate witnessing the standard, creativity, and quality of work that the Class of 2025 will present.” says Afda CEO, Diaan Lawrenson.
All the productions and projects at the festival are assessed by industry professionals, Afda learning staff members and most importantly, the public. The graduation production constitutes 50% of the complete student assessment for the year. This is a critical aspect of the Afda learning system, which encourages students to create market related and culturally relevant entertainment content.
The Afda students and staff body are looking forward to seeing you at the festival giving a round of applause from the edge of your seat.
Here are the Graduation Festival dates for each campus:
Afda Johannesburg
- Motion picture – 22 November 2025, Ster Kinekor Rosebank Nouveau
- Live performance – 14 to 23 November 2025, JHB Campus
- BCom and PGDI – 14 November 2025, JHB Campus
- Creative writing – Writers Pitch: 20 November 2025, JHB Campus
- Creative writing – Book Launch: 21 November 2025, JHB Campus
Afda Cape Town
- Motion picture – 21 and 22 November 2025, Labia Theatre
- Live performance – 14 to 18 November 2025, 228 on Lower Main Theatre
- BCom and PGDI – 14 November 2025, CPT Campus
- Creative writing – 13 and 15 November 2025
Afda Durban
- Creative writing – 21 November 2025, DBN Campus
- Live performance – 21 November 2025, The Playhouse Theatre
- Motion picture – 22 November 2025, Suncoast Cinema
Afda Gqeberha
- Live performance – 19 November 2025, Savoy Theatre
- Motion picture – 22 November 2025, NuMetro Boardwalk
