The Joburg Film Festival is a festival that celebrates filmmakers of South Africa. Taking place in Johannesburg and running from March 11-16, the 2025 theme was “The Golden Thread – Connected Through Stories” (JFF). The Taiwanese film, Blind Love is Julian Chou’s second directorial film and premiered at the Rotterdam Intl. Film Festival with positive reviews from the jury. After screening at the Joburg Festival, Chou’s film gained even more acclaim and won in the drama feature film category. The film follows a sensitive teenager uncovering an affair between his mother and a woman, altering his perspective on family. 

According to Variety, Chou’s response to the high praise was feeling “honored and humbled” to receive the festival’s top prize and paid tribute to her fellow filmmakers whose ‘incredible work has brought such special energy and inspiration to the world.’’’ 

Among Chou, the Joburg creatives emphasized the need for Africans to control the narrative through their work. The director Vusi Africa stressed this point and “called on his fellow South African filmmakers to combat ‘false narratives’ – an allusion to U.S. President Donald Trump’s strongly disputed allegations of a ‘genocide’ being perpetrated on White South African farmers” (Variety). Africa made these statements while accepting the award for best African film for Happy: The True Story of Happy Sindane. He received applause for his remarks from the festivalgoers.

Other Joburg winners included Raoul Peck with Ernest Cole: Lost and Found for best documentary. Johanne Gomez Terrero with Sugar Island for best editing. Phumi Morare with Why the Cattle Wait for Best Short Film. The film Checkmate won the Young Voices award, which the Joburg Festival emphasized the importance of young filmmakers. And Eloïse King received a special mention for the documentary The Shadow Scholars. 

Concluding the festival was the Special Recognition Award which went to Mfundi Vundla. He is a South African producer and made waves with the telenovela Generations, which stressed that “Black people are in charge of their own destinies and create their own narratives.” The show is the longest-running soap opera on South African television.