The South African Film Festival is returning across Australia and New Zealand for its eighth edition next month, unveiling a 2026 program packed with acclaimed dramas, documentaries and music-focused features.
Running from June 21st (leading into Mandela Month) to July 26th, the not-for-profit festival will present a mix of in-cinema and online screenings, spotlighting South African storytelling through a lineup of internationally recognised films and emerging voices.
Festival Director Ricky Human said the timing of the event alongside Mandela Month gave added resonance to this year’s program. “Having our festival screen during Mandela Month is the perfect moment for these stories,” he said. “South Africans, Australians and New Zealanders share deep historical and cultural parallels, and a hunger for impactful, creative cinema.”
Leading the lineup is “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight,” the feature directorial debut from Embeth Davidtz. Adapted from the bestselling memoir of the same name, the film is set during Zimbabwe’s 1980 Independence War and has already drawn international attention following screenings at the Toronto International Film Festival and Telluride Film Festival.
The drama, which was also named among the best films of 2025 by The Guardian and IndieWire, will close the festival with SAFF’s inaugural gala event at Liverpool Powerhouse on July 19th.
Other highlights include the Australian premiere of “Pangolin: Journey to Freedom,” a wildlife documentary centred on an orphaned pangolin named Kosha and the illegal wildlife trade threatening the species. The festival will also screen “The Heart Is a Muscle,” South Africa’s submission for the 2025 Academy Awards that previously won the Ecumenical Jury Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Opening night title “Lucky Fish” arrives after debuting at the Durban International Film Festival, while Afrikaans-language comedy “My F*k Marelize” enters the program following a strong local box office run, becoming the highest-grossing Afrikaans film in more than a decade after evolving from a viral 2019 online video.
Music also plays a key role in this year’s slate. Documentary “Squashbox” — which has already collected five awards at Sydney’s SmartFone Flick Fest including Best Film and Best Cinematography — explores the revival of traditional Maskandi music through an unlikely creative partnership. Opera fans will also be catered for through the festival’s online offering, which includes a filmed version of “Aida” performed by an all-South African cast alongside the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra in a futuristic reinterpretation of the classic production.
SAFF 2026 will additionally introduce a new category spotlighting emerging Australian-South African filmmakers working across both countries, as the festival expands its focus on cross-cultural creative collaboration. The Sydney opening and closing gala events, scheduled for June 21st and July 19th respectively, will also feature South African food and wine experiences.
Entirely volunteer-run, the festival operates as a not-for-profit initiative supporting Education Without Borders and its youth education and mentorship programs in South Africa. Organisers have long positioned the event as “The Festival with a Conscience,” with proceeds continuing to fund community education projects.
Tickets to the festival are on sale now here.