Festival Data:

• Established: 2003
• Genre: General
• Attendance: 5000
• Accredited Industry Attendance: 360
• Total Number of Films Submitted: 4000
• Total Number of Films Screened: 35
• Total Screenings: 120
• # of Shorts Screened: 31
• # of Features Screened: 4

• Competitive
• Has Panels

Festival Website:

Festival Description:

The TRI Continental Film Festival screens Documentaries, Fictional, Short and Feature length film and video from Africa, Asia and Latin America that encourage and affirm the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom

The festival will be governed by a philosophy and approach that:

Forge links between those engaged in cinematic production from the Americas, Africa and Asia;

Promotes the use of audio-visual medium as a communication tool that encourages and affirms the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom;

Presents socially relevant and appropriate films that explore the interconnectedness between oppression; denial of fundamental rights and social and economic decay and alienation;

Presents socially relevant and appropriate films that explore the linkages between social struggles, respect for fundamental rights and the recognition of personal dignity and community empowerment;

Recognition that artistic merit and historical accuracy are essential components to popularising human rights values through the audiovisual medium;

And lastly, recognition and understanding that cultural expression can both entertain while inform mass audiences and in turn become a tool of education and liberation.

Given the desire to reach a broad grassroots constituency from South Africa’s historically disadvantaged communities, mobile video units will also be deployed to rural areas and townships around the country as part of discussions that look critically at the videos screened and issues raised. Further, given the networks developed in 2003, 3CFF will hold screenings at over 10 institutions of higher learning countrywide in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria, Durban, the Eastern Cape and Soweto in order to inspire students – particularly aspiring filmmakers.