One thing Johannesburg film lovers cannot say theyre without is a space to congregate with fellow cinephiles. With film markets, creative hubs, watch parties, and film festivals abounding, it is only a matter of going out in search of them.
The Africa Rising International Film Festival ARIFF is one of those spacesan annual weekend where lovers of film, and emerging and established filmmakers get together to watch films, attend panels, and engage in thought-provoking and character-building conversations around the state of our media industry.
From its inception, ARIFF was founded as a peoples festival, Felicia Naiwa Sithebe, the festival manager, tells me. Its a space intentionally created for the film community to gather, engage, learn from one another, and celebrate shared achievements.