R67k up for grabs at 2017 Jozi Film Festival

Submissions for the sixth annual Jozi Film Festival (JFF) open on Monday, February 6.

As always, JFF is calling for feature films, short fiction films, documentaries (both short and long) as well as student films, both from South Africa and internationally.

For the first time, the Jozi Film Festival is thrilled to be partnering with Discovery Networks to launch a brand new category to this year’s lineup.

The “Discovery Channel Don’t Stop Wondering Award” will call for 2-5 minute documentaries from filmmakers across Africa which showcase and celebrate unique African stories and capture Discovery’s ethos of sparking curiosity.

This is an Africa-wide search for film-making talent that carries a cash prize from Discovery Channel of $5 000 (R67 000) for the final winner to go towards their next filming project. Entry is free and multiple entries are said to be welcome.

“For over 30 years Discovery has been satisfying curiosity, breaking ground with high-quality factual entertainment programming that inspires and entertains audiences around the world,” said vice-president of brand and content at Discovery Networks, Lee Hobbs.

“Discovery Channel’s Don’t Stop Wondering brand positioning is a call to action; a challenge to always remain curious and celebrate the value of treading your own path. Through this new partnership with the Jozi Film Festival, we hope to discover films that showcase what curiosity means to individuals today, all shot within a contemporary African context, and celebrate the continent’s remarkable film-making talent.”

The Top 10 films as selected by the JFF and Discovery jury will be broadcast on Discovery Channel in July and August, and later at the sixth annual Jozi Film Festival in September.

The winning film will be selected by popular vote via the voting tool on Discovery’s website.

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