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New Voices of Southern Africa at Cannes Film Festival in France

Arts and Creative Industries
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4 June

Following this year’s Cannes Film Festival and Marché du Film, the New Voices of Southern Africa delegation returned from France after a week of exchanges, networking and international industry engagement.

Filmmakers Laudika Hamutenya (Namibia), Moso Sematlane (Lesotho) and Moreetsi Gabang (Botswana) represented a new generation of Southern African cinema, participating in meetings and discussions with producers, festivals and film professionals from around the world. Their presence at Cannes created opportunities to present stories and perspectives grounded in contemporary Southern African realities while building connections for future collaboration.

With the support of the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), the festival provided an important international platform for South African producer and strategist Zoe Ramushu, who presented the WRAPPED app to industry professionals while showcasing the Generation Africa 2.0 documentary collection produced by ARTE, which she coordinates within STEPS.

The delegation was accompanied by Sofia Saa and Elisabeth Douillet from Team France, supporting the programme’s engagement with international partners and industry networks throughout the festival.

New Voices of Southern Africa is presented in partnership with the Institut français, Pavillon Afrotopia and AfroCannes, with support from the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Namibian Film Commission.

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