French producer Joachim Landau participates in Cut to Story Lab at Johannesburg Film Festival

Arts and Creative Industries

The 8th edition of the Joburg Film Festival (3–8 March 2026), supported by the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), saw the launch of Cut to Story: The African Fiction Forum & Edit Lab (CTS), a new platform dedicated to the development and post-production of African fiction films.

Conceived as a space for story development, craft and exchange, the pilot edition supported predominantly first- and second-time South African filmmakers through consultations, pitching sessions, mentorship and award opportunities. The initiative marks a welcome addition to the festival’s industry programme, strengthening support for emerging voices in the sector.

As part of this first edition, French producer Joachim Landau, CEO of Empreinte Digitale and co-founder of Federation Middle East Africa Caribbean, joined the CTS jury. Supported by IFAS, his participation contributed international expertise to the programme at an early stage, offering valuable insight to participating filmmakers. IFAS supported his attendance at the festival, enabling his involvement across several platforms.

In addition to his role on the CTS jury, Landau took part in the Joburg Xchange (JBX) industry programme, including the JBX Talks session The French Connection: Creativity and Collaboration between Africa and France. He also presented his documentary BATWING Unmasked: An African Super Hero during the festival, followed by a public discussion on representation and African-led storytelling.

You might also like

Amazing Women in Arts Event brings women’s voices to the fore in the Eastern Cape

From 8 to 10 August 2025, Dimbaza in the Eastern Cape hosted the Amazing Women Arts Event (AWAE), a...

Destination francophonie

Rediscover our beloved Jessica Bekker and Marali Burger interviewed by TV5 Monde during the 13th FIPF World Conference of...

Civil Society Development Fund: mapping of projects supported in 2019-2020

In 2019-2020, the Embassy of France to South Africa supported the work of 12 South African civil society organisations...

INNOV4GOOD: Southern African innovators showcase social solutions at ChangeNOW Summit in Paris

Three exceptional social innovation businesses from South Africa and Malawi have been awarded grants through INNOV4GOOD, an initiative of...

Let's get social

This message is only visible to admins.
Problem displaying Facebook posts.
Click to show error
Error: Server configuration issue
Twitter feed is not available at the moment.