Bokola Film Festival will be making its return on the 30th of May at Studio Moto in Harare. Once again bringing together one of Zimbabwe’s most vital spaces for independent cinema and cultural expression. 5 years and counting, the festival continues to push boundaries for the Zimbabwean and African film space.
This year’s edition unfolds under the theme Hold The Line: Between Collapse and Becoming; a phrase drawn from the lived experience of people across Africa and beyond navigating uncertainty, pressure, and constant change.
It speaks to endurance without romanticising struggle, and to the quiet, everyday decision to keep going when systems, economies, and environments are shifting beneath our feet.
Organised by Magamba Network, Bokola is designed to be a meeting point for stories that refuse silence. Magamba sees cinema as a tool that can not only preserve memory and challenge power but help us imagine new possibilities for ourselves and our communities.
"The festival is not positioned as an answer, but as a space to sit with questions. What does it mean to hold on when things are breaking? What does it mean to create when the future feels unstable? And what kinds of stories are needed to carry us through this moment?" shared Festival Director, Ska Sebata.
This year’s edition brings a full day of powerful storytelling and creative expression at the intersection of cinema and youth culture.
Audiences can expect a vibrant programme of film screenings, a dedicated section for music videos and exhibitions, a live DJ, complete with an after party hosted by Events On Fire; ‘Bokola On Fire’. There will also be a kids zone, creating a multi-sensory experience that welcomes audiences of all ages.
The festival also continues its commitment to supporting new voices in African cinema by creating accessible platforms for emerging filmmakers, particularly young storytellers working outside traditional industry structures.
The ‘Bokola Future of Film Award’, proudly supported by Accountability Lab Zimbabwe, will once again recognise bold emerging filmmakers shaping the future of African cinema, with a cash prize awarded to support the next step of their creative pursuits.