Bokola Film Festival returns on the 23rd of August 2025 at Studio Moto with a bold new theme: Dream. Now!

This year’s edition is more than a celebration of cinema; it’s a rallying cry. In a world reeling from inequality, climate collapse, and war, Bokola 2025 calls on filmmakers, artists, and activists to respond with urgency, clarity, and radical imagination. The event will run from 12pm midday till 10pm.

This year’s Bokola Film Festival invites audiences to a dynamic celebration of storytelling, resistance, and imagination.

The festival will showcase powerful documentary screenings across three curated strands: Stories From The Emergency, featuring urgent narratives confronting climate collapse, authoritarianism, and surveillance; Dreamers, a spotlight on unapologetic young African storytellers whose work is bold, rooted, and audacious; and

Frontlines of Change, highlighting the visual work of activists, indigenous filmmakers, and global movements pushing for justice, land rights, gender equity, and liberation through poetic, hybrid, and genre-defying forms.

Festival Goers can also explore Radical Futures, an immersive space of virtual reality, augmented reality and interactive installations.

Beyond the screen, Bokola will offer behind-the-scenes access to acclaimed digital productions like The Week, a fun kids’ zone, a vibrant food & drinks space, chill spots and surprise musical appearances—creating a rich, multi-sensory experience for all ages.

“We’re so excited to bring Bokola 2025 to Studio Moto; a vibrant, immersive space where creativity and community meet. We invite everyone to experience powerful films, meaningful conversations, and a fresh energy that reflects the spirit of Bokola.” said Sikhanyiswe Sebata, Festival Co-Director

“This year, Bokola has been rebranded. We’re focusing on you—the people. Your films, your dreams, your experiences.” said Dexter Fundire, Festival Co-Director

Firmly rooted in truth-telling, resistance, and community, Bokola 2025 reaffirms its place as a platform for fearless storytelling. The festival showcases documentaries, experimental visuals, and immersive media from the frontlines of change—especially work by young, African, and marginalized creators forging new paths through crisis and creativity.

Since 2020, Bokola has proudly incubated 45 emerging filmmakers through its flagship initiative, the Film Fellowship ZW – a partnership between Accountability Lab Zimbabwe & Magamba Network.

This collaboration resulted in the production of an impressive 43 original films to date. The impact of this support is evident in the growing international recognition of our Bokola alumni.

Notable examples include Jabulani Muzvova, whose film A Few Dollars More has screened at prestigious festivals such as the UMP Festival in Malawi and the African Indigenous Language Film Festival in Nigeria.

Similarly, Sikhanyiswe Sebata has made her mark globally, with her work featured in over eight international festivals, including the Africa International Human Rights Film Festival,

Sotambe International Film Festival, International Images Film Festival, Zimbabwe International Film Festival, Athens Digital Arts Festival, and the African Film Festival in New Zealand.

Bokola is brought to you by Magamba Network, Africa’s trailblazing creative and digital media organisation.

Bokola is currently accepting powerful, urgent, and visionary work across four key categories—from frontline documentaries to Afrofuturist explorations and radical youth narratives. All formats are welcome, including short films, features, podcasts, social shorts, and immersive media.

Submissions open via https://filmfreeway.com/BokolaFilmFestival

Renowned lighting designer and educator Mildred “Lighting Bae” Moyo returns to host the sixth edition of the Phenomenal Lighting Masterclass & Festival, set for August 4–10 at Ngoma Ingungu Cultural Arts Centre in Domboshava.

This year’s theme, “Finding Light in Darkness: The Power of Shadows,” guides a powerful week of immersive training and student-led public performance focused on hands-on learning, cross-border collaboration, and cultural exchange.

The masterclass brings together young creatives from Zimbabwe and neighbouring countries, supported by an international team of facilitators from the UK, Ghana, Switzerland, and South Africa.

Participants will engage in intensive workshops on lighting, music, movement, and performance production, followed by a two-day public festival showcasing their collaborative work.

“This is not just a workshop. It’s a shift in how we train, create, and share stories in Africa,” says Moyo. “We’re building bridges between generations, regions, and continents.”

The program provides real-world production experience, creative mentorship, and a space to amplify Southern African voices on the global stage.

Mildred Moyo, founder of Phenomenal Lighting & Power Solutions and a lecturer at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, will lead the lighting design segment.

“This is about returning home to grow new roots,” she explains. “We’re not just teaching lighting—we’re creating a new generation of African storytellers who use light, sound, and movement to reflect their worlds.”

The music and movement segments will be facilitated by renowned performer and educator Othnell Mangoma Moyo, while sound engineering will be led by Simbarashe Mazai, director of Prosoundman.

Participants will arrive on August 4 for orientation, followed by three days of masterclasses (August 5–7), a two-day public showcase (August 8–9), and a final day for teardown and reflection on August 10.

The programme is co-produced by Petok Productions, a UK-based company known for cross-cultural collaborations.

Led by Pembe Tokluhan, Petok will serve as production managers, ensuring international standards while nurturing local creativity.

“We’re thrilled to be building a bridge between creatives in the UK and Southern Africa,” says Tokluhan. “This collaboration reflects the global future of production—diverse, inclusive, and locally grounded.”

Since launching in 2019, the Phenomenal Lighting Masterclass & Festival has grown into a leading platform for technical arts education in the region.

Past editions have been supported by Culture Fund Zimbabwe (through EU CreativeACTIONs2) and the Zimbabwe-German Society.

Now in its sixth year, the festival continues to elevate African storytelling through technical excellence, mentorship, and innovation.