South Africa's Encounters documentary film festival adds three Cape Town filmmakers to its board before 27th Encounters edition in June 2025

by Thinus Ferreira

The Encounters South African International Documentary Festival has added Premesh Lalu, Odette Geldenhuys and Shameela Seedat to its board.

The 2025 Encounters Film Festival is set to take place from 19 to 29 June in Cape Town and Johannesburg.

Premesh Lalu, Odette Geldenhuys and Shameela Seedat join the existing board members Moroba Nkawe, Tiny Mungwe and Toni Monty, with Mandisa Zitha, as Encounters director.

"We are delighted to welcome three upstanding South African filmmakers onto the Encounters board, each of whom brings a wealth of knowledge around issues in which the film festival engages, as well as experience within the making of films," says Mandisa Zitha, Encounters director.

"What is particularly useful to the festival is that the board now comprises members from Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban – creating a broad net of influence across the country."

The new board members are author, filmmaker and academic Premesh Lalu, attorney and filmmaker Odette Geldenhuys and the human rights lawyer and filmmaker Shameela Seedat all from Cape Town.

They join existing board members film guarantor Moroba Nkawe from Johannesburg, filmmaker and arts administrator Tiny Mungwe from Durban, and film producer and entertainment law expert Toni Monty from Durban.

 

Premesh Lalu is a researcher and former director of the Centre for Humanities Research at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). He authored the book Undoing Apartheid (2022) and has had two films Looking for Ned and The Double Futures of Athlone featured at Encounters.

 

Odette Geldenhuys is a pro bono attorney and a multi-ward-winning documentary filmmaker (The Shore Break, Here Be Dragons). She serves on the boards of ProBono.Org and the Khayelitsha Youth and Community Trust.

 

Shameela Seedat is a human rights lawyer turned documentary filmmaker, known for Whispering Truth to Power and African Moot. She has produced for NGOs, published on law and social justice, and served as a Documentary Filmmakers' Association board member and international film juror.

 

Current members are: Moroba Nkawe who is the founder of Maru Film Services, specialising in risk management for the film industry. With more than 15 years of experience, she has worked across Africa as a producer and production executive and also serves on the board of the South African Film Academy.

Tiny Mungwe is a filmmaker and arts manager, founder of film and TV company CTRL ALT Shift, who until recently worked with STEPS, producing Generation Africa, a documentary series of 25 films across 16 African countries.

Toni Monty is a film industry leader with 20 years of experience, formerly leading the Durban Film Office and Durban FilmMart. She has supported more than 200 African projects through her work with the Mart, and continues her work at A.M. Afrika.

"This is a strong, film-minded board that understands the challenges of documentary filmmaking, and the important role that documentary films play in society," says Mandisa Zitha.

"Documentaries help drive societal awareness and change, especially in an era dominated by misinformation and fake news."

"Through in-depth research, compelling storytelling, and visual evidence, documentaries bring attention to pressing environmental, social and political issues that might otherwise be overlooked or misrepresented."

"In a time when trust in media is often questioned, documentary filmmakers serve as vital truth-tellers, shaping a more informed and conscientious society."