Swiss period drama Silent Rebellion wins 8th Joburg Film Festival as biz takes SA government to task: 'Films are not a side project - it's an economy' (full winners list)

by Thinus Ferreira

The Swiss period drama Silent Rebellion (À bras-le-corps) scooped both the Best Feature Film and Best Cinematography prizes at Saturday night's award ceremony for 2026's 8th Joburg Film Festival in Sandton, with Variations on a Theme (pictured) winning as Best African Film.

Directed by Marie-Elsa Sgualdo, the World War 2-era drama Silent Rebellion received a Nguni Horn alongside winners from a range of selections at the awards show held at the Theatre on the Square.

Veteran producer Harriet Gavshon was presented with the lifetime achievement award for her contribution over decades to the South African TV and film industry.

Tim Mangwedi, founder and director of the Joburg Film Festival, said he "wanted to acknowledge the context we are all working in".

"The South African film and television industry has been under pressure for a while."

Addressing the South African government, Tim Mangwedi said the Joburg Film Festival will continue "in a way that sustainable, that is advocating for an industry environment that works. It means partnerships that work. It means that films are not a side project - it's an economy. It's a real business. It's a serious business."

His remarks came as South Africa's government still seems to do little about the shambolic state of the country's film rebate system, which sees international producers no longer opting to film here, costing jobs and large projects, while local producers are also starved in rebates they quality for.

The government department of trade, industry and competition (DTIC) owes the sector over R600 billion in unpaid film rebates which were approved and haven't done any new further adjudications for producers to qualify for funding since February 2024. 

On Saturday night "Shirley Adonisi, channel director for local entertainment at Canal+'s MultiChoice, on stage said "African storytelling is one of the most exciting creative forces anywhere in the world".

Shirley Adonisi said that new MultiChoice owner Canal+ will continue to invest in African content and will remain a supporter of the Joburg Film Festival "because our missions are aligned".

"We want to see African and South African films take up more space - not quietly but boldly, the way we do it as Africans."

"We know that local content matters, local languages matter, authenticity matters, the presentation matters. Our audiences want to see themselves fully and truthfully on the screen and we are committed to delivering that across our channels and our broader entertainment platforms."

"We continue to invest in new productions, telenovelas, miniseries, films, documentaries and many more. These are not just shows - they are jobs, playing grounds, springboards and cultural stepping stones."

"We will continue to unearth new talent and emerging voices, and broadcast stories that shift perspectives and open possibilities."

Here are the 8th Joburg Film Festival category winners:

Best Feature Film - Silent Rebellion

Best African Film - Variations On A Theme

Best Cinematography - Silent Rebellion

Best Edit - Broken Voices

Best Documentary - Let Them Be Seen

Best Short Film - Stero

Best Student Film - The Silent Inheritance

Young Voices Competition Winner - Umxoxiso

Special Recognition - Harriet Gavshon

Show ax: Canal+ shutters MultiChoice's flopped Showmax video streaming service

by Thinus Ferreira

After acquiring MultiChoice, Canal+ is shutting down MultiChoice's hugely loss-making Showmax video streaming service after 11 years.

Canal+ announced the "discontinuation" of Showmax that MultiChoice relaunched two years ago in partnership with Comcast's NBCUniversal. 

Canal+ said it had done a "comprehensive review of its streaming activities". The shuttering comes after Maxime Saada, Canal+ CEO, in January said on an investors' call that Showmax was a flop.

According to Canal+, the decision to axe Showmax "was made by the Showmax board of directors and reflects the continued focus of MultiChoice, a Canal+ company, on financial discipline and investment optimisation, in an increasingly competitive and capital-intensive global streaming environment".

"The substantial annual losses experienced by the Showmax business have proved unsustainable. The decision to phase out Showmax reflects our focus on building a sustainable, competitive business for the long term in an increasingly demanding global streaming environment."

Canal+ is unable to let go of any staff working at MultiChoice for Showmax, since one of the agreements with the Competition Competition of South Africa for the takeover of MultiChoice was that there won't be any retrenchments for three years.

"The decision to discontinue Showmax services will not involve any retrenchments," Canal+ says in its statement. "The group will be engaging and supporting employees through various transition options."

Ending Showmax is, according to Canal+, "also consistent with the ambition of MultiChoice to deploy its in-house large-scale streaming platform capable of meeting the expectations of African and international consumers".

"Canal+ will continue to invest in premium content for MultiChoice subscribers, technological innovation and strategic partnerships to consolidate its leadership in the African entertainment market."

"Further details regarding our expanded content offering and platform upgrades will be shared in due course. We want to reassure our Showmax subscribers that they are our priority as we evolve our services to deliver a superior streaming experience."

Showmax was launched in August 2015 and relaunched in February 2024 in partnership with NBCUnviversal holding a 30% interest in the venture. 

Since then MultiChoice and NBCUniversal have collectively poured billions of rand in the loss-making streamer that failed to reach the extremely ambitious subscriber growth targets that MultiChoice promised to investors before launch.

MultiChoice execs reaffirm commitment to authentic storytelling at 8th Joburg Film Festival: 'Quality doesn't only come from budget'

by Thinus Ferreira

The MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) held its MultiChoice Talent Factory Day at 2026's 8th Joburg Film Festival in Johannesburg, where MultiChoice executives reaffirmed that whatever is happening after Canal+'s takeover of the pay-TV company, authentic storytelling and authenticity in on-screen work will always continue to matter immensely.

Held at the Theatre on the Square in Sandton, on stage were the MultiChoice executives Tebogo Matlawa, head of scripted content: middle & mass South Africa; Waldimar Pelser, director of premium channels; Shirley Adonisi, channel director for local entertainment; and Tracy-Ann Van Rooyen, executive head of content strategy.

Tebogo Matlawa said "The question with each show that is pitched is always which local market it will satisfy first".

"Think local, be global. If it doesn't have a market here or in our African territories, it's a no-go. But sometimes you come across a story and you immediately know it can travel."

Shirley Adonisi said "At the core of it is authenticity".

" If our audiences do not identify with the characters or the stories we create, then that is an epic fail on our part. It's not about how much the show costs. It's about how rich the story is and how people connect with it and say, 'that looks like me'."

The panel discussion also explored how the changing media landscape is reshaping the way stories are developed and consumed.

Tracy-Ann van Rooyen said "When you are thinking about content strategy, you can't think about it in isolation".

"You have to believe in your story first and know that it has a market. Scale means opportunity, and for African creators, that opportunity is growing."

Waldimar Pelser noted that the creative direction when commissioning content remains rooted in local insight.

"Commissioning across Africa remains locally led," he said.

"Finding the right stories to back is a team sport, and we rely on storytellers and producers to help us understand our audiences."

"Quality doesn't only come from budget. It comes from the quality of a story, the authenticity of a story, and whether it speaks to somebody specific."

This is the fourth consecutive year that MultiChoice is a partner of the Joburg Film Festival, with MultiChoice Talent Factory alumni who premiered the film Keletso at the festival this week.

The Keletso screening highlighted the growing impact of the film academy and showcased how graduates are moving from training environments into professional filmmaking and bringing their work to major industry platforms.

Soli Philander dead at 65

by Thinus Ferreira

The South African actor, presenter, director, comedian and entertainment star Soli Philander died on Wednesday in his home in Woodstock, Cape Town. He was 65.

The cause of Soli Philander's death is not yet known.

A family friend, Basheer Losper, confirmed his passing.

Soli Philander leaves behind four biological children - sons Caleb and Ethan and daughters Danya and Kyla - and also parented a foster daughter, Lauren, whom he and his ex-wife Toni helped through her final school year. He announced his divorce in 2015.

Soli Philander's most famous TV role was for as presenter of the Afrikaans music quiz show Liriekeraai for several seasons during the start-up years of kykNET (DStv 144), as well as the game show Vat 'n Kans.

Often uncredited, Solly Philander was the body inside the suit of the tortoise Timothy Traddle, a beloved character in the SABC kids series Kideo.

Soli Philander was also a presenter of the e.tv show Let's Fix It which ended badly following a fight with e.tv and him slamming the channel at the time for "unethical behaviour".

Soli Philander was the presenter of the South African version of Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?, and performed on stage in numerous plays in South Africa, the United Kingdom, the USA, Sweden, eSwatini and Namibia.

Soli Philander had acting roles in series ranging from kykNET's Arendsvlei and Projek Dina to M-Net's Devil's Peak, SABC2's Parlement Parlement, as well as mini-series Diamond Hunters and Hooten & the Lady, as well as Dream School SA, Nie Vanwee die Duisternis , Off the Record, Reflections and Dot en Kie.

In film, Solly Philander appeared in Verkeerde Nommer, The Road to Mecca, Die Prince van Pretoria, Drumbeats, Kaalgat tussen die Daisies, Dias Santana, Snaaks Genoeg, Far from the Castle, as well as The Umbrella Men: Escape from Robben Island.

Born Silamour Philander in Elsies River, and becoming just Solly for his stand-up comedy work and one-man shows, Solly started his career at The Space Theatre in Cape Town in plays ranging from Political Joke and The Car Cemetery to The Final Sting of the Dying Wasp and Telling Tales.

Soli Philander was involved in children's educational theatre for years. As playwright Solly Philander wrote Take Two, Woeskroes, Hotnotsgot and The Passion Gap.

Solly Philander wrote, directed and played in the cabaret Rosie September, and was a prolific writer and director. He had a show on Cape Talk for two years, and was heard on the Afrikaans radio station Punt Geselsradio.

2026's 8th Joburg Film Festival opens and proclaims all filmmaker views welcome: 'A space where politics and artistry meet'

By Thinus Ferreira

Following the brouhaha around whether art should be divorced from politics - and talking about it - at the just-concluded Berlinale, the organisers of the 8th Joburg Film Festival at Tuesday night's opener were adamant that all voices and viewpoints are welcome, noting that African filmmaking is inherently political.

Hundreds of filmmakers, TV and film executives, distributors, actors and media converged on the Theatre on the Square to watch the sold-out festival opener Laundry, written and directed by Zamo Mkhwanazi as a searing Apartheid-era drama. 

In the audience were Nigeria, Japan and France's ambassadors to South Africa, as well as executives from Canal+ after its recent acquisition of MultiChoice like Laurent Sicouri, head of cinema and series for Canal+ International.

Around 138 films will unspool this week, of which many carry political themes and have evocative titles like Tshililo waha Muzila's documentary A Little Black Man from Congo (Negrito Del Congo).

"Of course, this festival happens at the moment when the world feels anything but nuanced - at the moment when artists are being asked: Should you speak or should you stay silent?" said Nhlanhla Ndaba in his opening remarks on stage before the screening of Laundry.

"At the Berlinale we witnessed a fierce debate about whether filmmakers should engage in politics. It was suggested that artists should stay away from politics because films are a counterweight to politics."

"The Joburg Film Festival has always been a space where politics and artistry meet, where the African continent and the world connect, where politics are just but another story. Where we don't pretend that storytelling happens in a vacuum."

"The moment we stop reflecting the world in all its beauty and in all its brokenness, it's the moment we stop being relevant."

"This past year the South African film industry has faced a crisis that tested out very foundation. As of January 2026 the department of trade, industry and competition (DTIC) owes our industry over R600 million in outstanding rebates."

"The last adjudication panel meeting took place in March 2024, that's two years ago. Two years of camera operators, grips, sound engineers, producers, make-up artists staring atapproved projects and payments that have simply not arrived."

"Just weeks ago, hundreds of filmworkers marched to parliament under the banner 'Save SA film jobs' and at the state of the nation address, the creative sector was barely acknowledged. President Cyril Ramaphosa made no mention of the film rebate crisis. No plan to rescue investor confidence, no timeline for intervention," Nhlanhla Ndaba said.

"While rebates have been delayed, our spirit has not. While international productions have abandoned South Africa for Malta and Portugal, where incentive programmes function efficiently, our filmmakers have not abandoned their craft."

"While we wait for a system that seems to have forgotten us, we keep telling stories," Nhlanhla Ndaba noted.

"It's an industry, told that they don't matter, who are standing here, refusing to die. No amount of bureaucratic dysfunction can ever take that away."

Tarryn Joffe, JFF manager, said the festival "recognises the courage of filmmakers to create work, staying with the story through uncertainty, bringing it to an audience".

Nicola Auret, MultiChoice's executive head of programming, caused a jolt when she shrieked on stage after swatting away a flying insect that landed on her hair and said "The world is restless and reshaping itself in real time".

"Globally, the entertainment industry is under enormous pressure. Markets are shifting, traditional business models are being rewritten, and the rise of AI is changing everything for us. It's changing how stories are made and its changing how people view our stories and discover them."

"We cannot control these pressures, but I believe African filmmakers know how to find rhythm in chaos. We know how to create despite of it, and sometimes because of it and that matters right now."

"Africans are creative. We are resilient, and we have a sense of community that surrounds us that makes things possible that cannot be done elsewhere."

Producer Cait Pansegrouw and JFF jury member, told TVwithThinus alongside Tuesday's red carpet that "for me, film is inherently political".

"People don't give enough thought to the fact that with the rise of fascism, freedom of expression is in real danger and we should absolutely be talking about everything that we want to talk about and be asking really tough questions".

Ian von Memerty dead at 61 after deciding to end his life in Johannesburg hotel

by Thinus Ferreira

The South African entertainer Ian von Memerty has died at 61 after ending his life on 23 February in a Johannesburg hotel.

Ian von Memerty is survived by his ex-wife Vivienne Lawrence, who used to be his dance partner and performed with him across the world, and their two children, Oscar (30) and Kasvia (25).

His first daughter, Valeksa, died in 1998 following complications from the rare genertic disease, Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome.

Ian von Memerty who was a judge on SA's Got Talent from 2009 to 2012 on e.tv and hosted Strictly Come Dancing SA on SABC3 committed suicide after he said in February that he plans to end his life because of financial struggles that he called a "terror" and issues with ageing.

Ian von Memerty's family, in a statement on Sunday, confirmed that he died, noting "We are sad to announce that our beloved Ian von Memerty passed away at the age of 61 in Johannesburg in the early hours of 23 February 2026".

"As a family, we have done everything we can to love and respect him on his journey. We ask for privacy and respect as we deal with our own pain, having lost someone we've loved very much."

Recently, Ian von Memerty did an online weekly video series, Dying for a better life on Facebook and YouTube.

In February, he was in Croatia on holiday leading up to 23 February, when he chose to die.

He said that his decision to end his life "was shaped by 18 months of research and reflection".

Ian von Memerty ended his life in a hotel in Johannesburg, Gauteng.

In an interview with YOU magazine, Ian von Memerty said that his death would be "quick and painless".

"I've told my friends and family about my decision to end my life and generally, we've all cried terribly. It's hard for them but they understand all my reasons."

The Zimbabwean-born presenter, actor, singer, pianist, dancer, writer and director had a successful stage CV and started his stage career in the 1980s that included directing shows ranging from The Rocky Horror Show and Umoja to Fiela's Child and Grease.

Ian von Memerty received 15 national theatre awards and numerous nominations. 

He worked on cruise ships as an entertainer and was also a pet sitter for European families.