The British Council was one of the sponsors that brought the Encounters Documentary Festival to Nu Metro cinemas in Cape Town in July.

The Encounters Documentary Festival shows South African and international talent. According to its website, over the years Encounters has screened hundreds of documentaries to an audience of over 80,000 people.

The annual festival, which gives a platform to student directors and professional filmmakers, was launched by two film enthusiasts in Cape Town in 1999.

This year the British Council funded two documentaries, The Age of Stupid and Rough Aunties. According to festival director Mandisa Zitha, The Age of Stupid is an innovative documentary that tells a story of how the earth evolved.

‘The film, by Franny Armstrong, is set in 2055. A lone archivist compiles footage of the warning signs that we collectively chose to ignore.

‘The film tells how global warming and climate change ruined the earth. It also warns human beings to take action and be aware of these two global phenomena.’

Set in Durban, Rough Aunties was brought to the festival by the British Council and Rise Films. It is a story of four women who founded an organisation to help abused children.

The film shows the obstacles they are up against in their fight against the perpetrators of abuse, and what they overcome personally in their mission.  

Zitha expresses her thanks to the British Council for its ongoing support of the festival.

‘Partnering with the British Council means a lot for us. The partnership has been in existence for a while now and we are grateful to have sponsors like them who always hear our call and come on board.

‘The British Council sustains us and it’s great to know that we have long-term partners in them,’ Zitha says.

This year’s festival was a great success. ‘People came in numbers, and we saw the emergence of a new audience – the youth – and that was great. The audience told us that they liked the films.’

Zitha says Encounters would like to see the relationship with the British Council flourish.

‘We want to build on the relationship that we have, continue what we are doing and get more films from the UK.’

This year’s festival showed 15 world premieres and 14 award-winning films in the line-up of 40, as well as presenting Q&A sessions with 21 guest filmmakers, three panel discussions and two master classes.

Read about our upcoming events, or contact your closest British Council office to find out more about our latest events. If you are interested in studying in the UK, the British Council offers several services, including helping you with your English, giving you handy study tips, and helping you find ways to fund your studies.