Joburg Film Festival to kick off with highly-anticipated documentary Ernest Cole: Lost and Found

JOHANNESBURG - Few know the story of South African photographer Ernest Cole, who was born in the Transvaal in 1940 and died in New York City in 1990.

The 7th edition of the Joburg Film Festival(JFF) will kick off next month. It will feature the world premiere of the highly anticipated documentary Ernest Cole: Lost and Found.

“We must keep the spirit of South African freedom fighters alive, Ernest Cole was a very young man when he went into exile, and this film for me portrays the various ways that many people contributed to the freedoms we enjoy today,” said  the JFF Curator, Nhlanhla Ndaba.

The film festival, which will take place from 11 to 16 March, promises to deliver an unforgettable immersive experience for film lovers and professionals alike. Over 100 films from across the globe will be showcased. Whether you're into thought-provoking storytelling or heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat narratives, JFF 2025 is the place to be.

“With each edition of the festival we endeavour to be better and bolder with our selection, this year's selection is driven by current global political and social affairs, and this is reflected in the types of films which have been selected, not only through the non-fiction but also through the fiction titles that form part of this years’ selection guided by our theme of THE GOLDEN THREAD we selected films that will resonate with the human spirit,” Ndaba told EWN.                                                                                

The documentary Ernest Cole: Lost and Found premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in France and won the award for Best Documentary. It highlights the life and work of one of South Africa's most prominent and pioneering photographers, Ernest Cole.

“Don’t miss your chance to witness the profound story of a man whose work transcended borders and whose spirit is now being honoured in his homeland.”

Cole chronicled the horrors of apartheid for Drum magazine and the New York Times, among numerous other publications, and in 1966, he fled the Republic of South Africa. In 1968, the apartheid regime banned him and stripped him of his South African passport.

“This is reflected in how he used his camera and allowed the world to view the atrocities of the Apartheid Government through his lens, the importance of this film is that it reflects on how the journey wasn’t rosy for him, how he struggled with mental health and longing to come back to his country of birth, but most importantly how through his sense we can learn the complexities of life in exile, his fears, victories and bondage, this film also portraits the enduring spirit of human resilience, as mostly were left to fight within the borders of South Africa those who were exiled were faced with even darker prospects of survival in foreign countries in their pursuit for freedom for all” said Ndaba.

Cole was briefly associated with Magnum Photos and received funding from the Ford Foundation and Time-Life. In North America, he concentrated on street photography, primarily in urban settings.

Having experienced periods of homelessness, Cole died aged 49 of pancreatic cancer in 1990.

“I want the audience to immerse themselves in global films and walk away with more questions than answers, I want the audience to challenge their life perspectives, to understand the world much better, and to challenge the status quo. I want to audience to be more informed about issues of social justice, but I also want the audience to just sit back and laugh and forget their problems for at least 2 hours. The selection for me draws the audience in to watch how documentaries open a window to the world and how drama holds a mirror to society,” said Ndaba.

This year’s edition of the Joburg Film Festival will feature 28 African premieres spanning both fiction and non-fiction films and 12 world premieres, including two South African features.