South African Film Industry Shines as Seven Premieres Headline Silwerskermfees and Beyond

With premieres spanning local cinemas and international festivals, each title invites audiences to witness stories rooted in South African soil—bold, intimate, and unmistakably alive.

“The Silwerskermfees brings thinkers, doers, creators and dreamers together across generations and from all provinces in the name of film,” says Waldimar Pelser, director of M-Net’s Premium Channels.

This year, the festival will take place from 20-23 August, at the Bay Hotel and Theatre on the Bay in Camps Bay.

“People want to be moved when they watch films,” says Pelser.

“We all long, at times, for escape, reflection – or even catharsis.” For the full Silwerskerm Festival programme here.

22 August

Hunting Jessica Brok is a visceral South African action thriller, directed by Alastair Orr, set deep in the unforgiving wilderness of the African bush.

At its core is Jessica Brok (Danica De La Rey Jones), a retired special forces assassin turned single mother, whose quiet life in a small town is shattered when a past mission resurfaces with deadly consequences.

After being lured into a trap by the vengeful Lazar Ipacs (Richard Lukunku), Jessica is released into the wild with only a 10 minute head start, hunted for sport by a brutal gang of psychopaths.

What begins as a survivalist nightmare escalates into a maternal crusade when she discovers her daughter Nikki has been kidnapped.

Drawing on her lethal training, Jessica fights through knife battles, crocodile attacks, and cave confrontations, culminating in a brutal showdown that tests the limits of her endurance and love.

29 August

My F*k, Marelize! has officially made the leap from viral clip to heartfelt feature film — and it’s far more than just a comedy about a bike crash.

The story is inspired by Marelize Horn’s infamous 2019 moment when she rode her bicycle into a rugby post, prompting her mother’s now-iconic exclamation: “My f*k, Marelize!”

But the film dives deeper than the meme. It explores Marelize’s journey to become an au pair in the Netherlands while grappling with her accident-prone nature, and her mother Heidi’s decision to keep her cancer diagnosis secret.

Directed by Zandré Coetzer and written by Brett Michael Innes, the film stars Je-ani Swiegelaar as Marelize, alongside Zandelle Meyer, Neels Clasen, and Nichola Viviers.

What started as a viral laugh has become a cinematic love letter to Namibian and South African culture — with plenty of heart, humour, and yes, bicycles

26 September

Loved Out is an indie romantic comedy that blends social satire with heartfelt chaos.

Directed by a fresh team under the FilmFinity banner, the film follows Ruva, a bold entrepreneur and social media influencer who inherits her missing mother’s restaurant — only to receive a ransom video demanding repayment of stolen funds linked to a shady preacher and a dangerous gang.

As Ruva scrambles to raise a million rand in seven days, she’s forced to team up with her high school bully turned media mogul, whose reappearance threatens to unravel her carefully curated online persona.

Loved Out offers a uniquely South African spin on the rom-com genre—messy, stylish, and full of heart.

Carissa is a coming-of-age drama directed by Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar, marking their feature debut.

Set in the remote village of Wupperthal in the Cederberg mountains, the film follows a young woman named Carissa — played by Gretchen Ramsden — who longs to escape the constraints of rural life and her grandmother Wilhelmiena’s stern expectations.

When her estranged grandfather Hendrik invites her to work on his rooibos plantation before the land is overtaken by a corporate development, Carissa embarks on a transformative journey into the mountains.

Stripped of modern distractions, she begins to reconnect with the land, her heritage, and a quieter rhythm of life.

The film blends lyrical stillness with emotional grit, portraying Carissa’s reawakening not as a rebellion, but as a reclamation.

Shot with a cast of mostly non-professional actors and praised for its intimate cinematography and deep sense of place, Carissa premiered in the Orizzonti section at the Venice Film Festival and has been described as “simultaneously still and transporting”

10 October

Written and directed by Nico Scheepers, Hen is a stark, black-and-white Afrikaans film set on an isolated farm where silence, faith, and trauma converge.

The story centres on Dawid (Stian Bam), who discovers a disturbing family secret in a wooden crate, triggering a slow-burning psychological unravelling.

Dialogue is withheld for the first 18 minutes, allowing texture, ritual, and ambient sound to carry the emotional weight.

Scheepers uses the absence of colour to strip away sentimentality, forcing viewers to confront the rawness of grief, isolation, and inherited belief systems. Read more.

5 December

Dear Sis Dolly is a South African comedy-drama produced by Tshepiso Chikapa Phiri and Joel Chikapa-Phiri.

The film centres on a sharp, ambitious psychologist who unexpectedly lands a job as an agony aunt for the iconic Drum Magazine. As she navigates the world of advice columns and public vulnerability, she’s forced to dismantle her polished identity and confront the messy, unfiltered realities of everyday life.

The story explores the tension between intellect and authenticity, showing that being “real” can be just as powerful as being “clever.”

With its blend of humour, emotional insight, and cultural resonance, Dear Sis Dolly promises to be a heartfelt reflection on identity, connection, and the unexpected places where truth finds us.

6 March 2026

The Heart Is a Muscle is a South African drama-thriller written and directed by Imran Hamdulay, marking his debut feature.

Set in Cape Town’s Cape Flats, the film follows Ryan (Danny Ross), a young father whose 5-year-old son briefly goes missing during a birthday barbecue. Ryan’s violent reaction to the scare sets off a chain of events that unearth buried secrets, disrupts friendships, and forces a reckoning with his past.

What begins as panic spirals into a journey of masculinity, transgenerational trauma, and forgiveness.

Read more about the latest and upcoming films.