While many events are on hold due to the Covid-19 outbreak, Encounters International Documentary Festival will go ahead as planned, although virtually, from August 20 to August 30.

Documentary lovers will have a chance to watch the greatest award-winning documentaries from the globe on virtual platforms free of charge. The festival offers a variety of documentaries from war to political documentaries, most of which will premiere at the festival.

Among the top documentaries that will be featured at Encounters is a story of Amy Biehl, an American journalist who was murdered in Cape Town. The documentary, Mother to Mother, is adapted from Sindiwe Magona’s novel of the same name by Sara CF de Gouveia. The engaging and thought-provoking cinema documentary features singer, actress and playwright Thembi Mtshali-Jones.

One of the hard-hitting political documentary is Influence, that is directed by South African investigative journalists and filmmakers Richard Poplak and Diana Neille. Other documentaries that will be shown include The Kingmaker, Banksy Most Wanted, For Sama (UK/Syria), Gaza, Advocate, Toni Morrison: The Pieces I am, Cunningham, Days of Cannibalism, Softie, Finding Sally, and By All means Necessary.

Another festival’s highlight will be The Art of Being Human, a documentary that profiles the life of political activist, lawyer, judge, teacher and Barloworld’s first black chairperson Dumisa Ntsebeza. The documentary is directed by young director Pule Phokompe.