Day 1 - Wednesday, 27 August

Molemi - The Farmer
13:00 - 14:00 | 40 mins
Synopsis: Mo Molemi – The Farmer is a documentary film that provides an intimate look into the life of Mo Molemi, a South African hip-hop artist and dedicated farmer. Known for his lyricism and influence in the South African music scene, Mo Molemi, whose real name is Motlapele Morule, has taken a unique path by incorporating his love for music to sustainable agriculture. The film captures his journey from his rise in music to his commitment to his family’s rural farm in North West Province.

Moya - An Acrobatic Art Film
14:00 - 15:10 | 50 mins
Synopsis: With the global pandemic halting the live performance industry, Zip Zap Social Circus found itself at a pivotal moment in its existence. They have used the medium of circus artistry to empower youth-at-risk, often saving lives, successfully for over 30 years. When what you do and love is suspended, the softer skills taught through circus, such as grit, perseverance, and creative thinking, become vital tools for survival. Through adversity, creativity is born.

Ghaly
15:10 - 15:25 | 15 mins
Synopsis: The film documents the journey of Muhammad Ghaly, a man who dedicated his life to preserving the Simsimiyya heritage, and the challenges he faces.

Afrissippi
15:26 - 15:38 | 13 mins
Synopsis: A Senegalese chef and musician’s journey from Dakar to the U.S. unfolds through the rhythms of his music and flavors of his cuisine, revealing how food and art transcend borders to forge identity, belonging, and cultural connection.

Satin Roses
15:38 - 15:52 | 13 mins
Synopsis: A silent, psychological thriller, following a loving couple as they waltz through an idyllic love story; however, warped realities mask a darker truth beneath the veil of the romance.

Dirty Dancer
15:52 - 15:54 | 2 mins
Synopsis: A metaphorical battle told through rhythm and light. In a world where movement speaks louder than words, Dirty Dancer pits two contrasting forces in a dance duel under the flicker of studio lights. Set entirely within a single space, this short film uses choreography, costume changes, and shifting spotlights to portray the inner conflict between chaos and control, ego and humility, art and fame. As the tension builds, each dancer reveals a deeper narrative through motion—until the spotlight chooses one. At its core, Dirty Dancer is a visual poem about identity, ambition, and the stage we all perform on.

Never the More, Never the Less
15:54 - 16:02 | 8 mins
Synopsis: Newcomer director Zhou Yi is forced to reunite with his first love, Yu Yang, whom he hasn’t seen for many years, in order to buy the guitar song he wrote for his first love and create a movie soundtrack.

Before You Were Born
16:02 - 16:06 | 4 mins
Synopsis: Flowing through time like the lava in a lamp, the band deteriorates for your viewing pleasure. Music video for ‘Before You Were Born’ by That Handsome Devil.

Mafiish
16:06 - 16:10 | 4 mins
Synopsis: When you zoom out of all daily life details, you find everything is a journey; some have a beginning, middle, and end, and others just take you along with a flow. In this short animated film, we explore an unfamiliar land and sea from a wide perspective in the form of a journey.

Burn
16:10 - 16:16 | 6 mins
Synopsis: This proposal aims to exhibit a digital audiovisual production by Fabio Bola, created using generative art and video editing, along with a soundtrack that mixes jazz, pop, and melody of timbers. It conceptually addresses relevant issues involving art, technology, and dreams, covering diverse areas such as architecture, philosophy, music, literature, and psychology.

Dog Days Ahead
16:16 - 16:31 | 15 mins
Director Statement: Working on this music documentary with Outside Dog was an incredible experience. We made it under such a tight time crunch that, honestly, I barely felt real at times. I’m so proud of us for creating what we did. I’m especially grateful to Jake, my partner in crime on this project, for always keeping me grounded throughout the process. This project not only gave me the opportunity to grow as a filmmaker but also allowed me to build new friendships and find my voice in sharing the independent side of the music community. I’m so thankful for everything this experience taught me, both personally and creatively.

The Eye of God
16:31 - 16:37 | 6 mins
Synopsis: At the beginning of the 1990s, the future looked bright for the six musicians from Schwerin: They got a big major deal with Sony. But then the record company suddenly wanted the band to be something completely different.

Oswaldo de Camargo, Between the Cold and the Music
16:37 - 16:55 | 18 mins
Synopsis: The short film “Oswaldo de Camargo, between the cold and music”, by Felipe Antunes and Wadico Camargo, discusses the relationship between the poet Oswaldo de Camargo and the arts (music, more specifically), in contrast to racism and the erasure of black people in cities. The “cold”, in the book “The Discovery of the Cold”, by Oswaldo, represents the metaphor for this erasure. The documentary features the participation of the specialist in ethnic-racial education, Izilda Toledo, Allan Abbadia, and Marcos Munrimbau.

Heart Failed
16:55 - 16:59 | 4 mins
Synopsis: Music Video for Masha Qrella’s Single HEART FAILED. From her current album SONGBOOK (Music and Lyrics by Saint Etienne), Label: STAATSAKT. Released in May 2025. A fully AI-generated (SORA) music video, projected onto the tangible substance of a body and filmed in a single take. In this case, that body belongs to musician Masha Qrella: a candy-colored world made of inflated balloons inside a hall of mirrors.
Day 2 - Thursday, 28 August

Dare - To Take That First Step
13:00 - 14:05 | 45 mins
In May 2021, Silvia Nocentini, aka NoOx, a 26-year-old Italian, with her innovative enterprise in the music industry, decides to invest in a trip to Senegal, thanks to an invitation from the Dakar Music Expo’s Director. The trip starts with Silvia Tonelli, the co-founder and Sek (artist), joining F.U.L.A. (artist), who moved to Senegal one year previously. They only have 10 days to get the best chances and opportunities from the Senegalese music industry, its network, and to activate the bridge between Italy and Senegal. This movie is about identities, young enterprises, and diversity.

The Battle: Sergey Chernyshev's Duel
14:06 - 15:15 | 48 mins
Synopsis: The film is about the first Olympic breakdancing champion, Sergey Chernyshev. His life is an endless series of contests, the most important of which is a duel with himself.

InDUBtável 2 - Reggae Document
15:16 - 17:00 | 75 mins
Synopsis: The independent documentary about Reggae and Sound System “InDUBtável”, which already has a “demo” version (containing records from 2003 to 2009), now receives its official version, reinforcing the fact that it is one of the first films made in the country about this musical genre.
For 75 minutes, the film discusses the relevance of the ABC and Greater SP region in the context of Reggae music and the current Sound System. Spoken in 4 languages, it contains images of presentations, festivals, and testimonials captured in Brazil, France, Spain, and England between 2016 and 2019. The cast includes more than 40 characters from the national and international scene.

Do Not Disturb The Animals
17:01 - 17:10 | 5 mins
The environmentalist singer Olga from Madagascar is very sensitive and concerned about the loss of biodiversity and forests in her country, Madagascar. In this video, she sings in Malagasy to “Do Not Disturb The Animals,” so the soundtrack also contains the real sounds of Madagascar fauna. Olga wants to send a message to her people, hoping the song will be a popular mantra to help change the approach to the fragile environment, and a message to the whole world: the editing of the video is made adding information in graphics written in English plus the illustrations of the endangered native animals and plants of the beautiful and fragile African Island of Madagascar. This video is also enjoyable and educational for children and students.
Day 3 - Friday, 29 August

Akneu
13:00 - 14:20 | 60 mins
Synopsis: Akneu est un long-métrage documentaire ethnographique qui retrace l’héritage ancestral de l’art gnaoui en Afrique, et sa diffusion spirituelle, culturelle et musicale à travers le Maghreb, notamment en Algérie.

Isigcawu – A Journey Back to Heart
14:30 - 15:15 | 25 mins
Synopsis: Isigcawu – A Journey Back to Heart is an intimate documentary that follows South African artist Zinhle Madela as she prepares for and reflects on her emotionally charged performance at The Chairman in Durban. Through raw footage, a candid interview, and poetic visuals, the film explores the concept of isigcawu—a sacred space of expression and ancestral connection in Zulu tradition. Directed by Simuphiwe Mkhwanazi and shot by Shamase Studios, the documentary captures Zinhle’s return to the stage, revealing the spiritual, creative, and personal significance of this pivotal event in her journey. More than a performance, Isigcawu becomes a ritual—a reclaiming of identity, purpose, and power through music. This film is both a portrait of an artist and a meditation on the role of heritage in creative transformation.

Kofifi Lifestyle
15:15 - 15:20 | 1 min
A video portraying the life lived in Sophiatown, South Africa, in the 1950s.

The Lexikon 2.0 Project
15:20 - 16:15 | 25 mins
Synopsis: The Lexikon 2.0 Project Mini Documentary tells the story of how Independent female rapper, Lex LaFoy (previously known as Lexikon), recovered and released music that was created over ten years ago, previously withheld from her due to contractual issues. The completion of The Lexikon 2.0 Project – Lex LaFoy’s seventh recorded body of work- was made possible through the support of the SAMRO Music Creation Support Fund (MCSF) 2023.
“This body of work represents my lyrical median point, in the transformation from being Lexikon, to becoming Lex LaFoy”, she says. The Lexikon 2.0 Project is Produced by Heartistree Productions.