HARARE, May 15 (NewsDay Live) — Zimbabwe’s Bokola Film Festival returns on May 30 under the theme Hold the Line: Between Collapse and Becoming, using film and art to explore survival, uncertainty and social change.
Hosted at Studio Moto, the festival will bring together filmmakers, musicians, visual artists and audiences for a day of screenings, performances and cultural exchange.
Festival director Ska Sebata said the theme reflects the realities of communities navigating economic strain and instability.
“It speaks to endurance without romanticising struggle, and to the quiet, everyday decision to keep going when systems, economies and environments are shifting beneath our feet,” Sebata said.
She described Bokola as more than a film showcase.
“Bokola is more than a film festival. It is a meeting point for stories that refuse silence. We believe cinema can preserve memory, challenge power, and help us imagine new possibilities for ourselves and our communities,” she said.
Founded within Zimbabwe’s independent arts movement, Bokola has grown into a platform for emerging African filmmakers, particularly young and marginalised creators often excluded from mainstream industry structures.
This year’s programme will feature film screenings, music video showcases, exhibitions, DJ sets and an after-party titled Bokola On Fire, hosted by Events On Fire. Organisers said a children’s zone would also be available.
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The festival runs from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., with entry set at US$1.
Sebata said the festival was intended as a space for reflection rather than easy answers.
“What does it mean to hold on when things are breaking? What does it mean to create when the future feels unstable? And what kinds of stories are needed to carry us through this moment?” she said.
The event will also feature the Bokola Future of Film Award, supported by Accountability Lab Zimbabwe, which recognises emerging filmmakers and includes a cash prize for future projects.
Bokola is presented by Magamba Network, a Zimbabwean media and arts organisation focused on youth culture, activism and digital storytelling.
