Bokola Film Festival Returns With a Bold New Chapter
Harare, 14 May 2026
Bokola Film Festival returns on 30 May 2026 at Studio Moto (3 Downie Ave, Belgravia, Harare), bringing together one of Zimbabwe’s most vital spaces for independent cinema and cultural expression.
This year’s edition unfolds under the theme Hold The Line: Between Collapse and Becoming; a phrase drawn from the lived experience of people across Africa and beyond navigating uncertainty, pressure, and constant change. 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.
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.
This year’s edition brings a full day of powerful storytelling and creative expression at the intersection of cinema and youth culture. Audiences can expect a vibrant programme of film screenings, a dedicated section for music videos and exhibitions, a live DJ, complete with an after party hosted by Events On Fire; ‘Bokola On Fire’. There will also be a kids’ zone, creating a multi-sensory experience that welcomes audiences of all ages.
The festival runs from 12pm to 7pm, with entry set at just $1.
Festival Director; Ska Sebata said “The festival is not positioned as an answer, but as a space to sit with questions. 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?
The festival continues its commitment to supporting new voices in African cinema by creating accessible platforms for emerging filmmakers, particularly young storytellers working outside traditional industry structures. The ‘Bokola Future of Film Award’, proudly supported by Accountability Lab Zimbabwe, will once again recognise bold emerging filmmakers shaping the future of African cinema, with a cash prize awarded to support the next step of their creative journey.
Bokola is brought to you by Magamba Network, Africa’s trailblazing creative and digital media organisation.
Submissions Now Open
Bokola 2026 is currently accepting powerful, urgent, and visionary work. If you are a filmmaker, this is your moment: submit your film and stand a chance to have it screened at Bokola. All formats are welcome.
Hold The Line. Submit Now.
https://filmfreeway.com/BokolaFilmFestival
Contact Details: bokola@magambanetwork.com
