Ernest Cole – Lost and Found to open 2025 Joburg Film Festival

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The film made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in France and won the award for Best Documentary, and highlights the life and work of one of South Africa's most prominent and pioneering photographers, Ernest Cole.

About Ernest Cole – Lost and Found

In a world where photography was not yet recognised as a tool for social change, Ernest Cole took it upon himself to document the stark realities of the apartheid era. Despite facing numerous challenges, Cole’s images revealed the often-unseen struggles of ordinary people under the oppressive regime.

Today, his photographs are considered some of the most important and poignant visual records of the time.

A vast collection of his work was found hidden in a bank vault in Sweden, completely unknown to the world. To this day, no one knows who's been footing the bill for its storage all these years. The collection has since been returned to his family, and a selection of these extraordinary images is currently on display at the Goodman Gallery in Cape Town, showcasing the remarkable depth of Cole’s vision.

The documentary is directed by internationally acclaimed, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Raoul Peck — known for Lumumba, which explores the life of Patrice Emery Lumumba, and I Am Not Your Negro, chronicling the legacy of James Baldwin.

Nhlanhla Ndaba, the festival curator, reflects, “This feature explores not only Cole’s incredible body of work but also his tragic and untimely death whilst in exile at the age of 49. With exclusive access to his photos and a profound exploration of his legacy, this documentary serves as a long-awaited homecoming for a man whose dream was always to return to South Africa.”

Joburg Film Festival

From 11-16 March2025, Johannesburg will be transformed into a buzzing cinematic playground, from dazzling red-carpet premieres to exclusive industry networking.

This year’s edition of the Joburg Film Festival will feature 28 African premieres — spanning both fiction and eye-opening non-fiction films — and 12 world premieres, including two South African features.

For more, go to https://joburgfilmfestival.co.za/