The AFDA Experimental Festival is an annual event orchestrated by our 3rd year students. The primary purpose of the festival is to celebrate and exhibit the ingenuity of young African creatives who dare to explore unconventional and avant-garde approaches across various disciplines, such as filmmaking, live performance, creative writing, and innovative high-tech business concepts. The festival provides a platform for our students to present their experimental works and encourages them to challenge established norms within the creative economy.
At this year’s festival, held across our Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, and Gqeberha campuses, audiences can expect to enjoy an array of thought-provoking experiences. Our Business & Innovation School students will pitch cutting-edge and financially viable business concepts, while our Film School students will showcase their offbeat films and TV documentaries. Additionally, our Live Performance School students will bring captivating theatre plays and music performances to the stage. and our Creative Writing School students will also present their original screenplays, play-scripts, and short stories.
Previous productions by AFDA students have garnered immense success, captivating audiences both locally and internationally. Notably, the film ‘Elalini’ secured the prestigious Best Foreign Student Film Oscar in 2006, while ‘Kanye Kanye’ earned more than 20 awards for best short film worldwide and was a finalist at the Oscars and Cannes in 2012. Two AFDA student films, ‘Die Windpomp’ and ‘Hollywood in my Huis,’ transcended the academic realm and evolved into feature films. Moreover, AFDA student films have triumphed at the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTA), winning nine accolades in the “Best Student Film” category.
This year’s AFDA Experimental Festival will be hosted on the respective AFDA campuses.
AFDA Johannesburg Festival Dates:
(View and download AFDA JHB Experimental Festival Schedule)
- Live Performance Festival: 13 to 15 June
- Film Festival: 15 June
- Business & Innovation Festival: 15 June
- Creative Writing Literary Festival: 14 June
AFDA Cape Town Festival Dates:
(View and download AFDA CPT Experimental Festival Schedule)
- Live Performance Festival: 9 to 12 June
- Film Festival: 15 to 16 June
- Business & Innovation Festival: 15 to 16 June
- Creative Writing Literary Festival 15 to 16 June
AFDA Durban Festival Dates:
(View and download AFDA DBN Experimental Festival Schedule)
- Live Performance &Film Festival: 15 June
- Film Festival: 15 June
AFDA Gqeberha Festival Dates:
(View and download AFDA GQ Experimental Festival Schedule)
- Live Performance Festival: 15 June
- Film Festival: 15 June
