Six Takeaways From the Joburg Film Festival and JBX Market: ‘We Have a Responsibility to Tell Africa’s Story to the World’

variety.com:

Christopher Vourlias The 7th edition of the Joburg Film Festival came to a close Saturday night, bringing an end to a busy week that saw the festival and its parallel industry event, JBX, make strides in establishing themselves as what festival founder Timothy Mangwedi is determined to transform into “the number one pop-culture, must-attend event in sub-Saharan Africa.” Across the three-day JBX, or Joburg Xchange, representatives of the South African and global screen industries explored ways to bolster cross-border collaboration, wrestled with thorny issues involving copyright law, AI and workers’ rights, and sought to ensure that African narratives remain in the hands of African storytellers.

Meanwhile, a full-day program presented in collaboration with Sisters Working in Film and Television (SWIFT) showcased the advances made by women in the South African screen industries while highlighting how much remains to be done on the road to gender parity.

Here are six of Variety’s key takeaways from a spirited week in Johannesburg: Made in Joburg The theme of this year’s JBX — “made in Joburg for Africa and the world” — highlights the event’s efforts to position Johannesburg as a key driver in South Africa’s screen industries. “We wanted to create the number one pop-culture, must-attend event in sub-Saharan Africa,” said Joburg Film Festival chief Timothy Mangwedi, whose broader goal is to make the three-day confab a transformative tool “to grow the TV and film industry in Africa.” While the local industry is struggling (more on that below), Netflix reiterated its commitment to South African storytellers at an event celebrating a new partnership between the streaming giant and the festival.