The Connie Chiume Foundation has confirmed that the Connie Chiume Student Film Festival 2025 will take place from 14 to 16 June 2025 in rural areas in KwaZulu-Natal, with a programme of workshops, screenings, awards, and industry activation events focused on empowering youth in historically disadvantaged communities.
This edition of the festival marks a deeply significant milestone, as it will be the first to take place following the passing of the festival’s founder, the iconic actress and creative pioneer Connie Chiume, who died in August 2024. Her decades-long legacy of advocacy, mentorship, and artistic excellence will be honoured through a three-day event that reflects her commitment to developing the next generation of South African filmmakers.
With the theme “Bridge the Past, Build the Future,” the festival reaffirms Chiume’s vision of democratising access to the creative economy. It is specifically tailored to serve young people from underrepresented and rural communities, offering them real pathways into the film and television industries. The Connie Chiume Student Film Festival has never been a symbolic project—it is a practical and purposeful ecosystem for training, mentorship, cultural expression, and professional opportunity.
The 2025 programme will feature a curated selection of short films created by students between the ages of 16 and 25. These films will tackle socially relevant themes such as mental health, identity, sustainability, and youth activism, and will be screened as part of the festival’s commitment to socially responsive storytelling. The Film-Sense Talent Search, an outreach initiative that identifies emerging talent through school-based activations in rural areas in KZN, will be integrated into the core programme.
These learners are not invited as observers—they are embedded into the very centre of the festival, with support that includes mentorship and exposure to professional opportunities.
The event will also feature the Legends Awards, a tribute to the unsung contributors within the film and television industries. These awards honour professionals such as lighting technicians, line producers, casting directors, editors, and makeup artists whose behind-the-scenes excellence forms the backbone of South Africa’s creative achievements. Their recognition reflects the festival’s broader values of inclusivity and respect for the full spectrum of talent within the industry.
Over the three days, a robust industry development programme will be delivered, with workshops that are practical, hands-on, and community-responsive. Confirmed training sessions include modules on directing, with guidance on blocking, actor collaboration, and scene construction; cinematography labs that introduce visual storytelling tools and lighting for emotional effect; and scriptwriting courses that explore structure, dialogue, and adaptation of lived experience into narrative form.
Sessions on production design and costume development will explore the creation of visual identity and tone, while editing and sound masterclasses will offer foundational skills in shaping post-production rhythm and mood.
In addition to technical disciplines, the festival will present practical business-oriented training. Participants will receive guidance on proposal writing, budgeting, festival pitching, rights management, and content distribution. These sessions are designed to equip attendees with the entrepreneurial and strategic tools required to navigate the industry beyond the creative process.
The festival takes place against the backdrop of South Africa’s ongoing youth unemployment crisis, which remains particularly severe in rural provinces such as KwaZulu-Natal. By activating creative education and professional training within these communities, the Connie Chiume Student Film Festival offers not only inspiration but direct economic relevance.
The initiative promotes cultural development, youth employment pathways, and broader participation in one of the country’s most vibrant and fast-growing industries.
Festival Chairperson Nothando Mabuza emphasised the importance of preserving Chiume’s vision through action. “The Connie Chiume Student Film Festival is more than a tribute. It is a living, working extension of Mama Connie’s life’s work. She believed in creating access, in building platforms, and in giving young people the tools to tell their own stories. This year’s festival reflects her values and continues her mission of inclusion and empowerment.”
The Foundation expects participation from over 500 young people, with support from film schools, local municipalities, community arts centres, and provincial government departments. Partnerships with content platforms will ensure that selected student work produced during the festival is shared beyond rural areas in KwaZulu-Natal, increasing both visibility and reach.
