The inaugural Connie Chiume International Youth Film Festival, held in tribute to the late acting legend Connie Chiume, has emerged as a powerful cultural intervention, uniting learners, educators, mentors, and emerging creatives from across the country.
The festival took place over the weekend of July 18 and 19, 2025, at the Sibikwa Arts Centre in Benoni, marking a significant milestone in the quest to energise South Africa's creative economy for under-represented youth.
Developed by the Connie Chiume Foundation, the festival laid the groundwork for education, access, and visibility, addressing the existing divide between aspiring filmmakers from townships and rural areas and the professional film industry.
Over two jam-packed days, the festival offered an engaging hands-on program that equipped young talents, many of whom were first-generation storytellers, with essential skills, tools,…