Encounters South African International Documentary Festival presents the exclusive Cape Town screening of Raoul Peck’s award-winning Ernest Cole: Lost and Found at the Labia Theatre for one night only on March 20, 2025, the eve of Human Rights Day.
One of the most talked about documentaries of 2024, Ernest Cole: Lost and Found, jointly won the prestigious L’Oeil d’or prize – the top award for a documentary at the Cannes Film Festival, has won numerous other awards, and has received 95% positive reviews from critics on Rotten Tomatoes .
In this film, Peck the visionary filmmaker of I Am Not Your Negro (Encounters 2017) delves into the life and legacy of Ernest Cole, one of South Africa’s most significant anti-apartheid photographers. The documentary offers a fascinating insight into his life and his mysteriously lost and rediscovered work, showcasing his fearless documentation of apartheid’s brutal realities.
Narrated by LaKeith Stanfield, one of the most prominent Black American actors today, the film weaves together the struggles of Ernest Cole’s life in exile with the broader African American experience, drawing powerful parallels between oppression in South Africa and the United States.
Cole revealed: “ In South Africa I was afraid of being arrested. In United States I was afraid of being killed ”
Cole, who passed away in 1990 one week after Nelson Mandela was released from prison, left behind a body of work that remains as vital today as it was during his lifetime. Ernest Cole: Lost and Found is an unmissable cinematic tribute to his courage and artistic vision.
“It is fitting that we screen this film on the eve of both Human Rights Day, and what would have been Ernest Cole’s 85th birthday,” says Mandisa Zitha, Director of Encounters. “The film keeps his legacy alive and inspires new generations to continue the fight for human rights. In a time when history is often overlooked, this documentary reminds us why we must remember, reflect, and remain vigilant in the fight for justice, and there are many ways in which this can be done. Cole did it through his lens. It is an excellent film and a must-see.”
The film which opened the Joburg Film Festival this week, will screen on Thursday 20 March at 6pm The Labia Theatre, Cape Town.
This special Cape Town screening is in partnership with Encounters South African International Documentary Festival, Africa Entertainment in America, and Known Associates Group. The 27th Encounters South African International Documentary Festival runs from 19th – 29th June 2025.
WHAT: Raoul Peck’s Ernest Cole: Lost and Found
WHERE: Labia Theatre, Orange St, Cape Town 8001
WHEN: Thursday 20 March at 6pm
TICKETS & BOOKING: Webtickets.
INFO: Encounters South African International Documentary Festival | Trailer.
