The Encounters South African International Documentary Festival is Africa's premier documentary film festival and one of the continent's oldest film festivals, established in 1999. Dedicated exclusively to the documentary genre, it showcases a diverse range of South African and international productions. The festival takes place annually in Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa, and includes film screenings, competitions with an Audience Award for both South African and International films, workshops, debates, and professional development initiatives like The Documentary Co-Production Forum. Organized by the Encounters Training and Development Institute, its mission is to develop the documentary industry in South Africa by supporting new productions and providing an African platform for documentary films.