Formerly the Cineba Film Festival, Pelong Afrika (Heartlands Film Festival Africa) convenes in South Africa's geographic center to celebrate its cinematic heart, experimental and arthouse films about the African continent.

Spanning Freedom Day weekend, our programme celebrates these fiercely independent freedoms: speech, expression, and gathering. In this vein, Pelong includes two competition streams: The Pelo ya Rona (Our Heart) Award, granted to an independent African feature for the most heartfelt portrayal of Africa, and the Khutla Award, showcasing the work of a single director from the Diaspora.

Pulse Portal

Heartlands is not your usual festival. We are as experimental as the films we programme. Pulse is the dedicated digital portal for our audience to participate in the boundary-pushing activities attached to the festival. It is the bridge between viewer and work, launching on the eve of the festival.

Through Pulse, attendees can interact with films in new ways, participate in real-time voting, access exclusive digital content, and connect with other festival-goers and filmmakers.

Venues & Locations

The festival takes place across multiple venues in Bloemfontein, with partnerships for screenings in several other African countries upcoming.

Community & Access

We believe in making cinema accessible to all. That's why we also partner with CINEBA to offer free community screenings, bringing the magic of film to everyone regardless of economic background.

Special attention is given to making the festival accessible to people with disabilities. All venues are wheelchair accessible, and we provide closed captioning for screenings.

Film Selection

As a curated festival, our programmers find and select films from African filmmakers and those of African descent worldwide. Categories include feature films, short films, documentaries, and experimental works. Our goal is to find films that are fiercely independent, expirimental and arthouse.

Partnerships & Sponsors

Heartlands Film Festival Africa is made possible through the CINEBA organisation and its vision for African cinema.

Festival History

Founded in 2023 as the Cineba Film Festival, Heartlands has grown from a small local event to a nationally-recognised festival. We have refined our programming to focus on niche voices and experimental formats.

Our commitment to showcasing authentic African stories has remained constant, even as our name and format have evolved.

Tickets for the 2026 Heartlands Film Festival Africa are not yet available.

Official sales commence on 01 March 2026.

Ticket Types

All-Access Pass: Full access to all screenings, workshops, and special events for the duration of the festival. Includes priority seating and a festival gift pack.

Day Pass: Access to all screenings and events for a single day. Perfect for visitors with limited time.

Student Pass: Discounted passes for students with valid student ID. Available for both all-access and day passes.

Industry Pass: For filmmakers, distributors, and industry professionals. Includes access to networking events and the industry lounge.

Pricing

Early bird pricing will be available from March 1-15, 2026. Regular pricing begins March 16, 2026.

All ticket holders will receive digital access to select festival content through our Pulse portal for 30 days after the festival ends.

Group Bookings

Special rates available for groups of 10 or more. Educational institutions and community organizations are encouraged to contact us for group booking information.

Accessibility

All festival venues are wheelchair accessible. Screenings will include closed captioning and audio description where available. Please contact us in advance if you require specific accessibility accommodations.

Refund Policy

Tickets are non-refundable but may be transferred to another person up to 24 hours before the event. In the event of festival cancellation, full refunds will be issued automatically.

For ticket inquiries, please email tickets@heartlands.africa