The South African film God’s Work has been selected to screen at the 8th edition of the Joburg Film Festival (JFF) this Sunday (8 March 2026) at 16:15 at Artistry in Sandton.
Set within an abandoned inner-city building, God’s Work confronts homelessness not as abstraction, but as lived economic exclusion. Hunger, addiction, fractured memory and systemic neglect shape the interior and exterior worlds of men pushed beyond society’s margins. Stark social realities collide with surreal psychological landscapes.
The film embraces a hybrid cinematic language to question how cinema frames lives that exist outside systems of access and visibility. It blends documentary textures, staged encounters, archival material and symbolic imagery.
“South Africa’s deepening social fractures are no longer peripheral,” says producer Sithabile Mkhize. “People are being steadily removed from opportunity, recognition and support. God’s Work offers a direct encounter with these realities.”
Director Michael James says: “This film is ultimately an exercise in empathy. Cinema allows us to dismantle distance – to attempt to see one another without mediation or judgment.”
The film features performances from South African talents Thobani Nzuza, Mbulelo Radebe, Omega Ncube, Siya Xaba, Zenzo Msomi and Nduduzo Kholwa. Cinematography by Jared Hinde captures the textured physicality of the setting, while George Acogny’s score aims to deepen the psychological and emotional tension of the narrative.
God’s Work is produced by Maverick Entertainment, Amafrika Films and Mojo Entertainment, with support from the KZN Film and Tourism Authority, the Durban Film Office and the National Film and Television Foundation.
* Tickets to ‘God’s Work’ and other JFF sessions can be purchased via the Webtickets website here.