Don't miss the last week of Encounters
This is the festival's 27th edition, and it runs until Saturday 29 June with screenings across the city taking place at The Labia Theatre (this year voted one of the world's most beautiful cinemas!), V&A Waterfront Ster-Kinekor and The Bertha Movie House in Khayelitsha
"In 2024, Encounters presented three of the five documentaries later nominated for Oscars, including the winner 'No Other Land'," explains Mandisa Zitha, Director of Encounters. "This year we're raising the bar even higher with an excellent selection of films that speak to the role of the documentary and impact filmmaker in 2025."
The 2025 program features close on 70 documentaries, spanning everything from intimate local stories to global social justice narratives. Certainly don't miss 'Fitting In', which takes a hard look at tradition and transformation at Stellenbosch University's Eendrag men's residence. Or Normal To Me, a tender, honest portrait of life at Fish Hoek's Joyce Chevalier Center for adults with intellectual disabilities.
From abroad, How to Build a Library opened the festival with a poetic lens on Nairobi's iconic public library, tracing Kenya's complex colonial past while imagining futures for its youth. You'll find the full schedule for the Encounters South African International Documentary Festival over here.
But it's not just about the films. The festival's final week also features a stellar lineup of panel talks and masterclasses, diving into themes as wide-ranging as memory and trauma (Wounds and Whispers), the role of AI in learning (Rewiring Knowledge), and women's voices in resistance movements (Rise and Resist).
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Daily Record
3 hours ago
- Daily Record
Sex haven where randy grans are flocking to romp with toyboys
The Gambia has a reputation for Brit pensioners flocking to the African country looking for love. Lusty grans from across the UK are jetting off in the hope of finding holiday romance in Gambia. Gambia, officially known as the Republic of The Gambia, has had a reputation for a long time due to attracting lusty OAPs, who flock to the West African country in search of toyboys. Affordable package holiday deals at the main resorts are certainly part of the draw, but for these mature women, it's the prospect of meeting young men on the sun-kissed beaches that has them packing their bikinis in droves, reports the Mirror. The Gambia has earned an unwelcome nickname over the years - 'The Gran-bia' much to the horror of authorities in the country. For those like Barbara, from Dartford, Kent, a trip to The Gambia is about having "a bit of fun". Speaking previously with The Sun, the 65-year-old said: 'I don't know what all the fuss is about. I'm not doing anything illegal. If you go to somewhere like Thailand you see loads of old men with young girls, but no one talks about that. 'The minute a woman gets together with a younger man, there's an uproar, and we're called cougars and sex tourists and all that. I came here for a bit of fun, and I'm not harming anyone. If I want to take a good-looking bloke to my hotel room, it's no one's business but my own.' There are, however, other Western women who are after something more serious, and say they've genuinely fallen in love with their young Gambian toyboy s. This includes Heidi Hepworth, 51, who even converted to Islam to tie the knot with fiancé Mamadou Salieu Jallow, back in 2018, - ending her 23-year long marriage in the process. During an appearance on ITV's Loose Women at the time, Heidi shared: 'No one imagined this would last, but we love each other and are making plans to marry. I've never been happier. It was daunting at first. I got on the plane and thought 'Oh my God, what have I done?' But then I got there, and he met us off the plane with his brother and friend, and it was alright. It was magical." Channel 4 viewers were shocked by a documentary back in 2020 that was titled Sex On The Beach, which showed bars filled with elderly white women searching for younger Gambian men, in scenes some social media users found "disturbing". One pensioner told reporter Seyi Rhodes that the country was "paradise" as they could have a different man every single night. Among those interviewed was an elderly woman P, who claimed she'd travelled out to The Gambia four times in one year alone. When asked whether she felt immoral about her choices, the 60-year-old responded: "I don't feel morally nothing. It's my noo-noo. I do what I want with my noo-noo. You've got to kiss how many frogs before you find your prince. "I've done it so many times I have a bingey drink, one night stand then say take your socks and everything and go, bye." Reflecting on the scenes he was confronted with, broadcaster Seyi remarked: "What I do find troubling when I see these unequal relationships on the beach is that racial imbalance and the history of this country, the centre of slavery. You can't ignore that. When you speak to people they say over and over again, 'This is only because we're poor'." The Gambia is a stunning country with stunning beaches and parks teeming with wildlife. From delicious cuisine to a rich history and culture, there is plenty here for visitors to enjoy. However, it's feared that the country's reputation as a real-life 'Tinder' for pensioners could be holding it back from becoming a family-friendly destination. Unfortunately, the widespread poverty across The Gambia creates a power gap between the elderly sex tourists and the younger men whose company they seek out. Although sex work is illegal in The Gambia, men who entertain these so-called cougars could well receive potentially "life-changing" financial gifts that could help support their struggling families. Ali Cham has seen first-hand the older women looking for their paramours on the Senegambia Strip, where he plays live music at venues, and says the impoverished men want to accept the opportunity presented to them. Westerners that can support them. 'The men are not working as prostitutes, it's more that the women have a financial advantage that is appealing. The £1,000 they change into local currency is a lot of money here, and that makes these guys want to be with them.'
Time Out
7 hours ago
- Time Out
I went on a food tour of Copenhagen inspired by ‘The Bear' – these are the best things I ate
'Ah don lan na di airport. Usay you dey?' The sound of my Sierra Leonean parents' mother tongue, Krio, was not on the bingo list of things I expected to hear in Copenhagen – a city with an estimated 3 percent African population – but there it was. It came from a perturbed middle-aged woman and translated to 'I'm at the airport, where are you?'. What felt like a quirky coincidence became a defining theme of my trip: pockets of diversity making their presence known in the most unapologetic and endearing way. I'm in Denmark's capital for one thing: to eat. Over the next few days, I'll be retracing the steps of Carmy and Marcus in The Bear, the hit show about a scrappy group of chefs getting a Chicago restaurant off the ground, now back on Disney+ for its fourth season. While the show is primarily set in the States, the Danish capital and its world-renowned fine dining culture are heavily influential in The Bear. Three-Michelin-star New Nordic restaurant Noma is where main character Carmy (played by Jeremy Allen White) cut his teeth in fine dining, and the city's restaurants and kitchens make several appearances throughout the series. Broens Street Food: A food market curated by fine-dining specialists My first stop is Broens Street Food. Unlike your classic grab-and-go stalls, this food market is curated by Noma – and its selection is, as you'd expect, mouthwatering. There's Crêpes à la Cart's French pastries topped with fresh strawberries and milk chocolate; Fuego's perfectly grilled pepito steak sandwiches; and Pasta La Pasta, specialising in… pasta. After doing several exorcist head rotations, I land on Kejser Sausage, an authentic Danish sausage infused with wild garlic, served with a side of creamy potato salad. It was delicious, but I found myself keen to discover what Copenhagen's food scene had to offer beyond its fine-dining and local offerings. So I ventured further afield to Nørrebro – aka the coolest neighbourhood in Copenhagen – known for its cultural diversity, vintage fashion scene and street performers. Sasaa: Denmark's first pan-African restaurant The word 'authentic' is thrown around loosely, but Sasaa, Denmark's first pan-African restaurant, is the real deal; from the beautiful shades of melanin captured in the paintings of Nigerian artist Gbonjubola Obatuyi to affable chef Amadou and the waiting staff bellowing out of the kitchen. 'We're the only pan-African restaurant in Copenhagen. Sasaa is more than a restaurant; it's a cultural institution,' said restaurant owner Mahmed Abdi. 'We see ourselves as an introduction to Africa for those who have never had the joy of going there.' On my Somali waiter's recommendation, I tried Bariis lyo Hilib, a savoury rice dish with tender lamb, zesty chilli, and a banana on the side (don't knock it till you try it!). Hart Bakery: Home of Copenhagen's legendary pastries Instead of putting the words 'tasty Copenhagen' into Google and hoping for the best, I was excited to spend my second day in Copenhagen following in the footsteps of Marcus Brooks, The Bear 's ambitious young pastry chef. In the show, Marcus is sent to Copenhagen to master three desserts, and after stepping into Hart Bakery, it's easy to see why this would be the perfect finishing school. The actor who plays Marcus, Lionel Boyce, spent two weeks at Hart in 2022, immersing himself in its doughy trenches. The same quiet intensity and obsession with the craft that we see in Marcus on-screen is palpable at Hart. From the focus of the bakers folding the croissant dough to the rhythm of the fresh loaves being taken out of the oven, the whole place ran on a quiet precision. I didn't get to try the ice cream that Marcus made on the episode, which is probably for the best as it was 9am, but there was no shortage of other Danish confectionery to sink my teeth into. 'Strawberry tarts are like religion in Denmark,' joked Talia Richard-Carvajal, creative director and baker of Hart Bakery during a pastry demo. I had the chance to sample (and by sample, I mean stuffed my face) classic Danish strawberry tarts with fresh whipped cream, flaky cardamom croissants and moreish black sesame cookies. By the end of the demo, my blood sugar had turned into sugar blood. Noma Projects: Experimental concoctions from the laboratory of world-renowned Noma Nothing could have prepared my taste buds for Noma Projects. Forget starting with savoury and ending with sweet; I went from sweet to every flavour under the sun here. Opened in 2022, this offshoot of Noma blends the experimentation of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory with the conservationist values of a David Attenborough documentary. Everything is either foraged from surrounding gardens or fermented on site in their laboratories. Amongst the wonderful concoctions I tried were mushroom garum, corn yuzu hot sauce and elderflower paeso. They were all so good that I left with a bottle of each. Noma may have been the pinnacle of fine dining, topping global rankings and defining an era of Nordic cuisine, but it was also known for the intense, often punishing kitchen culture that contributed to its closure. That pressure is mirrored in The Bear, where Carmy, a former Noma chef, brings the same perfectionism, burnout and emotional toll into his own chaotic Chicago kitchen. But that culture has evolved for the better. In a bold move, Noma announced its transition into a full-time food innovation lab and test kitchen, a shift they call Noma 3.0. The restaurant, once synonymous with avant-garde tasting menus, is now focused on research and development. 'The idea was to take Noma flavours and make them accessible for home kitchens,' said Annika de las Heras, managing director. 'We wanted to share experiences, not gatekeep.' As someone who couldn't afford to eat at fine dining establishments growing up, this was music to my ears. I got to step inside that very lab and make elderflower piso that can be used in sauces and dressings. We used split yellow peas instead of soy beans, since they are native to Scandavia, and mixed in elderflower oil to give it some floral notes. Sadly, I didn't get to take it home that day because it takes three months to ferment in a room kept at 29 degrees Celsius, but the good people at Noma promised to post it to me. I was, however, given a thin sheet of SCOBY marinated in blueberry juice, washed down with kombucha made using honey from the onsite beehive. After a long morning of warm pastries, the sharp, tangy hit of the ferment felt like a jolt to the senses. I instantly felt more alert, like I had just splashed my face with cold water. Poulette: A tiny takeaway with massive flavour If you freeze up at too many options, Poulette is perfect for you. They serve only two items: a chicken sandwich and a mapo tofu sandwich. Founded in 2020 by chefs Martin Ho and Jesper Norrie, Poulette has become a Copenhagen hotspot, drawing hundreds of visitors daily, including international pop star Dua Lipa and – of course – a feature in The Bear. Director Ramy Youssef, who helmed The Bear 's Copenhagen-set 'Honeydew' episode, reportedly discovered Poulette while filming in the city and loved it so much that he wrote it into the show. Marcus is seen devouring their signature chicken sandwich and leaving no crumbs. Their chicken sandwich is so good that the staff have gone to great lengths to keep the recipe a secret after diners tried to uncover it. True to their motto, 'Spicy By Default,' you will want a cold drink on hand. But if you ask Martin, it isn't even their best sandwich. Of Taiwanese descent, he grew up eating tofu and believes it is unfairly overlooked in the West. 'The mapo tofu sandwich is where it's at,' he says proudly. 'Tofu has a bland and boring stigma, but that's just bad cooking. Sanchez: Contemporary Mexican flavours in the heart of Vesterbro Mexican cuisine has never had to fight the label of being bland, and celebrity chef Rosio Sanchez, who makes a guest appearance in season three of The Bear, is largely responsible for bringing it to Denmark with her eponymous Sanchez restaurant in the colourful Vesterbro district. One of my favourites on the menu was the spicy tuna tostada sprinkled with grasshoppers, a Mexican delicacy. It may sound like a Man vs Food trial to Westerners, but once you try it, you'll get it. The crispness of the grasshoppers perfectly complements the soft tuna and crunch of the tortilla chip. The restaurant's inspired menu also features habanero, avocado, and black beans. It's a must-try – but if you can't get a table, there are smaller Hija De Sanchez stalls dotted around the city, offering quick Mexican bites like tacos and churros. Rosio, who spent five years as a pastry chef at Noma, still embodies their school of thought. 'I loved everything Noma stood for, preserving and continuing Danish cooking heritage and I wanted to do the same for Mexican food,' she says. 'There were people who doubted if Mexican food could be successful in this part of the world, but I was willing to fight for it.' The pride and purpose of using food as a vehicle to preserve culture is why The Bear has such a strong cult following. It's also what made my trip so special. From hearing my parents' mother tongue in the airport to tasting dishes from all four corners of the world, the city's diversity may not always be visible, but you can always taste it.
North Wales Chronicle
7 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
V&A announces first UK exhibition devoted to haute couture house Schiaparelli
Set to launch in March 2026, the retrospective will chart the history and impact of Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli, who founded Maison Schiaparelli in the 1920s. It will also explore the present-day incarnation of Schiaparelli, which is now in the hands of creative director Daniel Roseberry. A post shared by Victoria and Albert Museum (@vamuseum) Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art will be staged in the Sainsbury Gallery and comprise more than 200 objects, including garments, accessories, jewellery and paintings. The exhibition, created in close collaboration with Schiaparelli, will be the first of its kind to spotlight the London branch of the house, according to the museum. Highlights include the Skeleton dress, which features quilting resembling large bone, the Tears dress, which features a unique 'tear' print, and a hat shaped to look like an upside-down shoe – all conceived in collaboration with surrealist artist Salvador Dali. The exhibition will reference the popularity of Schiaparelli's designs for film and the theatre with artworks by Spanish painter Pablo Picasso, French poet Jean Cocteau, and US visual artist Man Ray on display. Tristram Hunt, director of the V&A, said: 'Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art will celebrate one of the most ingenious and daring designers in fashion history. 'The V&A holds one of the largest and most important fashion collections in the world, and the foremost collection of Schiaparelli garments in Britain. 'Schiaparelli's collaboration with artists and with the world of performance make the Maison and its founder an ideal subject for a spectacular exhibition at the V&A.' Delphine Bellini, chief executive of Schiaparelli, said: 'Elsa Schiaparelli's fearless imagination and radical vision redefined the boundaries between fashion and art. 'This exhibition celebrates her enduring influence through iconic collaborations with 20th century masters and a pioneering fusion of creativity and commerce. 'With its unparalleled collections, expertise in fashion and design, cultural reach, and ability to bridge tradition and innovation, the Victoria and Albert Museum offers the perfect setting to showcase her legacy alongside Daniel Roseberry's creations, which carry her surrealist spirit forward blurring lines with bold, sculptural designs that both honour and reinvent her vision for a new century.' The exhibition is the latest in the V&A's series of major fashion exhibitions which includes retrospectives of Gabrielle Chanel, Christian Dior and Alexander McQueen. Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art will run from March 21 to November 1 2026. Tickets will go on sale in Autumn 2025.
