South African doccie about sex workers showing at Cannes film festival

Womxn: Working, a documentary that tells the story of a group of fearless South African sex worker activists, is showing at the Cannes Film Festival in France.

“This documentary is not just a film, it is a powerful advocacy tool that amplifies the voices of sex workers and champions the fight for decriminalisation in South Africa,” the film’s producer, Tiny Mungwe, said before flying out to France.

The 78th Cannes Film Festival kicked off on May 13 and ends on Saturday, May 24.

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Womxn: Working

The 67-minute documentary zooms in on activists who have conducted a decade-long fight to reform discriminatory laws while working to protect the dignity of sex workers in South Africa, which is still grappling with HIV and gender-based violence.

The film, which will soon be screened in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, as well as to lawmakers and politicians, is expected to raise awareness by educating and engaging the public. It is also expected to shift perceptions and build wider support.

Mungwe is in the French Riviera to lobby and build relationships with global decision-makers and distributors to get her latest projects onto the international film circuit.

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Support from the province

Womxn: Working was produced in Durban and is financed by the KwaZulu-Natal Tourism and Film Authority (KZNTAFA), which has also sent two KZNTAFA representatives to Cannes with Mungwe.

For more than a decade, the KZN Film Commission – now known as the KZN Tourism and Film Authority – has participated in Cannes.

Each year, the KZN delegation, comprising filmmakers, officials and emerging producers, has used the festival as a springboard to build international networks, pitch co-production projects and attract foreign investment.

The Commission has hosted networking events, participated in panel discussions, and partnered with national bodies such as the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) to present a unified South African presence.

Acting CEO of KZN Tourism and Film Sibusiso Gumbi said consistent participation has elevated the province’s global profile and led to direct economic benefits “including location shoots in KZN by international productions and strengthened bilateral relations with foreign film commissions and skills exchange programmes for emerging filmmakers”.

Earlier this month US President Donald Trump proposed a 100% tariff on all foreign-produced content shown in the US.

If implemented, it would apply to locally made films, potentially even productions filmed in Mzansi locations such as KZN and series sold to the US.

The Womxn: Working team believes that the documentary will position KZN as a beacon of innovation and advocacy in the film industry.

Mungwe added that she had two feature films in development and had strong leads for them at Cannes.

‘’We also have an artist residency called Ehoin Retreat in which we run labs for the film industry. So, we took meetings with potential partners while at Cannes, proving that this is a phenomenal platform for filmmakers to attend and build solid partnerships.”

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