SAFTAs 2025 Postponed to March 2026: “A Period of Renewal Within the NFVF”

• The South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) will not take place in 2025
• The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) confirmed the development and explained why the SAFTAs will not be held in 2025
• NFVF also announced the new date, theme, and how the latest development affects eligibility

The South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) will not take place in 2025. The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) confirmed that the SAFTAs have been pushed back, meaning the film fraternity will have to wait a bit longer for the prestigious awards.

On Monday, 25 August 2025, the NFVF announced that, much like the Miss SA 2025 pageant, the SAFTAs have been moved to a new date. The report left South Africans with questions, which NFVF answered in its official confirmation on Instagram.

Why were the 2025 SAFTAs postponed?

NFVF said the SAFTAs have been moved from October 2025 to an undisclosed date in March under the theme: “One Story. One Industry. One Future. – Celebrating South Africa’s Screen Legacy, Together.”

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The NFVF, which underwent leadership changes like the Miss South Africa Organisation, explained that the developments within its organisational structure had caused the delays.

“The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the 19th Annual South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) will now take place in March 2026, following a rescheduling from October this year due to organisational changes and a period of renewal within the NFVF. After careful review and consultation, the NFVF has rescheduled SAFTAs19 to take place in March 2026. The decision to move the awards is the result of leadership changes within the NFVF and related unforeseen delays, which have now enabled a broader period of organisational renewal,” the NFVF said.

NFVF explained that the postponement isn’t only a result of leadership changes, stating that it was done to align with global awards events.

“This shift aligns the SAFTAs with the global awards calendar and ensures that the ceremony once again takes its place in March, marking consistency for years to come,” the statement added.

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Will this change impact eligibility for nominations?

It is not all bad news. As a result of the postponement, the NFVF announced that the eligibility window has been extended to 18 months.

“The eligibility window for SAFTAs19 has been extended to cover projects released between 1 January 2024 – 30 June 2025 (a once-off 18-month cycle),” the statement further reads.

The NFVF said it would announce the finer details of the 19th edition of the SAFTAs in due course. The venue is expected to be in Johannesburg, while the exact date is expected to be announced in December 2025.

“Stay tuned for venue, broadcast, and nomination announcements in the coming months,” the statement read.

See the announcement below:

SAMA announces virtual ceremony this year

The SAFTAs aren't the only major awards ceremony that announced a new change.

Briefly News reported that the annual South African Music Awards stunned netizens with its announcement regarding the nominee announcement ceremony.

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For the 2025 nominee announcement ceremony on 28 August 2025, SAMA announced that there would be no red carpet and champagne.

Source: Briefly News