Taryn Joffe

Taryn Joffe has honed her skills in film programming, curation, writing, and distribution. She currently holds the positions of Festival Programmer and Industry Coordinator at Encounters South (...) African International Documentary Festival and Distribution Manager at Electric South. Taryn is also a Board Member and Co-Deputy Chair of the Documentary Filmmakers’ Association of South Africa (DFA) and an Advisory Panellist for the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF). Since 2021, she has served as a Juror for the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) and in 2023, Taryn was a Juror for the International Documentary Association (IDA) Awards. Additionally, she has been a Decision-Maker at Cannes Docs (Marché du Film, Cannes Film Festival) and Doc Counselor at Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival. Taryn has curated several training and development initiatives, including the inaugural Encounters Internship Programme in Festival Management and Film Curation and the Encounters Community Festivals: Doc Activate Season Programme in Festival Production and Audience Development. In 2024, Taryn co-curated the inaugural Encounters Iliso Lethu African Documentary Symposium. Her past roles include docSHARE Co-Programme Manager for the DFA, Distribution Coordinator at Big World Cinema and Programmer at the Shnit Worldwide Short Film Festival. Taryn’s expertise is enhanced by participation in programmes such as SALIA, in partnership with Realness Institute, Talents Durban Press and Berlinale Talents. She is dedicated to fostering film culture and aspires towards enhancing audience engagement through exposure to creative fiction and non-fiction cinema.