Jodi-Lee Parker

Encounters Talks 2026 brings together filmmakers, artists, editors, and cultural thinkers for a powerful series of discussions and masterclasses. Running alongside the renowned Encounters South African International Documentary Festival, the programme explores the impact of documentary storytelling in today’s world. Through thought-provoking conversations, the talks unpack themes of memory, resistance, healing, and cultural reclamation.

Internationally acclaimed ventriloquist Conrad Koch returns with Chester’s Got Talent, a wildly entertaining puppet talent show packed with comedy and unpredictable chaos. At the centre of the madness is the rebellious Chester Missing, whose unfiltered honesty constantly throws the competition into hilarious disorder. As the night unfolds, the puppets battle for talent-show glory while Conrad struggles to keep control.

Presented by How Now Brown Cow, Constellations arrives at the Baxter with a moving and thought-provoking story about love, fate, and endless possibility. Written by acclaimed British playwright Nick Payne, the production blends emotion, humour, and science into an unforgettable theatre experience. The story follows a quantum physicist and a beekeeper whose relationship unfolds across multiple possible realities. In one moment they connect, while in another they drift apart.