South African film God’s Work continues its international journey after being selected for the Long Film Competition at the 15th Luxor African Film Festival in Egypt, where it will premiere across the Middle East and North Africa region.
Directed and written by Michael James and produced by Sithabile Mkhize, the Durban-set film has steadily gained recognition for its deeply human storytelling and socially reflective themes. The festival, taking place from 30 March to 5 April, provides an important continental platform celebrating African cinema and emerging voices.
Following its sold-out South African premiere at the Durban International Film Festival, God’s Work will also screen locally at the Joburg Film Festival, continuing to build momentum both at home and abroad.
Set in Durban, the film follows a group of unhoused men living together in a deteriorating building that becomes both refuge and survival space. Through intimate storytelling, audiences are drawn into their personal struggles, relationships and resilience as they navigate hardship, exclusion and uncertainty.
Director Michael James describes the film as an act of witnessing — challenging audiences to reconsider how society understands and relates to people experiencing homelessness.
The film features performances by Thobani Nzuza, Mbulelo Radebe, Omega Ncube, Siya Xaba, Zenzo Msomi and Nduduzo Kholwa, with cinematography by Jared Hinde and an original score by award-winning composer George Acogny.
Produced through a collaboration between South African and international partners, God’s Work was developed with support from the KwaZulu-Natal Film and Tourism Authority, the National Film and Video Foundation of South Africa, the Durban Film Office and several global production collaborators.
Its selection for Luxor highlights the growing global appetite for authentic African stories — films that centre dignity, lived experience and social reflection while amplifying voices often left unseen.
Through storytelling rooted in compassion and realism, God’s Work demonstrates how South African cinema continues to shape global conversations about humanity, belonging and hope.
