Short on the heels of his nomination as Outstanding Emerging Filmmaker at the Directors Guild of South Africa Creative Awards, Earl Kopeledi’s new short film, Klawerjas, will be screening at the 8th edition of the Joburg Film Festival.
Kopeledi also directed the JFF 2025 Official Selection, A Home Is Not a House (nominated for Best International Short Film at the Miami Urban Film Festival and Best International Film at the International Black Film Festival in Nashville, Tennessee).
Klawerjas explores a gathering of old university friends for a day of cards and catching up. The presence of the younger brother of one of the friends exposes cracks in relationships while also providing fuel for the conspiracy theories of another.
Klaverjas is a card game that originated in the Netherlands and came to South Africa with Dutch colonists in the 17th century, becoming a popular pastime, especially among the Cape Malay population. The name comes from the Dutch words “klaver” (clover/clubs) and “jas” (jack), referring to the powerful jack of clubs. The game evolved into a distinct local version known as Klawerja and was extensively played by Coloured students on Western Cape campuses in the 80s and 90s. Kopeledi cleverly uses the game as a metaphor for life and as a way to comment on society, power structures and privilege. At its core, the film is about the power of longstanding friendships and the safe space they create for provocative conversations.
Cinematographer Nic Manshon’s use of Black Mist filters creates a softened cinematic look, allowing for a seamless shift from comedic to more emotive tones. O’Ryan Winter, a frequent collaborator on Kopeledi’s projects, produced an engaging score that complements the ebb and flow of the action while tapping into various genres, including R&B and Cape Town jazz.
“I wanted to have fun with this project. The topics of conspiracy, race, culture and intimate relationships can often be seen as off limits for discussion. Art allows us to explore these themes in a safe environment and bring to them a sense of vulnerability and humour,” said director Earl Kopeledi.
Klawerjas stars an ensemble cast that includes two-time SAFTA winner Jarrid Geduld (Indemnity), Merlin Balie (Arendsvlei), Sherman Pharo (Breekpunt), Damian De Villiers (Tuiskoms), Karlé Briedenhann (Sewe) and Lester Walbrugh (2 Thirds of a Man).
TRAILER: Klawerjas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKOP6ACt3os
Klawerjas will screen on 7 March at 12pm at The Forge in Braamfontein. Tickets are available through Webtickets: shorturl.at/XICp4.
The Joburg Film Festival (JFF), presented by MultiChoice Group, a CANAL+ company, will return for its eighth edition from 3 to 8 March 2026. This year’s edition will run under the theme Feel the Frame. Explaining the theme, festival manager Taryn Joffe said: “Feel the Frame invites us to explore cinema as a sensory and deeply collaborative art form. A film is never only the image before us. It carries the fingerprints of many hands: writers, directors, performers, cinematographers, editors, designers, sound artists and the countless others whose decisions give a story form.”