Films worth thinking about. People worth talking to. Monthly.
We screen standout cinema you won’t find elsewhere, then discuss it properly over beer and pizza. Curated by film curator and critic Deniz Sertkol and François Smit—who’ve spent their careers finding films that matter. Not film theory. Just films that deserve your full attention, and conversations with people who give them exactly that. Monthly screenings for members and friends at The Bioscope.
No membership fees, just a passion for film is essential. Join our WhatsApp Broadcast Channel.
SCREENINGS
WED 29 Apr 7pm | A Dan Sallitt Evening : Fourteen (2019, 94 min) + Caterina (2019, 17 min) SOLD OUT!.
WED 27 May 7pm | A Kit Zauhar Evening BOOK NOW. More info coming soon!
MORE ON THE LONG TAKE FILM CLUB
Films should linger. Not fade the moment you leave the cinema, but stay with you—shape how you see, connect you to others, awaken something alive in you. Films curated with intention, creating a space for real discussion in a welcoming, inclusive space: This is the Film Club Jo’burg deserves.
House of Shem’s approach to cultural programming is exactly this: reconnecting experiences to their transformative purpose. This is cinema with soul. This is what happens when you remember why films exist.
MORE ON DENIZ SERTKOL
works at the intersection of programming, criticism, and public cinema culture. As a recent Johannesburg transplant, she hopes to create film programs that spark conversations, build community, and foster joyful critique rooted in the love for film as a communal experience. Her career spans over a decade-long engagement with the moving image within institutions such as The Bioscope, the Goethe-Institut (New York and Munich), and the German Film Office New York, as well as festivals including the Berlinale Forum, Filmfest Munich, Berlin Critics’ Week, and True/False Film Fest.
Her curatorial interests centre on gender, identity, and movement across borders, with a focus on short and experimental forms, indie films, and genre cinema—especially horror.
MORE ON FRANÇOIS SMIT
François Smit, Founder of House of Shem, brings two decades of international film experience. As Head of International Selection at INPUT (the world’s largest public broadcasting conference), he shaped what audiences saw globally. He’s spent eight years as Head of Postgraduate Studies at AFDA, developing the next generation of South African filmmakers. He founded Culture & Arts Network in Berlin, consulting with broadcasters and media institutions like DOK Leipzig and Prix Europa. He’s currently working as Project Team Manager on the Africa-Europe Partnerships for Culture initiative through the Goethe-Institut, connecting cultural practitioners across continents. He knows how to ask the right questions about why we watch what we watch.
