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Dream's Descent

“Dream’s Descent” is a hauntingly surreal dance film that traces the journey of a solitary dancer as he navigates a dreamlike landscape fractured by memory, identity and desire. Drawn into a shifting world where time dissolves and space contracts, he encounters fragmented versions of himself, each embodying a suppressed emotion, forgotten trauma or repressed aspiration. Through ritualistic choreography and symbolic confrontations, these encounters blur the line between self and shadow. As the dancer spirals deeper into the labyrinth of his subconscious, the movement becomes a language of reckoning.

“Dream’s Descent” is not about conquering the self, but integrating it, emerging not whole, but awakened, transformed by the very fragmentation that once threatened to undo him and ready to face whatever comes next.

  • Sara Gouveia
    Director
  • Inka Kendzia
    Director
  • Gregory Maqoma
    Director
  • Inka Kendzia
    Writer
  • Sara Gouveia
    Writer
  • Sara Gouveia
    Producer
  • Gregory Maqoma
    Key Cast
    "Lead "
  • Lihle Mfene
    Key Cast
    "Younger Lead "
  • Zinhle Purity Mkhize
    Key Cast
    "Monster "
  • Motheo Moeng
    Director of Photography
  • Mr Sakitumi
    Music Composition & Sound Design
  • Sara Gouveia
    Additional Photography & Editor
  • Odwa Bongo
    Vocalist & Uhad Player
  • Lameze Allie
    Line Producer
  • Nomandla Vilakazi
    Production Coordinator
  • Joshua Dean Marais
    Focus Puller
  • Stephan Van Der Merwe
    Gaffer
  • Odon Bass
    Spark
  • Kidwell Madindala
    Best Kid
  • Donavan Oostendorp
    Props Master
  • Zinhle Purity Mkhize
    Costume Designer
  • Tevany Coimbra
    Wardrobe Assistant
  • Siphokazi Gwampi
    DIT
  • Mike Nyembe
    Sound recordist
  • Jameela Ishmail
    Make-up
  • Mac Mbah
    Driver
  • Baxter Theatre
    Dance Floor & Assistance
  • Marisa Steenkamp
    Dance Floor & Assistance
  • Solomon Mashiane
    Dance Floor & Assistance
  • Amos Ndumile
    Dance Floor & Assistance
  • Ellèna Lourens
    Stills & BTS
  • Inka Kendzia
    Animation Director
  • Pieter Menz
    3D
  • Inka Kendzia
    animation & Composition
  • Anwar McWhite
    animation & Composition
  • Natan Fourie
    animation & Composition
  • Skye Barrow
    colourist
  • Priest Post Production
    colourist
  • Sound & Motion Studios
    Sound Final Mix
  • Inka Kendzia
    Title Design
  • Carmen Ziervogel
    Poster design
  • Prashad
    Catering
  • Theatre Arts Obs
    Filming locations
  • UCT TV
    Filming locations
  • Artscape
    Rehearsal Location
  • NFVF/PESP
    Special Thanks
  • French Institute Of South Africa
    Special Thanks
  • Mansa/Creation Africa
    Special Thanks
  • LIFT Airline
    Special Thanks
  • Artscape
    Special Thanks
  • Baxter Theatre
    Special Thanks
  • Zootee Studios
    Special Thanks
  • Golden Circle
    Special Thanks
  • Exposure Crew
    Special Thanks
  • Peter Lambert
    Special Thanks
  • Clive Will
    Special Thanks
  • Legalese Solutions
    Lawyers
  • The Brokerage
    Insurance
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Experimental, Short
  • Genres:
    Dance, Experimental, Animation, Short
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 14 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 16, 2025
  • Country of Origin:
    South Africa
  • Country of Filming:
    South Africa
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    4K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16x9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Experimental, Dance & Music Film Festival
    Toronto
    Canada
    November 1, 2025
    Winner: Best Visual Design
  • HangartFest
    Pesaro
    Italy
    September 6, 2025
    International Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Bucharest International Dance Film Festival
    Bucharest
    Romania
    September 11, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Joburg Underground Film Festival
    Johannesburg
    South Africa
    September 27, 2025
    South African Premiere
    Official Selection
  • IMMAGI]NA Film Festival
    Pozzuoli
    Italy
    November 4, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Cultur'halle Film Festival
    Geneva
    Switzerland
    October 22, 2025
    Official Selection
  • InShadow
    Lisbon
    Portugal
    November 28, 2025
    Portuguese Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Creation Africa Forum Lagos
    Lagos
    Nigeria
    October 16, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Dance Camera West
    Los Angeles
    United States
    January 22, 2026
    US Premiere
    Official Selection
Distribution Information
  • Lionfish Productions
    Distributor
    Country: South Africa
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Sara Gouveia, Inka Kendzia, Gregory Maqoma

SARA GOUVEIA is an award winning filmmaker and interdisciplinary artist based in Cape Town. Her films have strong visual aesthetics and explore the line between fiction and reality. Sara often collaborates with musicians, artists and performers to explore broader existential and historical themes.

Sara’s first feature length documentary "THE SOUND OF MASKS" had its World Premiere at IDFA 2018 and was described in magazine Africa is a Country as “a visual meditation on the nature of memory in postcolonial societies”. The film screened at the MARRAKECH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2018, HOT DOCS 2019, NEW YORK AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL 2019, THE DURBAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL AND DOCLISBOA 2019. The film received the award for Best Feature Documentary at the Plateau International Film Festival 2019 and the 14th SAFTA Golden Horn Award for Best Cinematography as well as SAFTA nominations for Best Feature Documentary and Best Editing in 2020. In 2021 the film received the awards for Best International Feature and Best Direction at the 7th Brasil Festival of International Cinema.

Her documentary “ALBIE": A STRANGE ALCHEMY”, premiered at the Encounters South African Documentary Film Festival 2025. She was also the cinematographer and editor in “WE, PEOPLE OF THE ISLANDS”, which premiered at IndieLisboa 2025.

Sara has participated in the DURBAN FILM MART, IDFA SUMMER SCHOOL, HOT DOCS BLUE-ICE LAB, DOCSOCIETY, AND BERLINALE TALENTS, with her work broadcast on platforms like Showmax, PBS, CGTN, SABC and RTP. She has also participated in the CASA DO XISTO 16mm residency in Portugal in 2022, the TANKWA ARTSCAPE RESIDENCY, the BODHI KHAYA RESIDENCY and ELECTRIC SOUTH: NEW DIMENSIONS LAB in South Africa 2024.

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Director Statement

“Dream’s Descent” is a poetic exploration of identity, transformation and the quiet, often painful journey of confronting oneself. At its core, this surreal dance film tells the story of a lone figure navigating a dreamscape where fragments of his identity manifest through movement: each encounter a ritual, a reckoning, a step closer to wholeness.

This film was born from a shared desire to explore the invisible battles we face when chasing our dreams: the fears, doubts, and shadows that threaten to derail us. As collaborators, Inka Kendzia, Sara Gouveia, and Gregory Maqoma, we bring together our collective voices and different visual languages to create a work that reaches outward, engaging with global audiences.