A Special Screening Exploring Cinema from the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho — Presenting the Work of Khotso “Jaden” Maphathe

A Basotho chief addresses his horsemen from horseback, the Lesotho flag carried as a symbol of heritage and authority.

As part of its fellowship programming, the Alma Film Festival presents a curated exploration of contemporary cinema from Lesotho - the Mountain Kingdom. Programmed by filmmaker Khotso Jaden Maphathe, a fellow of the Dandelion Institute Film and Television Fellowship, the project is conceived as an experiential engagement with Lesotho's cinematic and cultural practice, rooted in questions of continuity, creative agency, and place.

Situated within the cultural and historical lineage of the Basotho people, whose national identity is shaped by land, sovereignty, and resilience under the reign of King Letsie III, the program approaches film as both creative expression and cultural archive: a carrier of memory, worldview, and living tradition across generations.

Inside Joachim Garments in Maseru — a contemporary fashion house where Basotho heritage meets modern luxury.

Threads, Beats & Legends: Sesotho Alive

The program centers on Threads, Beats & Legends: Sesotho Alive, a cultural documentary by Maphathe that follows a new generation of Basotho youth taking deliberate steps to preserve and reinterpret Sesotho heritage amid rapid social transformation. Through music, fashion, visual arts, film, and storytelling, young creatives navigate the tension and continuity between tradition and contemporary identity, demonstrating how culture remains active, adaptive, and practiced.

Set against the living traditions of the Mountain Kingdom and the deep history of the Basotho, the documentary traces how culture is carried through language, dress, rhythm, ritual, and oral narrative, forms passed down and reconstituted across generations. Historians, elders, cultural custodians, and community knowledge-keepers provide grounding on the origins of Basotho customs and the layered meanings embedded in cultural symbols that continue to shape social life.

As youth artists translate ancestral sounds into contemporary forms, integrate heritage into modern design, and adapt enduring stories for screen and performance, the documentary reveals an ongoing cultural movement. At its core, Threads, Beats & Legends: Sesotho Alive centres pride, resilience, and belonging, affirming that Sesotho culture is sustained not through nostalgia, but through conscious, generative practice.

Khotso “Jaden” Maphathe — filmmaker, storyteller, and Dandelion Institute Fellow representing Lesotho.

Following the screening, a guided audience conversation addresses thematic development, narrative architecture, and the evolving role of documentary practice within shifting cinematic and cultural landscapes.

The program features a Space Agency showcase, presented in collaboration with Space Agency Africa, Snake Nation, and CAFI, highlighting works by artists from Maphathe's broader creative network and foregrounding the interconnected practices shaping contemporary cultural expression in and around Lesotho. An open audience Q&A closes the session, maintaining the program's commitment to accessibility, clarity, and direct engagement.

On horseback, a Basotho chief reflects a lineage forged in the highlands of southern Africa.

Our Commitment To Supporting The Next Generation

of Filmmakers Across The Global South

Because building something new requires care, intention, and investment, one of the most meaningful ways to support this vision is through The Dandelion Institute’s Film & Television Fellowship—one of ALMA’s cornerstone programs and a direct expression of our commitment to long-term, structural change.

The Fellowship exists to nurture filmmakers from across the Global South—artists whose stories, perspectives, and cultural knowledge are essential to the future of cinema, yet too often remain under-resourced or unsupported beyond moments of visibility. Through mentorship, international exposure, and sustained support, we help ensure that their work doesn’t simply enter the world but has the opportunity to endure, circulate, and grow within a broader creative ecosystem.

This support shows up in tangible ways: time to develop projects without pressure to conform, access to mentors and collaborators across borders, and opportunities to be seen by audiences and partners who value context, culture, and craft—not just marketability.

If this vision resonates with you, we invite you to contribute. Whether you are an individual supporter, an institutional ally, or someone who simply believes in the importance of cultural stewardship, your participation matters. No amount is too small. Every donation directly supports the artists at the heart of this work and helps us continue building an ecosystem rooted in care, dignity, and long-term possibility.

Your support is not just a gift—it is a quiet but powerful act of belief in what comes next.

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