Encounters Premieres The Powerful Documentary, Womxn: Working

Film on Sex Workers Waging the Battle for law reform premieres for Encounters Festival.

Womxn: Working a powerful documentary about sex workers in South Africa, and their fearless and decades-long push for decriminalisation and justice, will have its World Premiere at the Encounters South African International Documentary Festival in Cape Town (21 and 26 June) and Johannesburg (26 June).

Directed by Shanelle Jewnarain and produced by Tiny Mungwe and Mithcell Harper, Womxn: Working follows sex work activists Nosipho Vidima, Dudu Dlamini, Constance Mathe, and the late Ruvimbo Tenga as they organise, protest, and push for systemic change, against the backdrop of South Africa’s femicide crisis.

Their work unfolds not only in courtrooms and Parliament but also in the streets, at vigils, and within their communities. Through their experiences and advocacy, the film illuminates the injustices faced by sex workers and makes a compelling case for legal reform.

The film was filmed over 10 years in an approach that was a collaboration between the filmmakers and the sex work activist movement, particularly with activists linked to SWEAT and Sisonke – staying true to the movement’s adage of ‘Nothing about us, without us‘.

As leaders in the sex workers’ rights movement, they engage with parliamentary officials, run public education campaigns, and provide direct support to peers in the sex-work industry. To strengthen their advocacy, the movement forms the Asijiki Coalition, uniting trade unions, political representatives, gender rights groups, and legal partners. Together, they build on decades of lobbying, pressuring the Law Reform Commission to release a long-awaited report on the legal status of sex work. This milestone sparks national debate and community engagement.

The film also traces landmark efforts like the “Say Her Name” campaign and the legal battle surrounding the prosecution of artist Zwelethu Mthethwa for the murder of a sex worker.

Jewnarain says:

“Our film shows sex workers as they’ve rarely been seen. Not as subjects of pity, but as organisers, mothers, leaders, and fighters. I hope it disrupts stereotypes, prompts reflection, and challenges viewers to interrogate the systems that criminalise and punish women for survival while enabling the violence they endure. Through it all, these women find strength in solidarity, balancing their activism with care work for their families and community.”

Mungwe says:

“Womxn: Working was a collaborative process working with the protagonists, and we have been guided, advised and informed by them, and taken on their personal and communal journeys as sisters to enable us to go extraordinary physical and emotional spaces. We have tried to push back and resist stereotypes and centred black womxn in the documentary, who are too often silenced. It explores the deeply polarising debate surrounding sex work in South Africa, where discussions often focus on morality and the commodification of sex, without acknowledging that at its core, sex work is about women’s autonomy over their bodies.”

SWEAT spokesperson, Megan Lessing, says:

“This film honours the courage, resilience, and leadership of sex workers who have fought relentlessly for their rights, safety, and dignity. It tells the story of our movement from the frontlines — led by sex workers themselves. We hope audiences come away understanding that the call for decriminalisation is not just policy reform; it’s a demand for sex workers’ humanity to be recognised and their lives to be protected.”

The documentary will be screened at The Labia Theatre in Cape Town on Saturday 21 June at 4.30pm (Book here), at the Bertha Isivivana Centre Khayelitsha on Thursday 26 June at 6pm (Tickets are free – Book here), and at the Bioscope in Johannesburg on Wednesday 25 June at 6.30pm (Book here)

All screenings will be followed by a Q & A with the producer and director. (Note PG 13)

Encounters is Supported and Funded by:
The City of Cape Town, Bertha Foundation, National Film and Video Foundation of South Africa, Al Jazeera Documentary, Institute Francais, Refinery, Goethe-Institut of South Africa, Mail & Guardian, Heineken Beverages, Rough Cut Lab Africa, DOK.fest Munich, Ladima Foundation, anima, Pressure Cooker Studio, Heinrich Böll Stiftung, Known Associates, German Films, Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands, SS NL, Cinema Solidarity, Documentary Filmmakers Association, Kamva Collective, The Video Store Podcast, the University of Cape Town and the Centre for Film and Media Studies, Mail and Guardian (Media Partner), UWC The Centre for Humanities Research, and Climate Story Lab Southern Africa.