The Adiaha Award has, in the past, been awarded twice at the Zanzibar International Film Festival in 2017 and 2018. The 2018 winner — Phillipa Ndisi-Herrmann's New Moon — went on to win Best Documentary at the Durban International Film Festival.

The Adiaha Award includes a $2 000 cash component to be used on the director's next film, as well as an invitation to attend the International Women’s Film Festival Dortmund/Colgone (Internationales Frauenfilmfestival Dortmund/Köln) in February 2021.

The award is just one of the initiatives of the Ladima Foundation in its work to promote and support African women filmmakers. Women documentary filmmakers from across Africa are encouraged to submit their films to Encounters, which is one of Africa's longest-running and most respected documentary film festivals.

The Adiaha Award will be added to the existing award categories at the festival and will be announced on the closing night of the event. Encounters has always had a strong Pan-African mandate, and ahead of the 2020 festival is further reaching out across the continent to encourage filmmakers, especially women, to submit their films.

Encounters Festival director Mandisa Zitha concludes, "It's very special for Encounters to host the Adiaha Award at the 22nd edition. To be able to welcome African filmmakers to the festival over the years has been a privilege, and the award is a wonderful partnership to strengthen collaboration amongst African documentary filmmakers."

Film submissions are open and can be entered via the following links:
For more information, visit www.encounters.co.za. You can also follow the Encounters Festival on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram.