Julie’s comment: ‘I watched this video over and over. From powerful immersive performances, scenes that push boundaries, beautifully rich art direction and romantic cinematography… what’s not to love! Well done Imraan Christian, you gave me goosebumps!’

Mark’s comment: ‘This is an exceptional piece of work with a distinctive directorial voice. It’s an intimate and hallucinatory journey into a South African criminal underworld that I haven’t seen before (and on a music video budget). Very often music videos can feel like a hodgepodge of visually superficial scenes that don’t form a creative whole, but Imraan somehow manages to juggle narrative, performance and tone into a singular visceral experience. Exquisite work Imraan.’

Mfundo’s comment: ‘I’ve watched this video numerous times. These arresting images and performances are so captivating. Imraan Christian is such a creative talent with powerful imagery. I won’t pretend I understand all of it but I do know it makes me feel something. To Imraan: Damn guy!’

Tseliso’s Comment: ‘This could have gone wrong in so many different directions. Documentaries are difficult to get right. Ones about such niche areas of public interest, such as this one must present diabolical pitfalls for any director attempting them. Lebogang and Imraan managed to deliver this one with grace and a respectfulness that itself becomes a character in the story. It’s a beautifully told story about vanishing culture, set in a vast landscape of stillness, with a cast he had no choice but to work with. I love that Lebogang used his own voice for the narration, which makes it all the more intimate. As if the lessons are more for himself than for a wider audience, yet this is the very thing that brings us in. The music is also there for emphasis but not to intrude. “Last Stories of Culture” is a sad yet hopeful account of wisdom being passed from one generation to another, and there couldn’t have been better messengers. Well done Lebogang Rasethaba and Imraan Christian.’

Judges Comment: “I think all we’re trying to do when we craft a film is make people feel something. Because when you feel something it stays with you, you remember it. There’s no amount of arty frames, clever cuts or pretty lighting (not to say that they aren’t to be found here) that can hide whether something is real or not. You either feel it or you don’t. And you get the feeling that Lebogang understands this very well. Nice one.”

Judges Comment: “Big ups to Lebo for directing a campaign of somewhat dark, super-real, very honest commercials for Nike. He took me for a tour through the urban streets of South Africa and the unflinching minds of some powerful women. And he did it with visual gritt. Dankie Boi-Boi!”

Judges Comment: “I watched all the work a couple of times and then proceeded to rearrange the bookshelf, call a friend, instagram the cat and have a nap. This time there was method to my procrastination. I wanted to see which piece of work stayed with me after I watched it. My answer was Kyle Lewis’ ‘Bad Hair’ for Nasty C.”

Judges Comment: “Take the new VW Polo Beats, add a hot hip hop collaboration, geotag the city of Jo’burg with multiple sounds to turn it into the world’s biggest set of instruments and you’ve got one dope idea. This idea caught my eye because not only do I believe it will resonate with its target audience, but it’s also a funky way of bringing a product benefit to life, especially in the automobile sector. The slick shots, sound design and dynamic editing are additional reasons why this is my choice for Best of Reel.”

Judges Comment: “Full disclosure – this comes from the fam in Cape Town. But it’s cool, I like it. It’s like alow-budget high budget video, which was the whole point I guess. Awesome conceptual styling, art direction and directing. Just another day on the job for Kyle then.”

Judges Comment: “Kyle Lewis’ piece for Riky Rick was nice to watch, the jumps and tonal shifts in the music are complimented by a wide and well selected array of gritty, real visuals. I liked watching it unfold like a well-edited art film.”

Judges Comment: “There are also two special mentions for me. The firstly being Castle Light. Not only because it is a great piece of film, but also a great collaborative effort as it features across a lot of the SA Film Reel categories this month namely direction and editing. I was however surprised to not see it in sound design too. I felt there was great craft in putting that track together. Lots of moving parts here. Well done to the director for bringing it all together.”