There’s something powerful about women opening doors for other women, especially in an industry where access still shapes who gets seen, heard, and celebrated. This year, Open Chair once again secured passes through the Cannes Lions ERA Programme, sending 14 South African women to Cannes. The Croisette won’t know what hit it.
On Tuesday 19 May, the IDIDTHAT Cannes Predictions Dinner returns, bigger than before, bringing together agencies, marketers, and production partners for the live reveal of South Africa’s Cannes Lions contenders for 2026, as predicted by our judges. Make sure you secure a table for your team.
Best in Craft goes to Greg Gray (Direction) from Romance and Ricky Boyd from Deliverance Post this month. Big cheers, loud applause, and general (Raj) whoohoo-ing all round. This month’s IDIDTHAT.co Craft Awards were judged by two people who know a thing or two about making excellent work; Martin Schlumpf, Executive Creative Director at Joe Public and Chloe Coetsee, Director at Darling Films.
IDIDTHAT JUDGE MARTIN SCHLUMPF EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR JOE PUBLIC SOUTH AFRICA JUDGE'S BIO Martin Schlumpf is the Executive Creative Director at Joe Public South Africa. He believes that [...]
IDIDTHAT JUDGE CHLOE COETSEE DIRECTOR DARLING FILMS SOUTH AFRICA JUDGE'S BIO Chloe makes ads, mostly funny ones, you may have seen a couple. She enjoys this along with [...]
Every month, South Africa’s top creative and production talent help us crown the best in local craft. Now, after a full year of judging, the numbers are in and the official IDIDTHAT Craft Awards Rankings for 2025 are here. From directors and DOPs to editors, sound studios and VFX artists, this is the leaderboard of the teams consistently producing the industry’s most awarded and admired work. Now you know who to work with next!
Top South African editor Xander Vander has launched GOOD EDIT, a boutique offline editing house built around a simple idea: Let's focus on the edit.
For years now, IDIDTHAT has brought together a select group of the industry’s sharpest minds to review the South African work entered into Cannes Lions and to call, ahead of the world, what they believe will rise on the global stage. Here's who's doing South Africa's predicting this year.
After 30 years in the industry, more than 250 Cannes Lions, and a run leading Ogilvy Asia Pacific to seven consecutive Creative Network of the Year titles, Eugene Cheong, has published a 13,000-word HANDWRITTEN book, ‘Cowards Don’t Go To Heaven’.
South Africa is showing up strong at the The One Show, leading the Middle East and Africa region with 48 finalists. From agencies to production and post, the work is cutting through for Team SA, and with every finalist guaranteed a Pencil or Merit, it’s already a big win.
‘Vaseline Verified’ campaign for Unilever racks up an impressive run of Golds and Silvers, ‘Mntana ka Gogo’ bags picks up Silver and Bronze, ‘Show Ghana Love’, ‘Zuzu the Crab’ and ‘The Philipstown WireCar Grand Prix’ bring in a few more bronzes. Have a look at all the work and who won what in our Clios 2026 showcase.
IDIDTHAT JUDGE KARIEN CHERRY DIRECTOR GIANT FILMS SOUTH AFRICA JUDGE'S BIO Ranked as the Number 1 director in the African & Middle Eastern region – awarded by the [...]
IDIDTHAT JUDGE ZWELETHU RADEBE DIRECTOR EGG FILMS SOUTH AFRICA JUDGE'S BIO Zwelethu spent his youth on a BMX, with an 8mm camcorder making films. After a brief venture [...]
IDIDTHAT JUDGE XANDER VANDER EDITOR STRANGELOVE SOUTH AFRICA JUDGE'S BIO Xander is Lead Editor and one of the co-founders of Strangelove Studios and he believes very strongly in [...]
IDIDTHAT JUDGE GRANT DE SOUSA DIRECTOR THEY FILMS SOUTH AFRICA JUDGE'S BIO Grant is an accomplished and highly acclaimed director and writer with a passion for storytelling and [...]
IDIDTHAT JUDGE CINDY LEE DIRECTOR THE STAR FILM COMPANY SOUTH AFRICA JUDGE'S BIO Cindy is an Oscar Nominee with deep roots in advertising. She began her career as [...]
IDIDTHAT JUDGE THINA ZIBI INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR SOUTH AFRICA JUDGE'S BIO Thina Zibi is a Johannesburg-based film director with a knack for turning human quirks into cinematic charm. She [...]
IDIDTHAT JUDGE HAYDEN BROWN DIRECTOR & CINEMATOGRAPHER 7 FILMS SOUTH AFRICA JUDGE'S BIO Having a more informal background than most in the film industry, Hayden Brown from 7Films [...]
IDIDTHAT JUDGE SLIM DIRECTOR DARLING FILMS SOUTH AFRICA JUDGE'S BIO With roots in graphic design and art direction, Slim’s work always remains true to his belief that concept [...]
Eyeforce director Raphadu Maphoto flew the South African flag high in Paris, taking home recognition at the Le Book Emerging Talent Awards and becoming the first South African to do so.