Carbon Films is representing our country as the only South African production company selected to join the ranks of Supercluster, a global collective of 20 production houses in 20 countries across 6 continents. This alignment positions Carbon at the forefront of a partnership fuelled by artistic exchange, shared resources and collaboration on a global scale. The move also gets our local industry sitting right next to the rest of the world, proving again that we can be big players in the global field.

The partnership announcement was made in true Carbon Films style, with the team hosting an epic Supercluster villa party in Cannes during the Lions Festival this year. ‘While we might be a local company, our affiliation with Supercluster has given us access to global ideas and resources.’ Says Carbon’s Executive Producer Kirsten Clarence, who will be leading a talk on ‘The Power of We. Redefining creative collaboration’ at the Berlin Commercial Festival later this month…and what says collaboration more than 20 independently owned director-based companies supporting each other to advance filmmaking craft?!

Few pics from the epic Cannes villa party hosted by Supercluster this year. *’We were also there, really, promise and it was awesome, but the photographer kept cutting us out of the shots.’

Unbound by geographical limitations and constantly linked via a WhatsApp Group, the Supercluster network came together over a shared level of values, goals and craftmanship. Their mission is to execute global projects seamlessly while maintaining local strength. There have already been countless collaborations between the Supercluster partners including a project for Samsonite which was a collab between 5 partners shooting across the globe.

The Supercluster partnership spans across six continents, members are: Asymetric (Canada), Be Sweet (Spain), Carbon Films (South Africa), Courage (Italy), Glitch Paris (France), Honeytrap (Denmark), Landvogel (Belgium), Mamá Hungara (Argentina), More Maria (Portugal), Mother Media (South Korea), Mr.Frank (Netherlands), Mr+Positive (Japan), O2 (Brazil), Reel Factory (New Zealand), Saltwater (Germany) and Warsaw Production (Poland).

Supercluster group photo taken at the Cannes Villa party 2023

Carbon Director Bruno Bossi says of joining Supercluster: ‘This association, where we are constantly communicating and sharing ideas with these top tier companies around the world, means we can assist each other if we need production, talent, resources, collaboration, any support. The collaboration means we can leverage the group to do things we couldn’t usually do. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.’

Carbon Films has always stood behind the value of collaboration. Since Kirsten and Bruno opened their doors in 2015, with Mzonke Maloney joining as a partner in 2020, they’ve set out to forge their own distinct path in the industry but always with the goal of moving filmmaking in South Africa forward. The team has done countless Artist Collaborations in their annual series, testament to their dedication to artistic collaboration. ‘Every year, we team up with talented South African artists to create a collection of illustrations for Carbon. These works represent the artists’ vision of our team and the work we create. We then use these pieces to create items, like tote bags, which are produced locally by Sparrow Society – a non-profit organisation dedicated to creating ethically crafted products that empower and inspire. It’s a beautiful blend of creativity and purpose.’ Adds Kirsten.

You might also have noticed Carbon’s new sexy look on socials. They’ve recently undergone a slick new identity rebrand and website in collab with leading designers Jana and Koos and Christopher Chase, the rebrand is titled ‘Stories that Matter.’

‘Stories That Matter’ – Identity rebrand for Carbon Films by Christopher Chase and Jana and Koos

The announcement to join Supercluster further solidifies Carbon Films as a company led by creativity and innovation, with collaboration at the core, always.

Why not (s)talk some more? Carbon on IDIDTHAT and Company Website.