Captivated by South Africa’s creativity and fashion, director Meja Shoba brings a playful vibrancy and a keen eye for aesthetics to the Ola! Films roster. Wonderfully irreverent while determined to subvert stereotypes and challenge assumptions, Meja says ‘There is more to representation than showing a Gogo doing the washing.’
Romance’s Emilie Badenhorst once again flexes her ability as a performance director in her new music video for DJ Dom Dolla. Celebrating those lost in the cracks of society, ‘Strangers’ is a passionate coming-of-age love story that catapults you out of your comfort zone. We spoke to Emilie about her unfiltered approach to directing and the importance of representation.
A major win for SA’s post-production industry; with both the sound and music handled by top local audio company, Pressure Cooker, for this Netflix film. We go behind the scenes with their Co-Founder, James Matthes, to find out how this big-scale animation project was completed and what it means for the South African post-production industry.
When director Dan Mace and the team at JOE heard that the food delivery brand was going to be dispatching 2,500 scooter drivers of joy this festive season, they jumped at the opportunity to recreate ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’ using Checkers Sixty60 scooters.
Robot’s Paul Ramaema brings his energetic youthful aesthetic mixed with his mindful self-awareness for the launch of the locally built Toyota Hybrid. A car that finds the perfect balance between being environmentally conscious and at the forefront of technology needed the perfect hybrid director 😉
Meet JumpShip. A team that streamlines the content creation process by collaborating with agencies or directly with brands either as early on as the strategy phase or simply as a production team. They are a group of young people hungry for emotive brand-driven work, whether it’s TVCs or content. Their turnaround times are quick, they have a slick execution and work with a network of trusted people.
Adam Howard has once again quantum leaped his sound game by making Howard Audio one of South Africa’s first Dolby Atmos enabled and calibrated Home Entertainment mixing studios for commercials, music and OTT streaming services such as Netflix. What is Atmos and why should you give a damn? Here’s a hint, it’s not only a cinema thing anymore…
In less than a year the team at Robot have made some pretty major moves, to say the least. Taking the leap from being a service-only company, Robot now also includes a full roster of directing talent. Having established themselves as a production company with an impressive offering in the local market, what’s the secret weapon behind Robot’s rapid rise to success? Meet Callan Paul, with her fitting new title of Managing Director.
‘These are two incredibly powerful and established directors that are at the top of their game. Catharine Cooke and Alessandra Scherillo are genius storytellers who both bring such unique perspectives.’ Says Executive Producer Gaye Leong of the new additions to the Together roster. We find out more about their combined experience of over 60 years, Emmy and Oscar noms, SAFTA wins, big brands, Al Pacino, Tilda Swinton, Monte Carlo…we’re not gonna lie, we’re a little intimidated.
Eyeforce, the production company based out of Cape Town and Amsterdam has added four new filmmakers to their force including South African director Tim Weyer. Tim comes with a holistic approach to directing, drawing on his over a decade-long filmmaking background. And yes, that IS David Coultard next to Tim in our header picture! #Twynosi
Ayanda Duma is an energetic audacious filmmaker with a bold comedic approach to character-driven storytelling. Unapologetically disruptive, hyper-intelligent and hilarious. When not behind the camera Ayanda also produces beats and bars under her rap alias, YANDU and finds the word ‘appropriate’ offensive. Hold onto your pearls folks.
‘Spinning is where hustlers and dreamers of modest means become heroes’, that’s how the sport of spinning is described by Ernest Nkosi, the director of the new documentary film ‘An Ordinary People’. But there are also very fast-moving cars. There are men and women jumping out of very fast-moving cars, hanging on to very fast-moving cars or standing on top of very moving-fast cars. Physics out of the window y’all! Watch for yourself.
With a solid reputation for spotting young directing talent, Darling Film's Executive Producers (and Loeries Hall of Famers!) Lorraine Smit and Melina McDonald announced that they have found the newest Darling Director to join the roster. Judging from the work that Thea Small has shot, we can see why she now goes by the name Darling.
Director Imraan Christian is updating his bio to include ‘Arcade Director’ to his already prestigious list of titles. In addition to bringing an honest grassroots approach to his work, Imraan is an emotionally intelligent filmmaker. Whether it’s his award-winning music videos, commercials or his internationally acclaimed photography and documentary work, they are all beautifully executed and grounded in thoughtful storytelling.
For over 3 three years Matshepo Maja has formed part of the directing duo PHI 2.0, alongside Jonathan Parkinson. The Star Film Company has announced that they will now be launching Matshepo as a solo director. The news comes as no surprise as Mats’ solo career is already in full swing and here’s why you’ll be seeing her name a whole lot more.
Olamuk is a full-service production company that represents a roster of vibrant directors and photographers. Although the team offer a diverse skillset, they maintain that they all coincidently do exactly the same thing, which is of course to… ‘Make dope sh*t’. Having launched over a year ago, we caught up with the 100% black owned one-stop-shop to find out more.
The only thing that matches director Mo Matli's obsession with film is her obsession with fitness, or as she puts it: ‘I only give two Fs, film and fitness’. Another F we would add is feeling, something her work is full of. Combine Mo’s tenacity and her drive to craft meaningful work with the production support and backing of an established house like FirstPencil and watch out world!
Led by industry veteran and Executive Producer Monareng Makwetla, Triple Story Content uses its network of talent and freelancers to streamline campaigns by creating integrated film, audio and stills production. The company coordinates and manages the production of commercials, branded content, stills, TV series, features, audio production, post production…In short, tell them what you need and they will match the right talent to get it done.
Director Imran Hamdulay has joined the team at Figment Films bringing with him over a decade’s filmmaking experience. Imran has spent his career predominantly focussed on directing award-winning long-form and feature films. The signing with Figment will see him finally get to prioritise his love of commercials directing while applying his invaluable experience in narrative drama, ability to draw natural performances from his actors and an empathetic approach to the short-form game.
Pressure Cooker was given the monumental task of creating the sound of a nation for Spotify Premium for the South African market. No easy feat when you consider the sheer volume of diversity in our country’s music and cultures. We catch up with the creators and take a look at how they pulled it off.
