Best in Craft awarded to director Zee Ntuli and editor Evi Katz for KFC

Chicken is on a winning streak! This month’s IDIDTHAT.co Craft Awards were judged by Chantelle Dos Santos, Creative Director at Joe Public and Gale Maimane, Director at Darling Films. Congrats to Zee Ntuli from Darling Films and Evi Katz from Left Post Productions for taking home the top spot this month for their latest KFC ad. If ya’ll are gonna keep serving up winning chicken spots, we’ll have to eventually try to lay off the puns. But for now, cluck yeah, you beauties!

‘What are the IDIDTHAT.co Craft Awards?’ Every month we team up with ad industry leaders to award the finest in South African film and production craft across these different categories: Direction, Editing, Cinematography, Animation and VFX, Online, Original Sound, Sound Design and Final Mix. It’s just another way that we make it ridiculously easy to stay up-to-date with who’s doing the best work in the country.

KFC ‘Bottomless Bucket’

BEST IN CRAFT (DIRECTION)
Darling Films | Zee Ntuli
Awarded by Chantelle Dos Santos & Gale Maimane

BEST IN CRAFT (EDITING)
Left Post Productions | Evi Katz
Awarded by Chantelle Dos Santos

Judge’s comment: ‘This ad is a craft masterpiece. Zee and Evi build tension like a Jordan Peele thriller – every look, every pause, every eerie smile feels intentional. It doesn’t just sell a product (an Easter promo), it creates an entire world around it that draws you in from the start. It’s a blend of absurdity, sci-fi vibes, and impeccable craft. An unexpected tonal shift for KFC – in the best possible way – and honestly made me wish ‘I did that’.‘ – Chantelle Dos Santos, Creative Director at Joe Public

Judge’s comment: ‘I found the humour and aesthetic focus both razor sharp and a thrill to watch. The ending is a great reward that really makes this ensemble piece a standout!’ – Gale Maimane, Director at Darling Films

CRAFT MENTION

CRAFT MENTION (DIRECTION)
(Short Film) ‘Engel’
7 Films | Jozua Malherbe

Awarded by Gale Maimane

Judge’s comment: ‘Heartfelt and exceptional expression of grief. Unexpected and intimate. An avant-garde and artistic choice I found chaotic and compelling – a Kubler-Ross rollercoaster that maps a very unique perspective of one man’s internal monologue in grief.’

CRAFT MENTION (SOUND – ORIGINAL MUSIC CRAFT)
Fanta ‘Wanta Fanta’
Pressure Cooker Studios | Pressure Cooker Studios & Werner Von Waltsleben

Awarded by Gale Maimane

Judge’s comment: ‘A cute and nostalgic jingle. The tension between the shots and lyrics kept me excited to see and HEAR the next Fanta fantasy.‘

IDIDTHAT GUEST JUDGES:

Chantelle Dos Santos, Creative Director at Joe Public
Chantelle dos Santos is a freelance Creative Director at Joe Public. An art director at heart, she’s spent the last 18 years shaping brands, building beautiful things, and obsessing over the kind of details most people never notice – but absolutely feel. When she’s not spending hours researching, crafting campaigns, or fighting for beautiful ideas, you’ll find her hanging out with Finn, her dog, who offers zero creative input but provides excellent moral support and the occasional side-eye.

Gale Maimane, Director at Darling Films
Gale Maimane is a multifaceted emerging Film Director and Photographer from Johannesburg, South Africa, known for her eclectic, offbeat, and emotionally resonant storytelling. A 2016 Design Indaba Emerging Creative, Gale’s breakout fashion film Me (for NAOSERATI x Zoe Modiga) was selected for the Bokeh Fashion Film Festival, As Told By Us in NYC, and ON SIGHT at Michaelis Gallery/UCT. Trained as a designer, she approaches filmmaking through a speculative, inquiry-driven lens – illuminating meaning in the everyday.

A former child athlete turned boxer-runner, Gale hopes she brings the same fire to set – and any project or collaboration. She is represented by Darling Films (Africa) and Radical Media (UK/EU) and has directed work for Netflix, Jameson, Jägermeister, De Beers, Brutal Fruit, African Bank, DSTV, Hyundai, and more. As Global Ambassador and Co-Founder of Girls in Film RSA, she champions creating access and intervention to help POC, femme, and queer creatives gain a foothold in the ever-changing South African Film landscape, having collaborated with partners including International Film Festival Rotterdam, BlackBoard Africa, Encounters International Documentary Festival, and Aesthetica Film Festival London.

Named a Ciclope Africa and Shots EMEA judge, Inaugural Loeries Youth Council (2021) member, and Locarno BaseCamp IV and BaseCamp Academy alumnae, Gale was the sole Global South International delegate in Locarno’s 2023 #AudienceAcademy (UBS). Her work has earned Bookmark, ITFFA Gold & Silver awards, and features in Shots.net, Little Black Book, Afriquette, iQhawe Magazine, MarkLives, BizCommunity, Bubblegum Club, Mail & Guardian, Bitch Media, IDIDTHAT.co, Afripedia, The Lake, ELLE, Unlabelled Magazine, and The Sunday Times.

ALL CRAFT ENTRIES