To meet Bathandwa Ngwendu a.k.a. ‘Gorgeous Bushman’ is to be reminded that the world is a vast place full of things to be discovered. He has a unique, open, and curious point of view that he brings not just to his work, but to every interaction. His move to Johannesburg has found him a permanent home at Gentlemen Films, where his intimate storytelling approach meets the vast experience of the team.

To see the world through Gorgeous Bushman’s eyes is to see it as a kaleidoscope, a tapestry of different points of view; a perspective he gained from growing up in Kraaifontein, in Cape Town’s Northern Suburbs. ‘It’s a place that has many different kinds of people coexisting amongst each other, and it instilled in me a passion for investigating how people saw the world, what were their joys, sadness, and insecurities. My work is a mirror reflection of my upbringing and the many conversations I’ve had and continue to have with our dear country, South Africa,’ says Gorgeous Bushman.

Gorgeous Bushman’s work is imbued with this innate sense of empathy and curiosity about people. He is able to connect not just with audiences, but to make sure that he connects the audience to the value at the heart of a story, or a brand’s promise in a commercial. He has a unique gift for nuance and there is a humanness in his work. Unable to be pinned in by a single genre; his work explores everything from drama to comedy, romance to satire and he seeks to tell stories not just through the eyes of adults, but also children. Below are some of our favourite spots from the Gorgeous reel.