His other recent work includes a TVC for DanUp, which he directed for rockstar agency King James Group. The piece showcases Imraan’s effortless insight into kasi culture, testament to the time he spends immersing himself in the various beautiful subcultures of South Africa.

Frame grab from ‘DanUp’

Born and raised on the Cape Flats, Imraan has blazed a trail through the worlds of advertising, art and activism. His photographic and documentary work has seen him collaborating with big name brands like Vogue Italia, UNICEF, CNN, BBC High Snobiety, Nike and MTV. Years spent as an indie-filmmaker saw him hone his craft in almost all filmmaking departments.

Photographs by Imraan for Vogue Italia ‘We’re all in this together’ 

As to why it has taken this long to finally join his family at Arcade full-time, Imraan says: ‘In several of the other mediums I work in I am happy to stand strong on my own two feet and have a recognised voice, but in terms of filmmaking I realised that I had more work to put in. And I never felt I would lose the opportunity with Arcade if I waited, which speaks to the relationship with the people behind the curtain, but also the actual directors, Lebogang (Rasethaba) and Alexa (Wilson), as well as Zwelethu Radebe and Kyle Lewis at partner company Egg. There is a huge amount of respect they have for each other and I have for them.’

Frame grab from ‘Roog’ – an unreleased short film

‘Imraan is a socially connected, aesthetically attuned director who is highly collaborative. He is super visual, always pushing the cinematic envelope but with a strong honest storytelling edge. With Imraan you get a bit of fantasy meets high-end storytelling production. Watching him I am inspired by how potent and unique his voice is and how it’s been crafted for the advertising realm.’ – Will Nicholson, Producer and Arcade Partner.

Frame grab from ‘Roog’ – an unreleased short film

‘If we set our minds to the fact that we want to genuinely uplift the people we are portraying as well as the communities we are entering, then there is a lot that filmmaking can do if we put our intention and attention to those things. I genuinely care about the people on camera and the communities as living breathing ecosystems and I always want to create sustainable positive changes within the stories that I tell.’ – Imraan Christian

Imraan Did That

Imraan’s perspective as an artist translates beautifully into the commercials space. There is a mysticism in his work rooted in truth and lived-in experience. Imraan’s is a grassroots culturally relevant voice meeting an individual with a deep sense of what they want to achieve cinematically.