Girls in Film South Africa and Blackboard create space for the next generation of filmmakers
Press Release | Issued by Blackboard | 31 August 2026
From Short to Feature: Building a Model for Black Girl Joy brings young creatives into conversation with filmmakers Sandulela Asanda and Cait Pansegrouw.
Girls in Film South Africa and Blackboard are continuing their commitment to creating greater access to the creative industries through a masterclass programme that brought young creatives into conversation with working filmmakers and industry practitioners.
The masterclasses are particularly significant as part of Women’s Month, celebrating the role of women in shaping South Africa’s creative and cultural landscape. But the collaboration extends beyond August, with Girls in Film South Africa and Blackboard continuing their shared mission to make filmmaking and creative careers more accessible to young women.
The collaboration kicked off in Johannesburg on Saturday, 22 August, bringing Blackboard students to The Bioscope for a screening and masterclass with South African filmmaker and writer Sandulela Asanda.
Blackboard students at The Bioscope
Both sessions included screenings of Asanda’s short film ‘Mirror, Mirror’ and debut feature ‘Black Burns Fast’, followed by ‘From Short to Feature: Building a Model for Black Girl Joy’; a 90-minute masterclass exploring the journey from developing a short film to building a feature, with active engagement from participating students.
For emerging creatives considering careers in film and the wider film and audiovisual industry, the session offered an opportunity to learn directly from someone who has navigated that journey themselves.
Asanda’s ‘Black Burns Fast’ provided a particularly relevant case study. Set within a South African high school and social context and produced entirely with a South African cast and crew, the film offers an example of how distinctly local stories can connect with international audiences. The film premiered internationally at the 2026 Berlinale, where it was nominated for both the Crystal Bear and Teddy Award, and has continued its festival run internationally.
More importantly, the collaboration creates space for young people to see themselves within an industry that can often feel inaccessible.
“Since the very early days of GIF RSA, our collaboration with Blackboard has been one we hold close to heart. The grassroots knowledge-sharing we get to do through masterclasses like this one with Sandulela Asanda really exemplifies the core of what we want to do as Girls in Film South Africa: share real insight to help grow our space and our collective cinematic landscape.
I believe exposure to potential career paths at an early age helps young participants understand the industry they want to invest their time in. While emerging filmmakers from within our Girls in Film RSA community, those under five years into their careers, get to learn alongside more established members too.
It’s still early to measure the full impact of this event, but the enthusiasm we felt in the room afterward was electric. We can’t wait to see what comes of it.“ – Galerekwe Maimane, Girls in Film South Africa Co-Founder.
For Blackboard, creating this kind of proximity to the creative industries forms part of its wider approach to talent development; helping young people discover creative careers while connecting them with the people, knowledge and experiences that can help make those careers feel possible.
For Girls in Film South Africa, the collaboration reflects its commitment to connecting emerging talent with opportunities, resources and industry insight.
The Johannesburg session was followed by a second masterclass in Cape Town on Saturday, 29 August, where Blackboard students continued the conversation around filmmaking, storytelling and building sustainable creative careers with Sandulela Asanda and Black Burns Fast producer Cait Pansegrouw.
At its heart, the collaboration is about access: putting emerging creatives in the room with filmmakers who are already creating the kinds of stories they aspire to tell.
And sometimes, seeing what is possible is the first step towards imagining yourself doing it.
About Girls in Film South Africa
Girls in Film South Africa is part of the global Girls in Film network, connecting and championing women, non-binary and trans creatives across the film industry.
About Blackboard
Blackboard is a non-profit organisation focused on developing young creative talent and creating greater access to careers and opportunities within the creative industries.
