This month’s iDidTht Craft Awards are judged by Chief Creative Officer at 1886 Advertising, Stuart Stobbs. We couldn’t find an active Facebook or Twitter account for Stuart, which set off some major alarms, but his LinkedIn profile assures us he is legit. Love you Stuart (and that hairstyle)! 😘

Woooahh! There sure is a lot of love being put into so much of the work that was entered into this month’s reel. There’s a bunch of great stuff that could only be made here in South Africa and it makes me shiver to see where we are going as a country. Also, please notice that these winners include black filmmakers and female filmmakers. I chose them not because they are black nor female, but because they have done an astounding job. I am however highlighting them now so that you can consider them for your next pitch/job.

BEST OF REEL: Castle Milk Stout ‘Savour Your Richness’ by Fausto Becatti from Bioscope Films – Direction Craft
What a beautifully directed piece of work. Rich, raw imagery that drips with “Africaness” but walks a perfect line between over the top fantasy and gritty truth. I get easily distracted but I watched this 2min15 piece 4 times in a row (and I have seen it before). Oh and I watched that “magical” billboard transformation at 1:43 about 8 times. Ha! Brilliant! Well done all round Fausto and Bioscope – phenomenal job.

BEST OF REEL: Allan Gray ‘Father’s Share’ by Adam Howard from Howard Audio – Original Music Craft
Cinematically-styled, beautifully melodic warm jazz tones that truly add to the power of this story, punctuating its lows and highs. So often music is laid down as an afterthought – how refreshing to hear it build and flow perfectly with this narrative. Excellent work Howard Audio.

SPECIAL MENTION: Caste Lite ‘Money Calling’ by Lebogang Rasethaba from Egg Films – Direction Craft
Wow, a song and a music video that have been made for a brand but don’t seem like they’ve been made by a brand! Great job. Lebo and Egg have masterfully crafted some real kick-ass Wakanda-like imagery. Also, love the constant icefall that ties every shot together in a dreamy, chilly, afrofuture fantasy wonderland.

SPECIAL MENTION: KFC Africa ‘Keep Rolling’ by Karien Cherry from Giant Films – Direction Craft
Humour, it’s a funny thing – and damn hard to crack. However, Karien and Giant Films have flirted with “slapstick” the whole way through but brilliantly managed to keep this ad firmly in “damn funny”. I just keep showing people this commercial – excellent stuff.

SPECIAL MENTION: Trace Mobile ‘Never Expire’ by the Upstairs Ludus – Offline Edit Craft
How exciting to see powerful stills gyrating to a raw drum solo. Ludus have created a beautifully imperfect rhythmic dance of youth.