Ola! Films

Home to a robust roster of highly experienced directors and producers with distinct yet complementary strengths and passions, we create compelling content for every platform from traditional TVCs and documentaries to digital content, music videos and stills campaigns.

Cape Town & Johannesburg

Directors: Amy Allais / Cassandra Nunan / Chris Saunders / Meja Shoba / Ndumiso Sibanda
Executive Producer: Olivia Leitch

Talent

AMY ALLAIS | DIRECTOR

Amy’s vast experience, from epic choreographed dance spots, to comedy performance and an inadvertent focus on kids and babies, has taken her across the world and has contributed immensely to the diverse scope of work created by Ola to date. She is sought-after globally.

CHRIS SAUNDERS | DIRECTOR

Based in Paris but works locally in SA a lot. Zeitgeist cool, fashion edgy, connected, influential and sought-after.

MEJA SHOBA | DIRECTOR

Fulbright scholar, child exile returned – all about the narrative.

CASSANDRA NUNAN | DIRECTOR

Since joining Ola Films in 2016, she has worked directly under the likes of Amy Allais, Chris Saunders and Mfundo Mkhize who have all mentored her and helped her broaden and develop her skill set. Her #AllForMasks campaign was a finalist for The Loeries Awards 2020 and came third in integrated campaigns for Creative Circle 2021.

NDUMISO SIBANDA | DIRECTOR

Ndumiso is an ever-curious performance director who believes in magic. Being both a photographer and a filmmaker, he is self-described as “a director who shoots when no one’s looking”. Driven by rich, real characters, Ndumiso has shot projects in over 50 countries worldwide.

Awarded by IDIDTHAT

AWARDED: CRAFT MENTION (DIRECTION)
Ola! Films | Chris Saunders
Ackermans ‘Lingerie Campaign’
IDIDTHAT Guest Judge: Vanessa Pearson, Founder and ECD at House of Brave
February 2019

Judges Comment: “Hello #girlsruntheworld. Hello ‘This-Is-Who-I-Am-And-I’m-Totally-Okay-With-It-Even-If-You-Aren’t’. Love the simplicity of the celebratory and free camera moves over the many varieties of the female form in this film. The director totally abandons lasciviousness and opts for sheer joy and playfulness between the subject matter and camera, and it works…made me want to dance with them. Fully dressed, of course.”

AWARDED: CRAFT MENTION (DIRECTION)
Ola! Films | Amy Allais
Original Swimming Party ‘Biggest Curse feat. Moonchild’
IDIDTHAT Guest Judge: Nkanyezi Masango, Creative Director at King James Group
October 2017

Judges Comment: “This goes to both Jeremy de Tolly and Amy Allais. Biggest Curse is a killer song. Amy matched it with killer visuals. ‘Nuff said.”

AWARDED: CRAFT MENTION (DIRECTION)
Ola! Films | Co-directed by Amy Allais and Justice Mukheli
British American Tobacco ‘Keep It 100’
IDIDTHAT Guest Judge: Roanna Williams, Executive Creative Director at Joe Public
September 2017

Judges Comment: “A shout-out to Amy and Justice from Ola! Films for their cinematic commercial of the gritty underworld of illicit cigarette trading in South Africa. It follows a package’s journey as it passes through various dodgy criminal hands, to finally being sold to and lit up by an innocent end consumer. With challenging restrictions around cigarettes advertising, Justice and Amy were still able to capture the storyline effectively. The combination of the POV style shots, fast-paced edit, soundtrack, performances and grade bring to our attention the harsh reality of what goes on behind the scenes of illegal trading.”

AWARDED: CRAFT MENTION (DIRECTION)
Ola! Films | Chris Saunders
Shout SA ‘Smile’
IDIDTHAT Guest Judge: Michael Lees-Rolfe, Creative Director at FoxP2
September 2015

Judges Comment: “Smile from Chris Saunders for Shout SA is worth watching just to see Danny K in a teddy bear-laden coat and Derek Watts doing Yoga. Smooth editing and some fresh, playful styling make this feel good celeb-fest very watchable indeed. Tough to pull off and worthy of a special mention.”

Featured Work

Featured Stories

Featured Showcases

South Africa’s Work to Watch – July 2021

July 13th, 2021|

This month we showcase South Africa's stand-out work. Apart from just bragging about it (which is very important), it’s the work that has been awarded by the Creative Circle as well as IDIDTHAT’s Craft Awards. View the work and find out more about the companies who did it…

Live Updates: South Africa’s Winners & Shortlists at Cannes 2021

June 21st, 2021|

Follow South Africa's Cannes Lions Shortlists and Winners right here from the 21st of June. We’ll be updating this page as results are announced - listing all South Africa’s shortlists, showcasing the awarded work, and featuring all the IDIDTHAT members involved.

Integrated: Creative Circle’s Ad of the Month winners in 2020. In the running for Ad of the Year.

February 26th, 2021|

Our little hamsters have sourced all our IDIDTHAT members’ work awarded in the ‘Integrated’ category by the Creative Circle throughout 2020. Judges will be announcing the ‘Ad of the Year’ from this showcase on the 4th of March 2020. What campaign do you think will rise to the top as South Africa’s best of the best?

Director Amy Allais from Ola! Films – keep your seatbelts fastened at all times

December 18th, 2020|

From choreographing adults dancing inside recycling bins in Istanbul to mapping out the final steps to a sequence 35 000 feet above the ground, when it comes to Director Amy Allais, nothing surprises us. We pinned down this frequent flyer who shared some of the behind the scenes moments from her work.

IDIDTHAT Craft Awards: February 2020

March 6th, 2020|

IDIDTHAT Craft Awards just got a whole lot more judgy mcjudgerson. As of this month, we will have TWO judges independently selecting South Africa’s Best in Craft. February’s IDIDTHAT Craft Award’s top dogs are, drumroll please, Executive Creative Director at TBWA Hunt Lascaris, Kabelo Moshapalo and Executive Producer and Music Supervisor at Pulse Music, Marc Algranti. Congratulations to all the winners!