Carl’s comment: ‘Yes, this is extremely funny! That you cannot ignore. But humour isn’t easy and a joke is just not enough. All the elements making up this piece just feel so right, from the casting to the styling, to the last little touches on the end frame. All considered, all adding to the humour. It’s more than just the joke and the craft has made it so pleasurable to watch. Well done Pete!’

Judges Comment: “I know that a piece of film is really good when I can’t imagine it made any other way. Peter Pohorsky achieves this on two spots for News24 Edge. I’ve chosen the “21st birthday speech” as my Best of Reel because well… I was asked to choose only one. But the other one in the campaign called “Recital” is just as schweet!
A great director puts an inordinate amount of work into creating something that looks effortless and simple. Peter Pohorsky directs, art directs, casts, edits and grades the shit out of this piece. The result is a light-hearted ad that is so enjoyable to watch and still interesting enough to seek out details in the ad. Whether it’s the gentle move down from the ceiling to reveal the character who delivers a very believable performance, the birthday boy with the wicked 80’s hairstyle and matching moustache, the way the shattered light from the disco ball washes over the scene or the “journalistic” voice delivery at the end, there’s so much to appreciate. Pohorsky also predicted that the viewer would want to see more of the birthday boy and delivers by returning to a well-timed shot of the quirky character. Well done Peter Pohorsky for making this ad so damn watchable! And to the writers who practiced restraint in order to deliver a simple yet entertaining message, well done.”

Judges Comment: “An impressive achievement – it felt like a big scale space opera. I loved the little touches though – Tshabalala boredly playing with his phone half off-camera during the press conference, the ‘Joburg GP’ number plates, the pillows taped to the inside walls of the spacecraft (?). And the music is bloody amazing.”

Judges Comment: “I also had to chuckle at Plank Film’s Cadbury commercial. Mr. Pohorsky knows how to extract a spontaneous laugh or two and his work continually feels fresh and relevant. Uncomplicated. Unpretentious, just the way funny should be. Great Audio work from Louis Enslin at Produce Sound/Produce Music made the spot all that more brilliant.”

Judges Comment: “Fantastic production, styling, editing, and grade. Really convincing ‘B-Grade Kung Fu’ edit and finish. Lovely job with the sound and music on this piece, a very convincing remake of this genre.”

Judges Comment: “In the end though, my vote has to go for Peter Pohorsky’s beat perfect comedy piece for Cell C ‘Dog’ – and both the choice of music and the edit deserve mentions here too. It’s a simple joke, told well – with none of the in-camera or post work or audio feeling unnecessary, or overly contrived, or gratuitous.”