Gentlemen Films director, Samantha Nell, has quickly made a name for herself as a strong performance director with a talent for storytelling. Her reel showcases stand-out work in both comedy and drama, often combining the two, and has seen her directing some of the most renowned and respected actors in South Africa, in commercials and now in her debut feature film for Netflix. We caught up with the Gentlemen Films director about her rise in the industry.

“I’ve had a blast over the last few years, growing, honing my skills, and now getting to run the marathon of the feature film. I am so proud of what I achieved, but also of the director that the process helped me to become. I’m excited to bring this new energy back to commercials and to future narrative projects.” Says Samantha.

Toward the end of 2021, Samantha was approached to direct a raunchy romantic comedy with some meaty dramatic bits for Netflix. The film, called ‘Do Your Worst’, debuted on March 10 2023 and quickly jumped to the Top 10 Netflix movies in South Africa (and Kenya). It is a hell of a proof of concept for Samantha’s reputation as a performance director in both comedy and drama as well as a filmmaker with a knack for collaborating with seasoned actors.

Stills from Samantha’s feature film for Netflix, titled ‘Do Your Worst’.

On where her skill for performance directing comes from, Samantha says: “Jewish neuroses, haha. No, I think performance runs in tandem with story. Ultimately, story is a cause-and-effect journey to move the character through emotional spaces. So, it’s quite technical and you need to be able to communicate that to your actors.

The thing that helps me when talking to actors, is that I come from a traditional narrative background. I’ve been an actor both in my undergraduate and in my master’s degree and with that comes an understanding of the process and the tools that unlock performances.”