It’s fascinating to witness the work of the current generation of African filmmakers as they revive storytelling and filmmaking by creating new ways for African audiences to see themselves in film. Filmmakers are using fictional and documentary techniques to investigate critical issues, from the theme of identity, politics to exile.
Here are four filmmakers creating ground-breaking works in South Africa:
Jenna Cato Bass
Born in 1986, Jenna Cato Bass is a South African director, writer, and photographer based in Cape Town. Bass examines South Africa’s “rainbow country” politics in a current and critical manner, emphasising the importance of race and gender in today’s society. Her short film, The Tunnel, was selected for the Focus Features Africa First Program. Jenna’s award-winning work has veered from sci-fi (So Long to the City) to experimental (Jellyfish), teen coming of age (Already Gone), and historical magical realism (Already Gone) (The Tunnel). Her previous projects include Love the One You Love (2014), which won Best Feature Film at the Jozi Film Festival in 2015, and High Fantasy (2017), which won the Artistic Bravery Prize at the Durban Film Festival.
Anawana Haloba
Zambian artist Anawana Haloba, born in 1978, divides her time between Oslo and Livingstone. She incorporates poetry in the form of sketches into performance-based pieces that also include moving pictures, objects, and sound. Her work is an ongoing examination into the positions of several communities within varying political, social, economic, and cultural contexts, as well as ideological and post-independence frameworks. Haloba’s work has been shown in solo and group exhibits throughout the world, including the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC, the Venice Biennale, and Manifesta 7 in Italy.
Rungano Nyoni
Zambian-Welsh Rungano Nyoni (born in 1982) is an actor, director and screenwriter. She is well-known for the movie I Am Not a Witch, which she wrote and directed. The film, which was praised at international film festivals, won Nyoni the BAFTA for Outstanding Debut in 2018. It was her first feature film and it premiered during the Cannes Film Festival’s Directors’ Fortnight. The List (2009), her short film, won the Welsh BAFTA Award for Best Short Film.
Bongani Morgan
Zimbabwean Bongani Morgan is a film director. He is a director with a natural talent for masterfully crafting real, impactful stories. He has received important accolades for his commercial work for brands like Nike and Coca-Cola. His short film, Riding with Sugar, screened at Cannes. In 2006, Sunu was commissioned by Lionsgate to make Pride, his first feature film based on a true event about Jim Ellis, a black swimming instructor who helped troubled inner-city youths in Philadelphia. Jim Ellis is played by Academy Award nominee Terrence Howard.
He also co-directed Madam Secretary, a People’s nominated series, with Tea Leoni. His One Source music video with Khuli Chana for Absolut received Gold, two Silvers, and a Bronze at Cannes Lions.
