SA Filmmakers To Look Out For In 2022

Although the past two years have brought some SA Filmmakers to a standstill, the independent cinema industry has been disrupted with mandatory lockdowns, social distancing, and more stringent safety precautions.

The film making scene in the country is still progressing and forward, with many filmmakers taking advantage of the incredible opportunity the pandemic has offered for creating.

Although, if there are any positives to take from the past two years, for film enthusiast, is that all those films that would’ve been released in 2020 and 2021 will now be released in 2022.

With many films being cancelled because of the pandemic this year provides every patient filmmaker who may have had their deserved breakthrough in the past two years, with luck to reap their rewards.

Whether you are an investor, professional in the industry or a film fanatic looking to stream one of the next best films, here is our list of the top 6 filmmakers from South Africa to watch in 2022.

6 South African Filmmakers To Look Out For In 2022:

• Weaam Williams

Based in Cape Town Weaam Williams has found her voice as a woman and activist using cinema. She is a multi-disciplinary artist who works with poetry, music and film.

Her most recently completed film Two Hues is a short narrative film which looks at the ambiguous identity of Muslim women living in a western context, and the duality of patriarchy.

The film has won Best Short Film at Beyond The Curve International Film Festival (2021), Best Directed Short Film at North Europe International Film Festival, and Best Women Empowerment Film at Berlin Short Film Festival. As well as Best Lead Actress, in a short film at West Europe International Film Festival.

Two Hues is currently being developed into a feature film and Weaam has just completed the feature length screenplay for Two Hues.

Weaam recently released Two Hues as Africa’s first feature film project to be funded in the NFT space. It is currently hosted on the cost-effective polygon block chain, with low gas fees.

Two Hues NFT link: https://twohuesnft.carrd.co

2022 is set to be another notable year for Weaam as she gears to release Two Hues feature film.

• Vusi Afrika

2019 Durban talents Alumni Vusi Africa has a unique voice in story telling focused on the discovery of a hero with an African face. His film was awarded the award for Best Artistic Bravery at DIFF.

His unique voice as a story teller has attracted some of South Africa’s best talent in acting to collaborate with him. In 2020 Vusi Africa was awarded with a SAFTA for Best Emerging Filmmaker

Following the huge success of his debut feature Letters of Hope, Vusi has been hard at work and recently announced his upcoming film titled Surviving Gaza set to be released on 24 February 2022 on eVOD.

Surviving Gaza features a star-studded cast filled with amazing young talent including Aphiwe Mkefe, MonD Motadi, Ayanda Daweti, Samke Makhoba, Mpho Molepo, Otto Nobela, Shoki Mmola, Ndiyathemba Modibedi,Luxolo Ndabeni, Sophie Kabini, Mawaza Kabini, Indalo Stofile and introducing the talented Botlhale Mahlangu.

• Mpumi Morare

Phumi Morare is an NAACP Image Award Nominated South African writer/director based in Los Angeles. She is passionate about redeeming the Black and feminine identity through cinema. She enjoys exploring the female gaze’s influence on telling intimate, human stories of ordinary heroes and women.

Morare’s short film, Lakutshon’ Ilanga (When The Sun Sets), won a gold medal at the 2021 Student Academy Awards, won the 2021 HBO Short Film Competition, and was nominated for the 2021 Student BAFTA Awards. It was also Shortlisted in the Live Action Short Film category of the 94th Academy Awards and is nominated for an NAACP Image Award.

After spending some time working life in finance in the early parts of her life, Morare opted for a change of scenery and jumped back into studying and pursued her goal of becoming a film director. Now, an award winning filmmaker with her debut student film, Lakutshon’ Ilanga, her star has risen to new heights.

Morare’s upcoming project, Why The Cattle Wait, was selected for the 2021 Berlinale Talents Durban program, and at the 2021 Tribeca Chanel ‘Through Her Lens’ Women’s Filmmaker Program.

• Henry Charly

Henry Charly is a South Africa-based film director, producer, editor, screenwriter, and cinematographer. He is a creative, performance-driven film director and has the ability to coordinate shoots, use production equipment and conduct script analysis.

Charly is the director of SA thriller film Alleyway, the film boasts a cast of A-listers like Jack Devnarain and Luthuli Dlamini amongst other actors like Bheki Nkosi, Thabisile Zikhali and Renos Spanoudes.

Alleyway was a huge success in SA, the film tells the story of an undercover cop released from jail after being wrongfully convicted for uncovering a conspiracy that led to the death of hundreds of people living with HIV.

As he tries to regain his life, he is presented with a tough choice to either continue investigating or make up for the time spent in prison with his family.

If Alleyway is anything to go by a lot can be expected from Charly as a director going forward.

• Godisamang Khunou

Godisamang is the owner of Mogale Pictures, a production company dedicated to making Pan African and Pro African Feminist content.  She is currently in late development on a feature film entitled Black Women and Sex. 

She is the director/producer and heads a team of incredibly talented young, black professionals, that are not only exceptional at their work but committed to understanding and unlearning on this journey of showing the politics of sex for black women.

She won three development awards in Germany during DOK Leipzig 2019 including the Development Prize for Best Female Director and the Best Female Talent at the Co-Production Market. She also won an award for the Most Promising Film at the Durban FilmMart South Africa in 2019.

Godisamang is a strong advocate for those in the film industry. She was on the board of the Writers Guild of South Africa from 2016-2017, an NGO dedicated to empowering the performance of writers through training workshops, work opportunities, and entrance into international and local film festivals.

In 2018, she joined the advocacy team of SWIFT (Sisters Working In Film and Television) which is dedicated to raising awareness of sexual harassment to the general public, working with the government to conduct research on sexual harassment in the South African entertainment industry, as well as support meetings to create a safe space for women to speak up.

With her highly anticipated feature film Black Women and Sex having already won various awards before release Khunou is definitely on of the filmmakers to keep an eye on in 2022. 

• Nomawonga Khumalo

South African writer and director, Nomawonga Khumalo is a passionate creative using film as a platform to initiate social change. Her debut short film Five Tiger bays for a regression in how the world views women who fall outside of the parameters of protection set by society’s norms.

Five Tiger made its international premiere at the Tallinn Black Nights film festival’s shorts program, and played at the 45th Atlanta Film Festival, which follows a selection for the 2021 edition of the Sundance Film Festival.

Nomawonga’s debut feature The Bursary was set to shoot in late 2021 after winning Best South African Narrative and Most Promising Narrative at the 2019 International Durban Film Mart.