When last did a film from Africa make you feel like you belong?
Authentic storytelling is a vital tool for restoring pride to African peoples' relationship with nature, and closer to home, the sense of identity and belonging held deeply within. Recognising this, the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invited filmmakers to submit proposals for a short documentary film that speaks to people and their connection to the environment and wildlife.
The call sought to award funding to six stand-alone short documentary concepts, and the selection of these storytellers culminated in an exciting partnership with NEWF and our Producers’ Lab.
NEWF Producers’ Labs are 6-12 month fellowships that are a blend of theoretical and technical workshops that aim to provide documentary producers with the essential skills to develop and produce compelling nature films. From story development to post-production and distribution, the lab is crafted to assist in elevating the way these storytellers authentically bring their concepts to life to engage audiences with meaningful stories that reach beyond a mere topic, bridging the narrative divide between nature and her people.
The NFVF Environment and Belonging Cohort,📍eKhaya Storytelling Centre
Photo by Pragna Parsotam-Kok / NEWF
The collaboration kicked off at the #NEWF2024 Fellows Summit and Congress where the filmmakers were immersed in the community and gained access to industry thought partners, broadcasters and funders. They also had the opportunity to connect with other filmmakers in the genre, sparking and building collaborations leading up to a week-long first workshop based at eKhaya Storytelling Centre in Sodwana Bay just last week.
The retreat at eKhaya offered the tranquillity and focus to delve into the first workshop focused on the pre-production tools needed to craft their stories ethically, authentically and primed for an impactful reception with audiences and the film market at large.
Their story development started with discussing and defining their ‘Why’ and story angles, and included one-on-one sessions with Wambui (Story Lab Lead, NEWF), and went on to unpack crew planning, technical gear checks, permits, ethical codes and more.
And what are filmmakers without a penchant for the cinema in some shape or form? The cohort got their immersive fix through a film case study, by watching and unpacking other NEWF Fellow Films, demonstrating key storytelling techniques and choices that contribute to narratives that local audiences in particular can relate to, and that encourage global audiences to reflect and delve deeper into their own perceptions and knowledge on the connection various groups of peoplehave to nature.
At the end of this exciting partnership, our NEWF Community will gain six fellows who are nurturing impactful narratives that resonate with audiences, and remind us all that we belong and that Africa has always been ours.
MEET THE FELLOWS
Rae Human
Rae started her career in filmmaking having worked in the ranks of production in both the independent film and international studio space since 2012. Her screenwriting achievements include being invited to pitch at content markets such as Durban International Film Festival, International Film Festival Rotterdam, and Gotham Film Week. Recently, her editing accolades saw her working in post-production episodes of ‘Spinners’ – a Showmax and Studio Canal+ co-production.
Since being involved in the field of impact producing, she has relished the opportunity to be the schools campaign facilitator on the ‘Murder in Paris’ documentary. Human founded the Roots Film Festival in 2023 through the support of the Encounters Film Festival and National Film and Video Foundation, which saw a revitalisation of community bioscope culture in both urban and rural spaces. With the success of the Festival’s maiden run, she hopes to build on the ethos of the event in the years to come.
📽️ Kujichagulia A Place Called Paradise
The nature of belonging is explored in a story about a family who moved from the city to life living on a rural residential farm in Suurbraak, Western Cape. Shirley, a Mother with a history working for the Surplus People’s Project, in her last year of work at Westerford High School in the city. She’s keen to retire by the end of the year, looking toward fulfilling her dream of living in iParadisiyethu- the familyfarm in Rietkuil, part of the larger !Xairu/Suurbraak community. Rudi, a Son who works the farm full time, after years of odd city jobs leaving to honour a spirit yearning for country life. They are our main characters who take us through their beliefs and practice as farmers. Tensions in the area surrounding the issue of water explores their relationship with neighbours.
The close relationship Rudi has to the Zimbabweans who work for neighbouring farms offers nuanced takes on belonging and the labour dynamics in rural areas. We get to know the community of Suurbrak through their family and friend networks. Vibrant personalities who represent the character of !Xairu. The tragic reality of environmental violence through the landfill dumpsite and use of the lei water system is seen. Further representing coping mechanisms communities turn to when the disconnect to the land they belong to is further entrenched. Still the emphasis is placed on exciting creative opportunities created by the community. Their initiatives flow into the beauty of the environment, legacies of the Tradouw pass and the family’s need to gather water there. The continuing privatisation of natural mountains and rivers speak to the scarcity of the water and greed of minority classes.
Ultimately, the cost of belonging at the expense of basic human rights to a healthy and sustainable environment will continue to remain in focus. A solution-based look at the will to find balance and determine ourselves through solidarity to people and natural process is encompassed in an intimate portrait of a family and community. The journey to understand Paradise is put on display when two people explore their love amidst a turbulent time still recovering from the global pandemic. After one of them loses their root; their home, they make a choice to leave the city to pursue their romance and live on a rural farm. They soon realise that growing their bond in the beautiful, challenging environment requires an exploration of the essence of love as it radiates in nature, community, innermost traumas, grief and an ultimate purpose they once ran from.
Magofe Mahlaela
Magofe is an environmental activist and filmmaker who holds an NQ5 in film and Television Production. Her career is centred around Producer and Director roles, with skills focused on concept development and documentary and fiction scriptwriting. Passionate about telling stories that inspire change, her journey into filmmaking started in 2018 when she produced and directed her first film, ‘Re Bo Mang’, under the mentorship of the late Takalani Mulaudzi and Tshililo waha Muzila - it showed at Encounters festival. She produced her second film ‘Beyond the Visible' in 2023 under the Mentorship of Joy Nkgapele and won Best produced film at the New Crop Film Showcase. Magofe was an Intern producer on a production by Bolobathaba, Mentored by Molatelo Bossman. The film ‘Street Snappers’ will be airing on Etv in June 2024.
📽️ Mohlakeng, The Wild River (Working Title)
A stranger reprimands Magofe, a newly initiated traditional healer from Tzaneen, Limpopo, for collecting water at a nearby river for a ritual, the stranger tells her to go to the mountain to collect water there. But Magofe is afraid of travelling into the mountains. Being a spiritual person, she realises that the waste dumped at the river has contaminated it spiritually. Magofe turns to her friend Matema Thosago, an environmentalist who makes art crafts out of waste materials, for answers to the illegal waste dumping problem.
After speaking with Matema, she becomes curious and asks a scientist about the ecological harm that waste dumped in wetlands causes. With all the information Magofe has discovered, unfortunately, she now realises that although the work has already started, it may take decades for waste dumping solutions to become effective. When all is said and done, Magofe seeks guidance from a traditional healer with decades of experience, but the solution to her issue is to return to the way things have always been done, by going to the mountain and collecting water there. Will Magofe overcome her phobia of mountains and travel to the right spot to collect water and pray?
Nondumiso Masache
Nondumiso is an emerging documentary filmmaker and SAFTA -nominated producer with over a decade of experience in television. She is also an impact producer and an alumna of Talents Durban class of 2017, Durban FilmMart Access 2023, and a DFA Board member. She holds the role of Programme Manager for docLOVE, a program of free monthly screenings and facilitated discussions. Currently, under her company Zenkosi Film, Nondumiso is in the process of developing a short environmental film and her first feature documentary. Additionally, she serves as a reader for the 2024 Encounters South African International Documentary Film Festival, contributing her expertise to the selection process.
📽️ Umhlaba Wokhokho (Land of our ancestors)
Tucked away up the mountains of Utrecht in northern KwaZulu Natal, Mgundeni is not just a village; it's a community with a mighty spirit that runs through its 300 souls. Wrapped in nature's embrace, surrounded by lush biodiversity and life-giving wetlands, this land has a tale to tell—a story of taking back what was once snatched away in the shadows of colonial times. The plot thickens as Mgundeni grabs back their stolen land through the Restitution of Land Rights.
Led by iNkosi Zwelihle Mabaso, the community now faces a new challenge: keeping this precious land safe from harm, poverty's tight grip, and the shortage of opportunities. Will iNkosi Mabaso succeed in preserving the land's natural beauty while fending off the impact of human interference? "Umhlaba Wokhokho - Land of Our Ancestors" is a compelling narrative of history, justice, and an urgent need for environmental conservation, showcasing the enduring spirit of the people of Mgundeni.
Sibusiso Mavimbela
Sibusiso is a Director of Photography, Film Editor, and explorer based in Rustenburg. While acquiring his BA in Film & Television Studies at the University of Johannesburg, he focused on South African history and heritage. This led to the production of a short documentary film, 'A Roving Bantu Trek: Brixton‐Fietas Heritage Trail' 2017, as part of a final year university project exploring the importance of memory in South African communities beyond the colour (racial) line.
He’s received a Fast‐Forward Award from the University of Johannesburg for his second short documentary film 'Jozi Moves' 2017, interrogating the position of Pantsula Dance in the art space probing whether or not it is being celebrated or recognised as an art form in the mainstream compared to classical dance forms. He has worked as an Assistant Offline Editor on a television show 'My Unsung Hero Pilot' at Quizzical Pictures as an Independent Contractor. He has recently worked as DOP on a documentary, 'A Relentless Man With A Dream', a tribute to the North West and Sesobe born Farmer Mr. Ponki Makinita. In 2022 he was a DOP and editor on 'Senatla-Rantompi Mokoka' an initiative by the NFVF celebrating unsung heroes.
📽️ The Hive Queens (Working Title)
In June 1995, Sibusiso was born at the then Paul Kruger hospital in Rustenburg, a mining town in the North West province. He grew up in Tlhatlhaganyane, a village right on the foothills of the Pilanesberg National Park & Game Reserve. More than two decades later, Sibusiso has never set foot inside this game reserve despite it being literally a stone's throw away. The cost of access into the game reserve automatically excludes many people in Tlhatlaganyane. To him, the fence enclosing the game reserve has always symbolised a separation between him and wildlife, and has reinforced in Sibusiso a sense of not belonging, impacting his sense of identity and sense of place in the world.
While studying film and television, Sibusiso continued grappling with the question of who he was. His quest to self discovery and finding purpose comes from the most unlikely places - bees. While visiting his parents, Sibusiso observes the demise of honey bees. Looking as the honey bees tumble to the ground, he for the first time mulls over life and death as an unexpected surge of pity runs through him. They play such a vital role in providing for us, how do we repay that favour? Are we mindful of their contribution to our environment, to us? And if they don't belong on that tree, then, where is their place in the world? Where is home? We follow Sibusiso as he looks for ways for people and honey bees to coexist. Here, at the most unlikely of places, themes of identity, environment and belonging are portrayed.
Omelga Mthiyane
Omelga has directed and produced several documentary films for the SABC, ETV, BBC World and Aljazeera. Her first film, ‘Ikhaya’ Was premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and a few other international Film Festivals. She has also directed TV series including ‘Headwrap’, ‘Khumbulekhaya’ and ‘Yobe’. She co-directed ‘Baraka’ which was a reaction documentary against xenophobic attacks that happened in 2008 in South Africa. Baraka premiered in the Berlinale before it was broadcasted by BBC World.
Omelga’s documentary film ‘Lefu’ deals with one of the many devastating realities of Covid-19. It was nominated for three Saftas and won a best short documentary film at the Jozi Film Festival and Kukastream Online Film Festival (2021). She received her Bachelor in Video Technology from the Durban University of Technology and a Certificate in filmmaking from the Binger Institute.
📽️ Kasi’s Zero Waste
Soweto is greatly known as the township that led a lot of poignant political activism that brought about important reforms in South Africa. Now Duduzile Ntuli is leading another important activism around environmental issues, she is working on waste management. Duduzile has come with a new App ‘Smart Bean’ that will help track down and make sure all waste has been collected and end up where it should. The App is already adopted by McDonalds to make sure they can track each and every waste from their shops. This App will be used by ordinary people from the township for different benefits in making sure the waste is managed accordingly. This will also work for recycling companies to communicate effectively with their partners.
Simphiwe ‘Robin Thirdfloor’ Nyawose
Simphiwe holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree and chose instead to pursue a career in music.He independently forged a successful path in the music industry as Robin Thirdfloor, gaining national and international recognition. His journey includes collaborations with prominent local and international musicians and partnerships with major corporate brands.
As a multi-hyphenate creative, it wasn’t long until he expanded his interests beyond music and into film. Currently working on his debut short film documentary his goal is to use film the same way he uses music, as a tool for storytelling to create discourse around topics that are not spoken about enough and change narratives of what the black South African experience is post-apartheid.
📽 Thread Carefully
All over South Africa, young, vibrant and highly entrepreneurial youth mostly from disadvantaged backgrounds have started thrift clothing businesses in their communities. Buying, upcycling and selling second-hand clothing has not only stimulated job creation for these young fashion mavericks, but has also contributed to the sustainable living agenda of our country, with a direct impact on waste reduction, ocean conservation and air pollution. A brain child of Simphiwe “Robin Thirdfloor” Nyawose and Kaizer Mokgobu, 'Thread Carefully' follows the journeys of a group of young thrift entrepreneurs each based in one of the three major fashion cities of South Africa. Nipho Hurd from Tinz Clothing in Durban, Xola,Tiny and Khanyisa from Colab 22 in Cape Town and Lethabo, co-founder of Gully Closet.
Visually, the story will be a fresh, trendy, urban, exploration into each city and the unique cultures they all have to offer. On a more meaningful level, each segment of this documentary will focus on educating its audience about the negative effects of fashion consumer culture in South Africa and how thrifting can be a more environmentally conscious alternative. However, Thread Carefully is more than just a fashion documentary, it is a journey into the lives of young South Africans who have created a living for themselves by realising that it pays to be kind to the earth, more especially, the immediate environments they occupy on a daily basis.
MEET our guest PARTICIPANT
Kaizer Mokgobu | Director: Thread Carefully
Kaizer has joined the NVFV Environment and Belonging Cohort to gain greater insight and better contribute to the development of ‘Thread Carefully’, the film Simphiwe ‘Robin Thirdfloor’ Nyawose is currently developing.
He developed a love for storytelling from an early age through bearing witness to the skillful way in which his grandmother told African folktales. He graduated in 2014 from The Durban University of Technology's TV academy with a B-Tech in Video Technology, specialising in Scriptwriting. His experience as a screenwriter, insert producer, development producer and director includes work for prominent South Africa production companies such as Okuhle Media and Trace Studios. In 2023 he took sabbatical to work on an NFVF funded surrealist teen drama titled 'Good Mourning', which is currently in the final stages of post-production. Sustainable Dreamz, a creative organisation he co-founded, uses media and film to promote a sustainable lifestyle agenda to black youth from townships and urban areas. As a writer and director he is focused on creating more post-apartheid youth focused films under his production company, Nextway Productions.
