REEL TO REALITY FILM FESTIVAL UNVEILS 2025 FILM CURATORS CO-HORT
Mbali Mashaba
Mbali Mashaba
“A film programmer is a catalyst, generator and motivator - a sparring partner, accompanying the curators while they build a show, and a bridge builder, creating a bridge to the public.”
As a film festival that prides itself on celebrating unique African voices, we are honoured to have had a curating team that reflects that.
“This year we spent a lot of time thinking about how to curate African and African diasporic cinema in conversation. Our films are addressing important lived experiences around identity, mental health, community, love and migration. Our physical curation of the screenings extends this, with a focus on the outdoor screening experience, or as we often say, “touching grass”. - Festival Founder and Head Curator, Mbali Mashaba
The 2025 edition, curated by an emerging curator co-hort selected from 345 applicants, features 31 brilliant films from across the world. The curators reflect the diverse future of cinema, with bold insights, sharp dissections and a love for African cinema. They are:
MBALI MASHABA (HEAD CURATOR & CO DIRECTOR)
Listed as Mail and Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans making a significant impact in the Film and Media category in 2025, Mbali Mashaba is a South African Creative Researcher, Film Director and Film Curator. She completed an Honours degree in Film and Television studies at the University of the Witwatersrand and a film residency at Gothenburg University. She is passionate about storytelling, nuanced representations of African diasporic life and shaping stories around the complex lives of black women. Her passion for visual storytelling led her to creating the curation and production company, Behind Her Lens Visuals, and the annual short film festival, Reel to Reality Film Festival, as a home for African independent films.
She has experience as an independent film director, which has accumulated international film festival selections across 3 short films. Her film, Umlindelo, won the Best Short Film Award at the Mashariki Film Festival in Rwanda in 2024 and her most recent film, I Think I Should Say Something, received Honorable mention at The Absurd Film Festival monthly awards, ahead of its premiere this year.
Mbali has worked as a Creative Researcher for some of the biggest Television Commercial pitches, alongside multiple local and international Directors for Commercials and digital campaigns ranging from automobile, sports, retail, beauty, travel and more. Some notable Commercials include the Loerie Award Gold Film:Online Above 30s Volkswagen SA “LETS GO”, Loerie Finalists KFC "DANGEROUSLY DISTRACTING", CORONATION "HAPPY TEARS", which she served as a junior Director on.
As a film curator, she is devoted to amplifying African cinema through curation and under Behind Her Lens Visuals, she has showcased over 150 films to about 600 audiences, across 3 provinces. She was selected as a part of Scotland's Africa in Motion Emerging Curator Cohort in 2022, was a guest curator for The Independent Cinema Office (UK) Screening days: Young Audiences 2023 programme and was also selected as 1 of 8 film festival directors for Durban International Film Festival’s Film Festival residency in 2025.
KOKETSO MATABANE (CO DIRECTOR)
Hailing from Pretoria, Koketso has cut her teeth alongside established South African directors and has honed her conceptual skills working as both a director and researcher on some of the country’s biggest brands.
Koketso's greatest strength lies in her ability to deeply understand and challenge ideas, paired with her talent for delivering visually compelling and impactful narratives.
Her distinctive perspective positions her as a rising force in the advertising industry.
She has achieved global recognition at the London Fashion Film Festival for her standout project S.W.A.N.K Jozi, earning 2nd place for "Best Child Star" and 3rd in "Emerging Creative". Having directed commercials for MTN and Jägermeister, Koketso is emerging as a visionary talent shaping the future of commercial storytelling.
APHIWE MDLULI (EMERGING CURATOR)
Aphiwe Mdluli is a film critic, creative director, and Film & TV Podcaster of her own podcast “In This Girl’s Mind” — produced by her very own Media and Film Production company, ATHAYA Productions.
Using her love for literature, critical analysis, and making the visual arts comprehensive for the greater public, Aphiwe prides herself in exploring the sociological impacts that film has on South African society. She believes in holding filmmakers accountable for their responsibility in publishing their works because of the film medium’s ability to shape narratives and ideologies as an artistic medium.
In her recent works with Ellipsis Studios (a student-led filmmaking crew, who are in their graduation year of Film School), Aphiwe champions for young, vibrant, and passionate filmmakers who want to resurrect the integrity in filmmaking. This is the core value that the Ellipsis group itself stands for.
Aphiwe considers herself a patron for breaking boundaries where intentional, attentive, and dedicated filmmakers can share their work that the world needs to see. She aims to be a part of the groundbreakers who will shape the film industry into what it was always meant to be: a space that platforms the vast array of authentic South African cinema and storytelling, beyond what it is currently known to be.
TAYLA MCGREGOR (EMERGING CURATOR)
Tayla McGregor is an emerging film professional passionate about storytelling, community, and the visual politics of cinema. She holds both a BA and a BA (Hons) in Film and Television Studies from the University of Cape Town.
Currently working at Film Afrika, Tayla’s passion lies in amplifying African voices and creating inclusive spaces for diverse stories. She has contributed to community-based film projects, such as the Cape Town Museum of Childhood’s smartphone documentary programme in 2024, and has extensive experience in dubbing and script adaptation for international and local television.
Through her work, Tayla seeks to connect audiences to meaningful cinematic experiences that celebrate culture, identity, and the power of African filmmaking practices to spark dialogue and connection.
KAGATA MAMABOLO (EMERGING CURATOR)
Kagata Damaries Mamabolo is a storyteller, filmmaker, and writer born in Limpopo and based in Johannesburg. Her work lives at the intersection of memory, culture, and creative resistance. She uses film, fiction, and visual art to explore African identity, mental landscapes, and the quiet power of everyday life.
Currently completing my BA Honours in Film and Television at the University of the Witwatersrand, she’s passionate about decolonial theory, cinematic storytelling, and the ways art can shift perspective. Whether she’s behind a camera, writing a script, or curating content, she is always guided by the same question: What truths still need telling?
Beyond academia, she is deeply drawn to fashion, history, literature, and music, disciplines that help her stretch the boundaries of her storytelling. She believes in the archive, the imagination, and the urgency of creating work that speaks back to silence.
She doesn't just make things to be seen. She makes things to be felt.
“A film programmer is a catalyst, generator and motivator - a sparring partner, accompanying the curators while they build a show, and a bridge builder, creating a bridge to the public.”
As a film festival that prides itself on celebrating unique African voices, we are honoured to have had a curating team that reflects that.
“This year we spent a lot of time thinking about how to curate African and African diasporic cinema in conversation. Our films are addressing important lived experiences around identity, mental health, community, love and migration. Our physical curation of the screenings extends this, with a focus on the outdoor screening experience, or as we often say, “touching grass”. - Festival Founder and Head Curator, Mbali Mashaba
The 2025 edition, curated by an emerging curator co-hort selected from 345 applicants, features 31 brilliant films from across the world. The curators reflect the diverse future of cinema, with bold insights, sharp dissections and a love for African cinema. They are:
MBALI MASHABA (HEAD CURATOR & CO DIRECTOR)
Listed as Mail and Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans making a significant impact in the Film and Media category in 2025, Mbali Mashaba is a South African Creative Researcher, Film Director and Film Curator. She completed an Honours degree in Film and Television studies at the University of the Witwatersrand and a film residency at Gothenburg University. She is passionate about storytelling, nuanced representations of African diasporic life and shaping stories around the complex lives of black women. Her passion for visual storytelling led her to creating the curation and production company, Behind Her Lens Visuals, and the annual short film festival, Reel to Reality Film Festival, as a home for African independent films.
She has experience as an independent film director, which has accumulated international film festival selections across 3 short films. Her film, Umlindelo, won the Best Short Film Award at the Mashariki Film Festival in Rwanda in 2024 and her most recent film, I Think I Should Say Something, received Honorable mention at The Absurd Film Festival monthly awards, ahead of its premiere this year.
Mbali has worked as a Creative Researcher for some of the biggest Television Commercial pitches, alongside multiple local and international Directors for Commercials and digital campaigns ranging from automobile, sports, retail, beauty, travel and more. Some notable Commercials include the Loerie Award Gold Film:Online Above 30s Volkswagen SA “LETS GO”, Loerie Finalists KFC "DANGEROUSLY DISTRACTING", CORONATION "HAPPY TEARS", which she served as a junior Director on.
As a film curator, she is devoted to amplifying African cinema through curation and under Behind Her Lens Visuals, she has showcased over 150 films to about 600 audiences, across 3 provinces. She was selected as a part of Scotland's Africa in Motion Emerging Curator Cohort in 2022, was a guest curator for The Independent Cinema Office (UK) Screening days: Young Audiences 2023 programme and was also selected as 1 of 8 film festival directors for Durban International Film Festival’s Film Festival residency in 2025.
KOKETSO MATABANE (CO DIRECTOR)
Hailing from Pretoria, Koketso has cut her teeth alongside established South African directors and has honed her conceptual skills working as both a director and researcher on some of the country’s biggest brands.
Koketso's greatest strength lies in her ability to deeply understand and challenge ideas, paired with her talent for delivering visually compelling and impactful narratives.
Her distinctive perspective positions her as a rising force in the advertising industry.
She has achieved global recognition at the London Fashion Film Festival for her standout project S.W.A.N.K Jozi, earning 2nd place for "Best Child Star" and 3rd in "Emerging Creative". Having directed commercials for MTN and Jägermeister, Koketso is emerging as a visionary talent shaping the future of commercial storytelling.
APHIWE MDLULI (EMERGING CURATOR)
Aphiwe Mdluli is a film critic, creative director, and Film & TV Podcaster of her own podcast “In This Girl’s Mind” — produced by her very own Media and Film Production company, ATHAYA Productions.
Using her love for literature, critical analysis, and making the visual arts comprehensive for the greater public, Aphiwe prides herself in exploring the sociological impacts that film has on South African society. She believes in holding filmmakers accountable for their responsibility in publishing their works because of the film medium’s ability to shape narratives and ideologies as an artistic medium.
In her recent works with Ellipsis Studios (a student-led filmmaking crew, who are in their graduation year of Film School), Aphiwe champions for young, vibrant, and passionate filmmakers who want to resurrect the integrity in filmmaking. This is the core value that the Ellipsis group itself stands for.
Aphiwe considers herself a patron for breaking boundaries where intentional, attentive, and dedicated filmmakers can share their work that the world needs to see. She aims to be a part of the groundbreakers who will shape the film industry into what it was always meant to be: a space that platforms the vast array of authentic South African cinema and storytelling, beyond what it is currently known to be.
TAYLA MCGREGOR (EMERGING CURATOR)
Tayla McGregor is an emerging film professional passionate about storytelling, community, and the visual politics of cinema. She holds both a BA and a BA (Hons) in Film and Television Studies from the University of Cape Town.
Currently working at Film Afrika, Tayla’s passion lies in amplifying African voices and creating inclusive spaces for diverse stories. She has contributed to community-based film projects, such as the Cape Town Museum of Childhood’s smartphone documentary programme in 2024, and has extensive experience in dubbing and script adaptation for international and local television.
Through her work, Tayla seeks to connect audiences to meaningful cinematic experiences that celebrate culture, identity, and the power of African filmmaking practices to spark dialogue and connection.
KAGATA MAMABOLO (EMERGING CURATOR)
Kagata Damaries Mamabolo is a storyteller, filmmaker, and writer born in Limpopo and based in Johannesburg. Her work lives at the intersection of memory, culture, and creative resistance. She uses film, fiction, and visual art to explore African identity, mental landscapes, and the quiet power of everyday life.
Currently completing my BA Honours in Film and Television at the University of the Witwatersrand, she’s passionate about decolonial theory, cinematic storytelling, and the ways art can shift perspective. Whether she’s behind a camera, writing a script, or curating content, she is always guided by the same question: What truths still need telling?
Beyond academia, she is deeply drawn to fashion, history, literature, and music, disciplines that help her stretch the boundaries of her storytelling. She believes in the archive, the imagination, and the urgency of creating work that speaks back to silence.
She doesn't just make things to be seen. She makes things to be felt.
“A film programmer is a catalyst, generator and motivator - a sparring partner, accompanying the curators while they build a show, and a bridge builder, creating a bridge to the public.”
As a film festival that prides itself on celebrating unique African voices, we are honoured to have had a curating team that reflects that.
“This year we spent a lot of time thinking about how to curate African and African diasporic cinema in conversation. Our films are addressing important lived experiences around identity, mental health, community, love and migration. Our physical curation of the screenings extends this, with a focus on the outdoor screening experience, or as we often say, “touching grass”. - Festival Founder and Head Curator, Mbali Mashaba
The 2025 edition, curated by an emerging curator co-hort selected from 345 applicants, features 31 brilliant films from across the world. The curators reflect the diverse future of cinema, with bold insights, sharp dissections and a love for African cinema. They are:
MBALI MASHABA (HEAD CURATOR & CO DIRECTOR)
Listed as Mail and Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans making a significant impact in the Film and Media category in 2025, Mbali Mashaba is a South African Creative Researcher, Film Director and Film Curator. She completed an Honours degree in Film and Television studies at the University of the Witwatersrand and a film residency at Gothenburg University. She is passionate about storytelling, nuanced representations of African diasporic life and shaping stories around the complex lives of black women. Her passion for visual storytelling led her to creating the curation and production company, Behind Her Lens Visuals, and the annual short film festival, Reel to Reality Film Festival, as a home for African independent films.
She has experience as an independent film director, which has accumulated international film festival selections across 3 short films. Her film, Umlindelo, won the Best Short Film Award at the Mashariki Film Festival in Rwanda in 2024 and her most recent film, I Think I Should Say Something, received Honorable mention at The Absurd Film Festival monthly awards, ahead of its premiere this year.
Mbali has worked as a Creative Researcher for some of the biggest Television Commercial pitches, alongside multiple local and international Directors for Commercials and digital campaigns ranging from automobile, sports, retail, beauty, travel and more. Some notable Commercials include the Loerie Award Gold Film:Online Above 30s Volkswagen SA “LETS GO”, Loerie Finalists KFC "DANGEROUSLY DISTRACTING", CORONATION "HAPPY TEARS", which she served as a junior Director on.
As a film curator, she is devoted to amplifying African cinema through curation and under Behind Her Lens Visuals, she has showcased over 150 films to about 600 audiences, across 3 provinces. She was selected as a part of Scotland's Africa in Motion Emerging Curator Cohort in 2022, was a guest curator for The Independent Cinema Office (UK) Screening days: Young Audiences 2023 programme and was also selected as 1 of 8 film festival directors for Durban International Film Festival’s Film Festival residency in 2025.
KOKETSO MATABANE (CO DIRECTOR)
Hailing from Pretoria, Koketso has cut her teeth alongside established South African directors and has honed her conceptual skills working as both a director and researcher on some of the country’s biggest brands.
Koketso's greatest strength lies in her ability to deeply understand and challenge ideas, paired with her talent for delivering visually compelling and impactful narratives.
Her distinctive perspective positions her as a rising force in the advertising industry.
She has achieved global recognition at the London Fashion Film Festival for her standout project S.W.A.N.K Jozi, earning 2nd place for "Best Child Star" and 3rd in "Emerging Creative". Having directed commercials for MTN and Jägermeister, Koketso is emerging as a visionary talent shaping the future of commercial storytelling.
APHIWE MDLULI (EMERGING CURATOR)
Aphiwe Mdluli is a film critic, creative director, and Film & TV Podcaster of her own podcast “In This Girl’s Mind” — produced by her very own Media and Film Production company, ATHAYA Productions.
Using her love for literature, critical analysis, and making the visual arts comprehensive for the greater public, Aphiwe prides herself in exploring the sociological impacts that film has on South African society. She believes in holding filmmakers accountable for their responsibility in publishing their works because of the film medium’s ability to shape narratives and ideologies as an artistic medium.
In her recent works with Ellipsis Studios (a student-led filmmaking crew, who are in their graduation year of Film School), Aphiwe champions for young, vibrant, and passionate filmmakers who want to resurrect the integrity in filmmaking. This is the core value that the Ellipsis group itself stands for.
Aphiwe considers herself a patron for breaking boundaries where intentional, attentive, and dedicated filmmakers can share their work that the world needs to see. She aims to be a part of the groundbreakers who will shape the film industry into what it was always meant to be: a space that platforms the vast array of authentic South African cinema and storytelling, beyond what it is currently known to be.
TAYLA MCGREGOR (EMERGING CURATOR)
Tayla McGregor is an emerging film professional passionate about storytelling, community, and the visual politics of cinema. She holds both a BA and a BA (Hons) in Film and Television Studies from the University of Cape Town.
Currently working at Film Afrika, Tayla’s passion lies in amplifying African voices and creating inclusive spaces for diverse stories. She has contributed to community-based film projects, such as the Cape Town Museum of Childhood’s smartphone documentary programme in 2024, and has extensive experience in dubbing and script adaptation for international and local television.
Through her work, Tayla seeks to connect audiences to meaningful cinematic experiences that celebrate culture, identity, and the power of African filmmaking practices to spark dialogue and connection.
KAGATA MAMABOLO (EMERGING CURATOR)
Kagata Damaries Mamabolo is a storyteller, filmmaker, and writer born in Limpopo and based in Johannesburg. Her work lives at the intersection of memory, culture, and creative resistance. She uses film, fiction, and visual art to explore African identity, mental landscapes, and the quiet power of everyday life.
Currently completing my BA Honours in Film and Television at the University of the Witwatersrand, she’s passionate about decolonial theory, cinematic storytelling, and the ways art can shift perspective. Whether she’s behind a camera, writing a script, or curating content, she is always guided by the same question: What truths still need telling?
Beyond academia, she is deeply drawn to fashion, history, literature, and music, disciplines that help her stretch the boundaries of her storytelling. She believes in the archive, the imagination, and the urgency of creating work that speaks back to silence.
She doesn't just make things to be seen. She makes things to be felt.