Phumi Morare is a South African writer and director based in Los Angeles and Johannesburg. As she finds herself navigating the two worlds she exists in as a filmmaker, she is dedicated to redeeming the identity of her continent of Africa in cinema and that of the feminine identity. Her thesis film Lakutshon’ilanga is a culmination of her passions and she wants her future work, at its core, to always be a combination of redeeming the African and femine identity.
Named one of Diversity in Cannes' Top 10 Filmmakers of the Decade, Zanah is a filmmaker (producer+ director+ writer) from Chicago, IL.
Since launching her brand, Zanah Thirus Productions, Zanah has shifted her focus to merging arts and activism through documentary and narrative storytelling. Her films explore subjects such as reproductive justice, local politics, intersectional feminism, and recovering from sexual trauma.
Jabu Nadia Newman is a young filmmaker and photographer whose work ranges from the “provocative to the pop culture-esque”. Her stories consist of material that is relevant, relatable and visually engaging. She brings a consciousness to every project she undertakes, whether the story exists in the world of commercials, branded content, music videos or narrative filmmaking.
Muhadi Muhadi, also known as Idah, is a documentary director, plant mom and co-founder of Queermunity TV, a creative platform thats mission is to uplift queer creative entrepreneurs. Her documentary short, directed alongside Jordan van der Westhuizen, entitled “Radical Self Acceptance: The Truth About Homophobia + The Bible '' was screened at the Girls in Film x Encounters Documentary Festival in June of this year.
Olive Nwosu is a Lagos-born filmmaker whose work is inspired by the fragmented nature of her life experiences in different continents and identities. Her films graciously challenge the status-quo of how we’ve experienced stories of the ‘outsider’ in mainstream film and television. Her work has been screened in numerous film festivals, including Sundance, the BFI London Film Festival, TIFF and the Aspen Shortsfest.
Lerato Mokoka (born in Rustenburg, North-West) is a South Africa actress best known for playing the role of Tshiamo on Mzansi Magic drama series, Gomora. Lerato completed her studies in Finance and Accounting at the University of Pretoria and worked at Sibanye Stillwater Mining Company between 2018-2019. She switched careers in 2020 to focus on her passion for filmmaking and completed her Film and Television Technical studies with AFDA in 2020. In 2021, she produced and directed her first short film ‘The Budding' and is currently an independent screenwriter.
Nonkululeko Mdluli is a Storyteller and Film Director with 9 years experience in the South African Film and Television industry. She is extremely motivated to constantly learn and share her knowledge. She continues to explore her horizons as a director having worked on Television Shows such as Muvhango, Gomora, E-Hostela, Imbewu, to name a few. She is a BA graduate in Dramatic Arts. She is an all-round creative entrepreneur with a great future ahead of her.
Masali Baduza is a South African actress best known for her role as Sephy Hadley in the BBC drama “Noughts and Crosses”. Masali’s discipline is rooted in theatre. She also trained at the Los Angeles campus of the New York Film Academy, graduating with an Associate degree in 2016. She also appears in the crime thriller “Trackers”, which was M-Net’s top performing show in 2019.
Sikelelwa Vuyeleni is a South African actress best known for her role Owami Kwena, in Mzansi Magic’s soccer drama series, Vula Vala. She comes from a small village of Mtsheko, near Komani (formerly Queenstown). She attended Eersterivier Secondary School in Cape Town and she broke into the industry in 2014 while she was in grade 10, making her debut as Zen on e.tv police drama Traffic. In 2018 she landed her first starring role in television when she was cast as Thando in Hope, the first scripted show to air on new DStv channel Moja Love. In 2021, Sikelelwa joined the cast of eTV's daily show, House Of Zwide as Nambitha. She has also appeared in shows like Isikizi, Umalume, Ukuphila Kabili, and Ingozi yothando and is the founder of Siks Lense.