Right now, I am directing other people’s stories so if I am involved in that inception part of things then I am able to see my voice and my vision through from the beginning then I can curate it according to my vision. That will expose me to my style and the specifics of how I like dialogue etc. instead of me manipulating other people’s words and stories the way I see them. I am really interested in what I see from the beginning and how I follow it through all the way to the end.

In the TV shows you have directed, you’ve tapped into a lot of storylines that are centred on the lives of black women. What important aspects do you think should be considered when it comes to representing black women on screen?

Definitely more female directors! Because our audience is female and if we are telling the stories that are female then we have to balance it out as the visionaries of that process. It is very important for women to be in directorial positions to represent South African women authentically. I feel like everything is about culture or it is about your agency in a way so based on your sexuality, race and other factors that make us who we are, you are able to represent stories that are connected to your lived experience much authentically.

It is always in the nuances- simple things like No, the doek should not be on or let’s remove the make-up or let’s remove the lip stick It will have those kinds of small nuances that will make a female story more relatable because the custodian is female.

How do you, personally, ensure that you are able to explore your creative voice to its fullest in such a male dominated space?

I literally just show up as my full self. I have to be myself because that is the most authentic thing about me; it is also where my creativity comes from. It has got to be me arriving as I am and then getting inspired by what I get and I am able to be creative. These things are always so spontaneous in terms of what it is that you are contributing as a woman. Going back to the nuances, it is not necessarily things that I will plan but it is at my pace in terms of directing. I bring softness, I could say, and unapologetically so because that is who I am and I cannot change that. I hold on to that as my individuality as a creative without allowing anyone’s perceptions to inform how I should work and be the best creative.

Have you always been confident in your creative voice or is it something that you had to grow into?

It is something I had to grow into and it took a while. I actually think that I am still growing into it because there is so much of my creativity that still needs to be explored and who knows what that looks like? I am excited for it. I have always been reserved and being in a leadership position does not really allow that. When you are given authority, you are kind of expected to live up to it. For me, it is a matter of working at my own pace and allowing myself to be authentic to my job in a way that is still authentic to me as a person.

There are a lot of aspects of filmmaking to explore as a creative within the industry, why did you choose directing?

I don’t know. Directing chose me. I am creating this narrative for myself that it is in my blood. My grandfather was a pastor- so he stood up and spoke in front of people all the time and people would listen to him. Every Sunday, he would get up on stage and interpret the bible stories to inspire the congregation. My parents were both teachers. Interesting story about my father- when he started his teaching career, he directed a lot of drama plays, started his own drama club and he would direct plays. By the time I was born, he was already done with theatre directing- he did this in the 80’s so because of that I am holding on to the narrative that directing is really just in my blood. This narrative, honestly, makes me walk into the room with so much confidence that I know what I am doing.

What was your “AHA!” moment when it came to pursuing a career in Film and Television?

That happened in 2010. I was mid-semester studying a BSC degree that would lead me into Medicine then a friend of mine got a job on radio. I remember her being so excited as she was telling me about the job and in that moment I felt like “wait a minute, I am in the wrong place” because all I kept thinking about was “how am I gonna get out of surgery to go to an audition?” “Who is going to discover me?” I was basically stuck in a rut, trying to figure out how I am going to get out of what I was in and that was my “AHA!” moment. It was a moment of realisation that if I am trying to get out then it sounds like I should not be here because I was already thinking of a way out before I had even started.

Collaboration is great but I realise that when you find yourself within a collaborative space, a lot of your ideas can get sucked into what other people think looks better/feels better so I want to know- how do you personally create a balance between collaborative thinking but also keeping the integrity and authenticity of your ideas?

I come with a plan- my intentions, my vision and what I think is gonna be good whether it sucks or not and in that moment I open up the floor for ideas. How I balance that is leaning more towards the ideas that still hold up the vision.

I think we talk a lot about the hardships that black women face with the Film and Television industry, which is important to address, but I want to know- what in your opinion, is the best thing about being a black woman in the Film and Television industry?

I think, for me, the best thing is that the industry is opening up more to working with us. They are starting to trust us more- our voice generically and also creatively is starting to matter. The opportunities are there and there for us for the taking. My experience with this is- I remember my move to Durban being specifically because I saw a lack of female directors on that side and I saw the province as a budding industry because there are already two Soapies down there and now there are three. When I was there I was one of the only black female directors in the province. So there is definitely a gap and I think producers or distributors are looking for black female directors in the team and making room for them.

What’s the biggest take away that you want people to grasp from your catalogue of work?

I had, actually, just made the decision following the last project that I worked on that moving forward I want to read the script before I sign on to the job. Moving forward, I need to find out everything that I know affects my work and my job. For example, get the script, read it and what value I am going to bring onto the story so that I can decide as I am reading the script if this is the direction I want to go or not. I think, in the past, I have been taking jobs just for the sake of taking jobs. Also, if I am going to be on the project, I want to know who is on my team- who are my Assistant Directors etc because the support system that you need as a director is very integral to the outcome of your day and your process.