A list to discover the audiovisual creators that constantly revolve and defy the medium in the African continent. The list follows an alphabetical order and includes the most awarded directors of the last decade:
Adams is a south-african storyteller by nature. After graduating from AFDA Cape Town with honors, Robin's first ad, Ster Kinekor Vision Mission My Son The Flyer, won five M-Net TAG Awards, including Best Newcomer and Best Direction. He was quickly scooped up by Velocity, where he spent five years under the wing of Keith Rose - one of the most challenging and rewarding apprenticeships around. He's emerged as an all-rounder, with a fast-growing reel that moves from stylish youth culture spots for Axe and Superbalist to inspirational Dawn ads with just under a million views to quirky music videos for Opposite the Other. His visual eye stands out across all his work. Robin went straight onto a Protex board just days after starting at Egg. He joined Egg Films in July 2018. Robin is a sincere, no-bullshit Director, incredibly charming and down to earth. As a Director he is determined to pursue the unexpected and focused on one thing and one thing only: "creating honest work that will amaze". His trophies: a Cannes Lion: Grand Prix/Gold, a Cannes Palme d’Or, an Oscar for Best International Film and to be included in a Forbes list.
Director: Robin Adams
Production company: Egg Films
AGENCY: Ogilvy & Mather Cape Town
CLIENT: Gumtree
Ali Ali is a highly acclaimed commercials director from Cairo, Egypt and the co-founder of Good People Films and former Executive Creative Director and founder of the independent agency Elephant. One of the region's most sought after directors, and was recently named by The Gunn Report as one of the ten most awarded Directors in the world today. He studied Computer Engineering at the American University in Cairo, but quickly abandoned a programming career to study Art Direction at the Miami Ad School. Since then he has build an impressive global career as both art director and creative director for the likes of Leagas Delaney, JWT, Leo Burnett, and finally topping it off as ECD of DDB Berlin. His directorial debut, “Never Say No to Panda” won him a Gold Lions in Cannes, and with over 90-million youtube views, was named by the Guardian as “one of the most watched viral campaigns of all time.” In 2010, he founded Elephant with his creative partner Maged Nasser, with the two-man shop quickly becoming the region's most awarded agency. In 2011 it was named one of the three most exciting new agencies in the world by the Cannes Lions Festival. Despite the agency's success, Ali quit the ad world to focus on his directing career full-time in 2012. Ali has directed more than sixty commercials for brands such as Vodafone, Google, Coca-Cola, Budweiser and Amazon. Amongst many other awards, Ali was awarded the D&AD coveted yellow pencil for Best Director in 2015. With over six Cannes Lions under his belt, as well as the coveted yellow pencil for direction at D&AD awards. His other Cannes Lions include a Silver Lion for Panda Cheese in 2010. His work portrays local realities, combined with global storytelling and a quirky sense of humor.
Director: Ali Ali
AGENCY: FP7, Egypt
CLIENT: Palm Hills Developments
Coetsee is a director in South Africa represented by Darling Films. She went to boarding school, studying drama at the National School of the Arts for high school. Then he went to AFDA Film School where she earned a degree in Film Direction and Screenwriting. She started shooting music videos, then filmed a short documentary series for Discovery Channel, her first experience with tight timelines and limited supplies that made her agile as an impala. She developed her comedy muscle and her particular brand of humor, making profile pieces about diverse and quirky local characters. She has a big personality that divides into being the soul of the party or the opposite quiet observer. Her work has earned a few Cannes Lions (including a Gold Entertainment Lion for Joburg Ballet’s “Breaking Ballet"), some D&AD Pencils, a Webby, and a couple of Clios. Her notable campaign #YouPeople for Nando’s with agency M&C Saatchi South Africa tackles unconscious biases through relatable humor. The ad allows us to examine our own failings and share a laugh over the absurdity of the snap judgments we routinely make about one another, shattering stereotypes in the process. Coetsee’s unique voice and stellar timing is a breath of fresh air, her comedic wit and quick-thinking always gets intelligent laughs.
Director: Chloe Coetsee
Production company: darling.tv
AGENCY: M&C Saatchi, South Africa
CLIENT: Nando's
Geldenhuys is seeker of ways to push content into fresh and contemporary spaces. He began his professional career as a stills fashion photographer and then he moved into directing where he was able to combine the grandness of imagery with the intimacy of human connection. He is a true gent modest and engaging, but, also a truly innovative thinker who likes to keep moving and is disinclined to repeat himself. His natural aptitude for story-telling and instinct for subtle, emotive performance and coupled with his extraordinary visual flair, led him to making the moving image his focus. His attention to detail and concept has led to him being consistently featured at award shows around the world, winning awards at Cannes, Clios, LIA’S, Ciclope, D&AD, The One Show and many more. Topsy’s "Selinah" won South Africa’s first Grand LIA at the London International Advertising Awards, as well as Cannes Gold and numerous other international awards. Since inception 0307 has been awarded Production Company of the Year 2018 & 2020 by Ciclope Africa, and was the top awarded company at Loeries 2019. He has been featured in both Ad Age Global and Shots’ Top 100 Directors and the Gunn report. Industry bible Shots listed him amongst the “Top 100 Creative Minds” in the world and he’s also included in Ad Age’s Global list of the top 100 directors, as well regularly being listed in the Gunn Report’s top 20 most awarded directors. His work covers brand such as Audi, Cadburys, Molson, KFC, BMW, KFC, and Prudential.
Director: Kim Geldenhuys
Production company: Egg Films
AGENCY: Ogilvy Johannesburg
CLIENT: Topsy Foundation
Gray is a creator of cinematic stories with emotional scale. A truly capturer of unique, authentic performances and characters and also a sophisticated craftsman in commercial filmmaking. His talent for remarkable narrative storytelling and ability to obtain authentic credible performances from actors is evident in the majority of his work. This is demonstrated in his beautifully crafted piece for Dial Direct and most recently his emotive film for Nedbank, which is classic Grey at his very best. He has a reputation and skill for absolute attention to detail and it is this intense crafting that sets his work apart. At the heart of his passion for making great films is his unwavering belief in the idea always being the hero and recognizing the importance of this and enjoying the reward of seeing it successfully brought to life. Grey’s uncompromising directorial vision ensures that the concept always remains front and centre. His intuitive approach, coupled with an intense focus on every detail of the creative process, has garnered him both respect and accolades in the industry. Throughout his career, he has consistently won awards from all the major advertising shows; including Cannes, Clios, AD&D, The Loerie’s, and One Show. Director of the Year by AdReview, MTN - Top 50 Commercials Worldwide - Gunn Report, Virgin - No.1 International Commercial Worldwide - Campaign and Best Ever Commercials of All Time - Shots Magazine, Top20 Director Worldwide by BestAdsonTV.
Director: Greg Gray
Production company: Romance
AGENCY: Ogilvy, South Africa
CLIENT: Volkswagen
Harris is an experienced award winning, writer-director from South Africa, now established in New York City. After graduating from the University of Cape Town he became a precociously young director of brand promos at M-Net, South Africa’s only private TV channel. He is a explorer of the human condition in all its spectrum: virtues and failings. His work is ultra-visual, poetic and with an humanist touch. His style is intimate, emotive, immersive and cinematic. As a director, Harris is preoccupied with the soul of the story and the people that occupy it. Intimate close ups that elicit “the truth and poetry” of his subjects have become his cinematic trademark. “Form follows emotion” is his personal mantra and it show in his work that is both emotionally engaging and visually striking. Harris has collaborated with many of the world’s most creative advertising agencies including Wieden+Kennedy, Droga5, Johannes Leonardo and TBWA\Chiat\Day, and shot for many of the world’s leading brands Nascar, Goodyear, Expedia, Sky, Intel, Coke and Nike, to name but a few. His work has garnered many of the industry’s highest awards including multiple Cannes Lions and AICP’s. Most recently, Harris had the honor of premiering his narrative short film, “Locals Only” at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). And at the 2020 One Screen Festival, the film was given the award for "Best Fiction Film".
Director: Brent Harris
Production company: Skunk
CLIENT: INTEL
Malpage is a south-african filmmaker graduated with honors as best cinematographer from AFDA and that make him noticeable for the commercials industry. He is one of the industry’s leading cinematographers, regarded as an authority on HD and was heavily involved in the introduction of the RED1 into the South African industry way back when. His unique style and desire to push the boundaries further led him to make the move into directing: having more control over the whole job allows for his vision and style to be utilized truly, bringing the huge benefit of Director/DOP to each project. Since making that transition, as a tenacious perfectionist he has already won awards at Cannes Lions, D&AD, LIA, Visible Spectrum Awards and the Loeries. Rob is versatile in both visual artistry and storytelling. He has an inimitable and expressive visual language. This, coupled with his deep understanding of performance, composition, music and editing, makes him a multifaceted and highly respected director. Anything requiring exceptional technical skill, logistical dexterity or just a darn smart production solve is right up his alley, along with epic landscapes, nail-biting helicopter shots and the most beautifully lit in-studio packs you’ve ever imagined. Rob has creative agility and often shoots stills alongside his motion picture, feeling that the integrity of a creative vision must remain intact throughout any campaign.
Director: Rob Malpage
Production company: The Rudeboy Collective
AGENCY: Leo Burnett
CLIENT: McDonalds
Terence Neale is a director from Johannesburg, a distinctive and established voice in commercial and music video direction. In 2017, he became the first ever South African director to win a Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions for the Adidas commercial "Original Is Never Finished". Portraying an unconventional dystopian world, Neale offered a fresh and subversive treatment of street wear brands in an avant-garde way. The trilogy of films followed on from the "Your Future Is Not Mine" campaign, that Creativity aptly titled as an ‘anthem to individuality and defiance’. Neale's music video for Skrillex’s "Ragga Bombw" was internationally acclaimed for transforming Johannesburg into a post-apocalyptic world ruled by Star Wars-style waste trolley surfers, battling against the backdrop of bombed out buildings photographed in a dark and gritty approach. He has worked for high-profile brands such as Coca-Cola, Apple, Facebook and Hugo Boss. In 2018, he collaborated with creative partners John x Hannes on the topical award-winning and proof of emotional storytelling "Above The Noise" campaign for Beats. His latest work is a representation of his talent as a visual storyteller, top performance director, and great collaborator.
Director: Terence Neale
Production company: Park Pictures
AGENCY: adam&eveDDB
CLIENT: EA Sports
Ntuli is a mixed-race British born, South African filmmaker. That naturally comes with a unique perspective. Zee's passion and love for storytelling and cinema is revealed in his approach which is equal parts story and style; humane and aesthetic. As a writer and director that works in long-form and commercials his work has a distinctive edge. He loves nothing more than delving into character and psychology while developing a symbiotic stylistic approach. His feature film and short films in selection in Cannes; BFI London Film Festival; Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival; New York International Film Festival; Fantastic Fest; Hong Kong International Film Festival; SHNIT; Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur; DIFF, amongst other prestigious festivals. His feature film "Hard To Get", has recently secured a US Netflix deal, while his short film "Lokoza" was picked up by French national Television. He has worked with various renowned local and international agencies, for prominent brands such as Vodacom; MTN; Unilever; Ackermans; BP; Bata; Standard Bank; SA Tourism and others.
Director: Zee Ntuli
Production company: Darling Films
AGENCY: Joe Public, South Africa
CLIENT: Assupol
Theron studied Fine Arts at Wits University where she began working with Video Art. Following her passion she made her way through the Film Industry, starting initially as a Creative Researcher. She is an erudite of screen writing and directing actors, that has perfected her storytelling and performance skills. Her practical job training and artistic background brings a strong aesthetic style and artistic beauty to the art of film making her a well-rounded director. She is able to tell a story with performance, beautifully; or simply to create unique moving pictures. She has directed numerous campaigns for diverse companies and genres such as MTN, Jo’Burg Ballet, Toyota, MSF, Nivea, Pond’s, KFC, Environ and Liberty and has made digital content, Fashion films, music videos, docs and web films. She has won a lot of awards, most recently Gold and Silver Lions in Cannes this Summer, for Episode 1 and 8 of Jo’Burg Ballet’s #BreakingBallet. She is known for bringing unrivalled artistic expression and style to the art of filmmaking and is able to draw nuanced performance regardless of genre. A classically trained fine artist and learned film craft by rising through the ranks from PA, researcher and finally director.
Director: Jean Theron
Production company: Darling Films
AGENCY: McCann Johannesburg
CLIENT: J&B
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