FABIEN MARTORELL
Multi-award-winning director
Fabien directed the Netflix film ‘Collision’, shot in Johannesburg, South Africa. The film was released in June 2022 and quickly became #3 in the world and sat in the Top 10 list in 68 countries on Netflix. Fabien’s acclaimed short films have received awards in many prestigious international film festivals.
JASON FIDDLER
Festival Director: The Durban Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
Jason founded the Durban Gay & Lesbian Film Festival in 2011. He has curated over 200 films for his Festival including features, doccies and short films and has been on the juries of the MIX Copenhagen LGBTI Film Festival in 2013 and the International Tourism Film Festival Africa in 2021 and 2023.
KAREN JEYNES
Writer, director and producer: Both Worlds Pictures
Best known as the writer and producer of “Recipes for Love and Murder”, which she also directed four episodes of, and as the head writer for “ZANews: Puppet Nation”, Karen is busy with her PhD focusing on disability representation in television , and serves on the board of WGSA.
KOPANO COWEN
Executive Producer and Head Creative: Connect TV
Kopano has over 15 years’ experience in production, creative strategy and content acquisition. She started her career as an intern in promo production and this is where she was introduced to the magic of post production, and how an entire story can be told in only 30 seconds.
LAMEZE ALLIE
Lameze is a proudly brown-skinned woman, who believes that anything is possible through hard work, perseverance, and a smile. She is currently working with Encounters International Documentary Film Festival and has also partnered with the Department of Arts and Culture in training 20 youth from the Cape Town in SmartPhone Documentary Filmmaking.
MIMI BARTELS
General Manager: FilmOne Studios
Mimi is committed to creating equal opportunities for women in the film and production industry. She believes that diversity in leadership and on-screen representation is key to creating compelling and authentic storytelling. Under her leadership, FilmOne Studios will release more than 10 films in 2023 alone.
PASCAL SCHMITZ
Head of Production & Development: AAA Entertainment
Having spent many years on the festival and market circuit, Pascal met Mayenzeke Baza and joined forces to find South African Indies and establish AAA-Entertainment, a distribution company that supplies the market with quality film and television content for and from Africa.
RYAN SOLOVEI
Country Manager: VIU Africa
Ryan has been working in the telco and media space for over 17 years. His knowledge of mobile, video and online content has seen him becoming a successful executive and business owner. Ryan has concluded content and distribution deals with the likes of YouTube, Netflix, SABC, e.TV, RedBull, Vodacom, MTN and Roku.
SISANDA HENNA
Founder: Sisanda Henna Films
Sisanda is an award-winning actor turned creator-producer and the founder of Sisanda Henna Films, a film company producing a number of world-class motion pictures; from documentary to fiction across television and film. Sisanda Henna Leadership designs and rolls out growth and development solutions across the film industry.
XOLELWA NHLABATSI
Film Director, Writer and Producer
Xolelwa’s short films have garnered international recognition, being nominated for awards at film Festivals such as Film Africa in London, Thessaloniki LGBTQ Festival in Greece and the Baltimore International Black Film Festival. His work has been featured in Rolling Stone, Elle, and ID-Vice.