Emerging writers from all over
the country are urged to apply to attend the two and a half-day training which
will be conducted in various languages in the different provinces. We have
limited space per class, so it would be important to apply as soon as possible.
Although the classes are sponsored i.e. FREE of charge. We do, however, require
applicants to become a member (Candidate or Student) if they are not as yet.
Please do not let this prevent you from applying, instead, find out more about
our membership.
The Writers Guild of South Africa
(WGSA) in collaboration with the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture (DSAC)
has developed a basic screenwriting course for emerging screenwriters, which
has been translated into all South African official languages. This after the
WGSA conducted a Train the Trainer course for 20 professional
screenwriters. Ten of those trainers will be conducting the pilot
training sessions across South Africa. The training schedule for October and
November 2020 is as follows:
23 to 25 October
2020
Tongaat, KwaZulu-Natal Anil
Polton
King William’s Town, Eastern
Cape Ayanda Mncwabe-Mama
and Siphokazi Mtila (Xhosa)
Siyabuswa, Mpumalanga Danile Mohlamme
(isiNdebele)
Soweto, Gauteng Siphiwe
Mbata (isiZulu)
30 October to 1 November
2020
Polokwane, Limpopo Fisha Collins and Tshenolo Mabale (Sepedi)
6 to 8 November
2020
Taung, North West Phemelo Gregory Phiri (Setswana)
19 to 21 November
2020
Mafikeng, North West Tshenolo Mabale (Setswana)
To be confirmed
Ladybrand, Free State Mpaki Molapo
(Sesotho)
Sebokeng, Gauteng Ntombozuko
“Twiggy” Matiwana (isiXhosa)
More information on venues and
exact times will be shared in due course.
PLEASE NOTE: Western Cape’s date,
trainer, language of instruction, and date still to be confirmed.
Trainer Profiles
Anil Polton was born
in Tongaat KZN, moved around a bit and back to his birth-town. He has entered
the writing arena recently and enjoys it. Writing is now his full-time work. He
writes screenplays, talks about writing, teaches writing sometimes and reads
about writing, He loves the gym and his dogs. That is his writer’s life. There
is not much time for anything else. And did he say he loves
writing?
Ayanda Mncwabe-Mama is
the co-owner of ILISO Films, a production company that has produced content for
the SABC and e.tv for over 15 years. She holds a National Diploma in Video
Technology from the Natal Technikon (DUT) and a BA Degree in Archaeology from
UNISA. She has worked in the television industry as a researcher, scriptwriter,
director and content producer for entertainment magazine programmes, factual
children’s series and documentaries. As the founder and director of IQABA Film
Festival, Ayanda is committed to developing and empowering youngsters who have
the passion for the arts through her training company, AT YOUR ART
Holdings.
Danile Mohlamme is a
Filmmaker, a Project Manager, Writer, Mpumalanga Film Festival Director. She
has contributed across many film programs in Mpumalanga. She created Mpumalanga
film mart and Festival demonstrating strong leadership and consistent and
active participation in every program and film workshops. She has also produced
films made in Mpumalanga and A letter to Nanna
documentary. She developed and written a Documentary Titled I
Remember the day and a film titled, The Lonely track. She recently led the
assessment study of how Emerging scriptwriters and Mpumalanga filmmakers impact
business and is now leading the Production team of filmmakers and authentic
stories in indigenous languages assessment to define new business models to
operationalize the film industry in Mpumalanga. Danile’s breadth of knowledge
of the industry and incubation programmes and educational outreach programmes
through film mart, as well as her passion, has enabled her to contribute across
many projects. Her collaborative style is extremely effective in bringing out
the best from all the filmmakers and writers in Mpumalanga by providing support
and guidance while valuing all inputs and viewpoints.
Fisha Collins is a
novelist and screenwriter, he has professionally worked with Amazon to publish
his first long novel. He is part of US Kindle Direct Publishing, and he has
embraced much of his screenwriting skills with Amazon Studios, much of
editorial work on pilot scripts. He is affiliated with the New York Film
Academy for screenwriting program. He graduated in LLB and served articles
& I specialize in a most areas of law.
Mpaki Molapo is a
film writer/director who works between Lesotho, South Africa and Berlin,
Germany. Mpaki has an M.A degree in Theory in Film, Theory and Practise from
the University of Cape Town and a directing diploma from the Filmarche film
school in Germany. Mpaki has directed various short films and
documentaries. He has scripted over 60 episodes
for various popular TV shows such as ‘Stokvel’ (SABC 2) and ‘Shooting Stars’
(E-TV.). He has lectured Film Theory and Screenwriting at various universities
in Lesotho, South Africa, and Germany. Mpaki is presently about to direct a
short film and feature film that was optioned at Cannes Film Festival 2017 and
is developing a TV series optioned by a New York-based Production Company.
Ntombozuko “Twiggy” Matiwana is
an award-winning director with an innate curiosity and love for storytelling
and film. Born and raised in Grahamstown, Twiggy decided to study creative
writing before studying film and has worked as an assistant director in the
local industry. Her directing career began with several student films, notably
‘See, Speak and Hear no Evil’ a short film about violence against women that
was accepted at the Encounters Documentary Film Festival in 2013. She
then went on to write and direct a 5-minute short documentary on Male Breast
Cancer in 2013 and in 2014 her film ‘Waterless Flower’ was the only South
African film selected amongst the finalist at The Spain Film Festival, the film
focuses on water and basic sanitation around the globe. Her film The Bicycle
Man won the Silver Stallion and a European Prize (2017) at the 50th edition in
FESPACO, the prize allowed The Bicycle Man to screen at Cannes’ Short Film
Corner 2017, the film continues to be screened around the world.
Phemelo Gregory Phiri was
born on 12 May 1984 in Manthestad Village in Taung, North West Province. In
2005 he joined Motsweding FM drama department as a freelance actor. With no
formal training or any training whatsoever, he wrote his first radio drama
series titled Le Tla Go Tlhabela that was produced the same year. The series
was well-received by the listeners. Another radio drama series titled
Khupamarama conceived and written Phemelo hit the airwaves of Motsweding FM in
2007. Both drama series were written in Setswana. He then started screenplay
writing learnership through SASWA. That’s where I met Ayanda Halimana who was
one of the guest mentors. He joined Bomb Shelter as an intern and he was
trained as a researcher, scriptwriter for Season 2 of Zone 14 in 2007 were he
was mentored by Amanda Lane. He later that year wrote scripts for Zone 14 that
were produced. In 2008 he wrote scripts for Zone 14 S3 that were also produced.
In 2009 he joined Bomb Post Production as a trainee sub-titler and assistant
editor and the following year, he started to work as a sub-titler and assistant
editor and in 2013 he started working as Post Production Coordinator for
Isibaya. In 2014 he returned to writing and he co-created a television
sitcom called Woza eDurban, also written a pilot episode for this project. The
pilot was shot and used for editing lessons in the Durban Film Festival in
December 2014. Also, in 2014, he wrote children theatre scripts for Bua O
Itsose Project produced by IACSO, in Setswana. In 2015 he became Post
Production Producer on The Road. In 2016, he is working as Post
Production Supervisor for Isibaya and co-wrote feature film project, the
development of this film was funded by KZN Film Commission. In June 2016
he left post-production and went back to writing and worked as storyliner for
Isibaya Season 04 and 05. In 2017 returned to Post Production but continued
aspiring to be a better writer, he was admitted in the NFVF Spark training in
2017 and after finishing the training he continued writing as he wrote a
screenplay for a Mzansi Film that was produced in 2018. In 2018 he completed a
level 1 Playwright Course with The Market Theatre Lab. Currently, he’s one of
the senior writers in a Motsweding FM soapie from March 2019 to date. The soapie
is written in
Setswana.
Siphiwe Mbata was
born in Soweto, Johannesburg. He grew up in Soweto and from a tender age, he
grew up starring in local and international television commercials and films in
South Africa. Television commercials such as the Borstol medicine TV
commercial, Love life, Bibo, Pepsi international soccer, learning channel,
Nedbank soccer and the renowned London 2012 Olympics short film which ensured
London won the bid to host the 2012 Olympics. He obtained his BA degree in
March 2014 at AFDA (a film school) situated in Auckland Park, Johannesburg. In
2016, he founded his Film and Television Production Company called Favour
Media, which is based in Soweto, Johannesburg. Favour Media aims to help actors
and aspiring filmmakers from Soweto and other provinces in South Africa by creating
opportunities for them in the Film and Television industry. Siphiwe has
written, directed and produced 12 feature films, which have been licensed by
the broadcaster Mnet Mzansi Magic. 11 feature films were self-funded, and the
Gauteng Film Commission (GFC) funded 1 feature film. His feature films also
have people with various disabilities acting in them. Furthermore, his feature
films and short films have played at numerous film festivals such as the Nile’s
Diaspora international film festival in Kampala, Uganda. The Pan African film
festival in Kenya, the Kleinkapp short film festival, the Ekurhuleni
international film festival and the Kasi Vibe international film festival. His
comedy feature film MaChancer won the award for best feature film at the 2019
Kasi Vibe film festival. Siphiwe has also been featured on television shows
such as Talk Ability and 1-day leader to discuss the work he has done by
opening up the industry and also working with people with various disabilities
in his movies.
Siphokazi Mtila. A
storyteller who is deeply passionate about South African stories and has found
purpose in striving to bring these narratives forth, visible and loud enough
for the whole world to witness. She graduated from Big Fish School of Digital
Filmmaking in 2016 and has interned and worked on a few productions thereafter.
In 2019 she was selected as one of the participants of the NFVF Female
Filmmaker Project, where she wrote and directed her short film, Pretty’s
Daughter, which has just entered the festival circuit and will be shown on SABC
1. Hot on the heels of that she received development funds from the NFVF for
another one of her shorts, Majaivane, which she is currently
developing.
Creative Director, Film &
Television Producer/Writer, Tshenolo Mabale, grew up in Mahikeng,
which is dubbed the “Home of Entertainment”. The vibrant city and its buzzing
creative energy propelled Tshenolo to explore her creativity in its various
forms. Starting off organizing arts and music events and eventually writing
reviews for local talent shows (that groomed the likes of Cassper Nyovest &
Fifi Cooper), Tshenolo entrenched herself in her work. This eventually led
to her working as a production assistant for the satellite festival in Mahikeng
hosted by the Out in Africa Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (Cape Town).
Through this, Tshenolo had the opportunity to interact with producers,
directors, and writers, locally and globally, and finally decided to pursue her
first love: writing. She got her first professional break in 2011 scriptwriting
for the ekasi: Our Stories series for e.tv. Since then, Tshenolo has gone on to
storyline and write scripts for television shows such as Scandal! on e.tv,
Greed & Desire, Ikhaya, the popular Lockdown 1 & 2 on Mzansi Magic (SAFTA
Scriptwriting Winner), Emoyeni (SAFTA Scriptwriting Winner) and Generations.
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