Alex’s own filmmaker reaches for the stars
I am a filmmaker by profession and a teacher by passion- Banele Mtebele.
Banele Mtebele, an artist and filmmaker, has been in the credits of several big-screen productions.
Mtebele was born and bred in the Alexandra township, however, his mother is from the Eastern Cape province in Mgungundlovu. “I consider myself as a village boy, not because I was raised in the village but because a community raised me. My mom used to hustle and leave me with neighbours, as a result, I can speak a lot of languages fluently.”
He started attending school in the Eastern Cape. When he was 10 years old, he returned to Alex and continued his at Zenzeleni and Ithute primary schools. Because he was a gifted learner, he was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship to Highlands North Boys’ High School.
He later enrolled at the Tshwane University of Technology to further his interest in filmmaking by studying motion picture and television production.
“I’ve been in the industry since 2012 after tertiary. Even though I wasn’t paid then but I was credited. I did an internship with Quizzical Pictures where I was trained to direct on a movie called Namba-Namba, Single Girls, Single Guys, Intersexions and from that small training I went straight to Rhythm City – I didn’t even finish my internship.”
In his account of how he came to land an internship with Quizzical Pictures, Mtebele said, “In Alex every time they were filming they’d close the road. One day I decided to be their traffic without asking; I wore a reflector, and controlled traffic and the executive producer saw me and asked me to come closer.
I met Mxolisi Hulana, the legendary author of Ingqumbo Yeminyanya. He was so impressed to learn that I was so young and knew him from seeing the movie. He then introduced me to the director, who then brought me to the boss, and that is how I got an internship.”
This father of two girls and a family man said after a lot of hustling while doing his internship he got into Rhythm City in 2013 where he was an editor and a script translator. “That is when I started earning a decent salary. I even bought a car, and a house and paid lobola in 2014 then got married in 2015.”
In 2020 he got retrenched in Rhythm City, which was his full-time job, and he started his journey and long dream of being a filmmaker.
“My point is you create an opportunity for yourself, that’s why I don’t understand a person who says ‘I am looking for a job’, but rather ‘I’ve created a job for myself’ and you won’t create a job in your room, go to someone’s company and create your job there.
When I introduce myself, I like to say ‘I am a filmmaker by profession and a teacher by passion, presently I am a filmmaker and my voice now is starting to be heard.”
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