Meet SA’s rising award-winning director Talia Smith

One of South Africa’s rising filmmakers Talia Smith is one we all should be on the lookout for.

At just 24, Smith’s has already been shortlisted for a student British Academy Film Awards (Bafta) and won a Student Academy Awards gold in 2020 for uMama.

Growing up in Johannesburg, Smith always knew her life was meant to be in the film industry and made decisions since she was a child aligned to her dream.

Speaking to The Citizen, the uMama director has always felt the importance of telling South African stories even when she moved to America in 2015. She would then study film and television at New York University (NYU).

Making her breakout movie, Smith was nervous asking legendary actress Connie Chiume to be part of it. Smith says it was her mom who encouraged her to go for it and you won’t believe how she managed to do so.

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“Working with Connie was a dream of mine, so when I went on to her Instagram, her number was there, it’s not there now,” she jokes, adding: “My mom has always said to me, feel the fear and do it anyway.”

Chiume was more than willing to be part of the film when we spoke to her earlier this month. Smith said working alongside the legend was a valuable experience, recalling their first table read: “It was amazing to see how she captured the character of Sibongile’s reality and I learnt quite a lot during the experience.”

uMama is based on Smith’s childhood memories of her personal and family’s relationship with their domestic worker, Sibongile, also known as Susan. The short film tells the true story of how Susan, acted by Chiume, finds out about her son’s disappearance. It also intertwines with the bond she has with the Smiths, her son’s internal struggles and many other layers.

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The film has won several awards such as best director at the SA Indie Fest and the Garden Route Film Festival for best short.

The past couple of years award shows have received a bad rap due to many issues, causing their decline. They include lack of diversity, big snubs, a massive decline in interest from the public and a knock-on effect in plummeting ratings. Added to the criticism are some actors boycotting awards.

For Smith, awards are still important. The recognition adds more value to people who watch them and because of this it reaches more audiences in the end.

“My hope with Umama was to validate her (Susan’s) story. Awards definitely help make movies be seen and maybe that wouldn’t be the case without the awards.” She says student films aren’t given as much appreciation or seriousness if they don’t have this acknowledgement.

“There is more demand for local movies, people are more willing to watch and support them. This has opened up the door, creating new avenues to make more films,” she concludes.