18 must-see student films on Showmax

The movies shine a light on critical topical issues in new ways.

Broadcast TV isn’t a natural home for unknown short films, and while self-publishing platforms are readily available hosting options, it’s tough to get noticed and get traffic when competing with videos from across the planet.

But with the emergence of video-on-demand services into the mainstream, there’s now a solution. The African film school Afda has teamed up with the streaming service Showmax to give local talent a much larger platform than ever before.

From Monday, 18 of the best recent short films made by Afda students from Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth will be live on Showmax.

Drama, documentary, fantasy, and animation are all represented in pieces running from under eight minutes to almost half-an-hour long.

Teresa Passchier, CEO of Afda says: “We are proud to kick-start this exciting and meaningful journey with Showmax and Afda students, ensuring emerging young African filmmakers’ voices are heard and given a platform.

“It’s ground-breaking to share young, local, culturally relevant content on the same platform as Hollywood blockbusters. This unique initiative will serve to boost and develop the African film industry and the careers of many young SA and African students alike.”

Included in the short films coming to Showmax are the award-winners Junior and O-Puncha. Junior, directed by Bert Dijkstra, picked up the Audience Award in the Made in South Africa Competition at the Worldwide Short film festival awards in 2017.

O-Puncha, directed by Adam Hansen, won two awards at the fifth annual Eldorado Film Festival: Best Student-Made Short and Best Editing for Alexander La Cock.

Another celebrated film is Sicela Amanzi, directed by Mlu Godola, on water shortage. The film’s heroine Zoleka is a mild-mannered young woman forced to go to extreme lengths when a small community’s only source of water unexpectedly collapses.

Films like these shine a light on critical topical issues in new ways.