POLOKWANE – South African filmmaker Joseph Muthaphuli, hailing from Limpopo, has a profound love for art that began with performing in community theatres.
His latest work, ‘The Bad Bishop’ is a feature film that he directed, edited, and produced, now set to release in cinemas across South Africa and other countries within the Southern African Development Community region.
Muthaphuli is also the co-founder of the film production company ‘The Time Bomb’ and the founder and chairperson of DL78 Investment Company, which funds and invests in film productions across South Africa.
Muthaphuli’s journey into the world of film started at the age of 12, performing in the school play ‘Romeo and Juliet’ at Makwarela Primary School in 1998.
This experience ignited his passion for film. After matriculating, he studied drama at the South African State Theatre in Pretoria, obtaining a certificate in the course.
He further pursued a B.Tech in motion picture production at Damelin College, majoring in directing and editing.
His career includes work as a director and editor for SABC TV productions such as ‘Open Varsity’ and ‘Rivoningo.’
“I love directing and editing because we always work as a team, meet new people, and travel to new places. The most important thing to be a good film director is to be passionate, even if the pay isn’t good. A good director doesn’t do it for the money but for the passion,” Muthaphuli said.
Muthaphuli directed a TV film called ‘Do Not Judge’ while working for Asi B Films Production Company.
He then served as a senior cameraman for the news channel ANN7 for two years. Subsequently, he worked as a post-production supervisor at Firmanox Production for a year before joining the Vodacom internal communication team as an editor and videographer and cameraman.
He also directed and produced the feature film ‘Mosioua the Good Shepherd’ under Thoro Media. Additionally, Muthaphuli directed a film for Grade 10D with Muofhe Productions within the same year.
