AFDA Class of 2025 shines at the Graduation Festival.
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
On 22 November, AFDA hosted its Graduation Festival 2025 at NuMetro Cinema, Boardwalk, where four final-year films were screened to a full audience. The event marked an important moment for the Class of 2025, showing how students shaped ideas into full productions through structured planning, teamwork, and consistent effort.
Dean Simon Pienaar opened each session by reminding the audience of the depth of work behind the screenings. “What you are seeing today is not just a film on a screen,” he said. “It is hours of shaping rhythm and emotion frame by frame, it’s sound checks, colour work, subtitle control, and the pressure of the final export.”
He also highlighted the often unseen labour behind student productions, “There is so much coordination that never shows up in the credits, scouting, permissions, safety plans, call sheets, unpredictable weather, set building, wardrobe. These students showed up every day, even on difficult days, and they earned this moment.”
A formal examination process supported the festival. Thirteen audience response forms were given to selected viewers and the three external assessors on the critics’ panel. Containing twenty-five questions across two pages, the forms required clear, detailed responses. The feedback formed part of each film’s evaluation.
Senior Producing Lecturer Sino Banda said the preparations demanded discipline and unity. “This festival doesn’t happen overnight, it requires structure, consistency, and teamwork,” she explained. The class worked through scripting, scheduling, casting, editing, and logistical planning ahead of the festival.
She expressed deep pride in the group’s commitment, “I guided them, but they carried the weight. They showed focused planning, financial control, and decision-making under pressure. The Class of 2025 is ready for the industry.”
Four films were screened during the festival:
I’ll Have What She’s Having: A short feature with clear pacing and character focus.
Lie to Me: Written and directed by Nicole Sophocleus. The film explored mental health and grief. Lead actor Lihle Magwaca said she connected with the role deeply after recently losing her niece, which helped her embody the emotional weight of the character.
Umlilo: Written by Thabiso Tsipa and produced by Zanokuhle Mdluli. The story highlighted social issues faced by Black communities. A key line in the film stated that fire does not choose who it burns.
The Brief Case of Dr Lux: Written by Jordan Ker Fox. She said posters seen across South Africa, with messages about lost lovers and dark magic, inspired the story.
The range of stories, the discipline shown in production, and the commitment behind each film made the festival a strong signal of the talent emerging from AFDA. The South African film industry is in good hands.
For more, visit: https://afda.co.za/
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