Film Directors From South Africa

"I think that’s very important for girls to know: You can be the hero. You can be the strong one in the film. I think it’s a good message for young women all over the world."

"Working [in horror] is fun. It’s amazing. All that blood, and screaming, it’s just exciting! Watching it can be scary, but making it is so much fun."

"I wanted to convey that even in the most broken, abandoned places, both physically and emotionally, love and hope can still take root. Nature plays a big role in this story; as humanity fades, the Earth begins to heal."

"Initially, it was about survival. But as I developed the story, I realized that emotional survival is just as important, if not more so, than physical survival."

"I think the willingness to learn is extremely important. I never pretend to know everything and I’m always grateful for opportunities that allow me to sharpen my tools."

"Its important to have diverse voices involved in the storytelling process as this will define whether the audience will relate."

"I believe that there is a tendency to focus on narratives of struggle and resilience when it comes to black women on screen but I love to tell stories that centre on joy, adventure, and carefree living."

"We have been longing to tell a story about Black families being Black families, and this series is a celebration of who we are in all our chaos."

"Trust yourself. The world is not as scary as we think it is."

"I was inspired by the idea of isolation and survival, but also by something deeper, what would the world look like without us? During lockdowns and global upheaval, it became clear how quickly nature reclaims space when human presence fades."

"It’s important to have realistic expectations about what you want to do, If you just want to handle the creative side, then partner with trusted people who can run the business side."

"It’s important to know where your strengths lie and solely focus on that. That’s why when starting a business, It is vital that you partner with people that compliment the skills that you have."

"We’re building a legacy, and I hope this inspires every young woman out there to pick up a camera and tell her story."

"I feel that someone else owning your idea is challenging."

"What sparked my interest in this field was the ability to evoke people's emotions, through storytelling, which I think is a magical thing to be able to do."

"I was a pretty serious teen. I thought it would be the end of the world if I did badly in a test."

"Directing is challenging. I commend all the wonderful directors out there. It takes a lot to drive a project forward."

"I don't want to lose my name, Buntu."

"Are you really worried about your children, friend, or are you just worried about yourself and your bloody name? Wake up, man! Use that bloody book and with your pay on Friday you'll have a real chance to do something for them."

"Hold it, Robert. Hold it just like that. Just one more. Now smile Robert... Smile... Smile..."

"Anybody who thinks there's nothing wrong with this world needs to have his head examined. Just when things are going all right, without fail someone or something will come along and spoil everything. Somebody should write that down as a fundamental law of the Universe. The principle of perpetual disappointment. If there is a God who created this world, he should scrap it and try again."

"Yes! That's what all our talk about a decent world has been... just so much bullshit.""We did say it was still only a dream.""And a bloody useless one at that. Life's a fuck-up and it's never going to change."

"It's just that life felt the right size in there... not too big and not too small. Wasn't so hard to work up a bit of courage. It's got so bloody complicated since then."

"Sam: There's no collisions out there, Hally. Nobody trips or stumbles or bumps into anybody else. That's what that moment is all about. To be one of those finalists on that dance floor is like... like being in a dream about a world in which accidents don't happen. Hally: Jesus, Sam! That's beautiful! Willie: [Can endure waiting no longer.] I'm starting! [Willie dances while Sam talks.] Sam: Of course it is. That's what I've been trying to say to you all afternoon. And it's beautiful because that is what we want life to be like. But instead, like you said, Hally, we're bumping into each other all the time. Look at the three of us this afternoon. I've bumped into Willie, the two of us have bumped into you, you've bumped into your mother, she bumping into your Dad... None of us knows the steps and there's no music playing. And it doesn't stop with us. The whole world is doing it all the time. Open a newspaper and what do you read? America has bumped into Russia, England is bumping into India, rich man bumps into poor man. Those are big collisions, Hally. They make for a lot of bruises. People get hurt in all that bumping, and we're sick and tired of it now. It's been going on for too long. Are we never going to get it right? ... Learn to dance life like champions instead of always being just a bunch of beginners at it? Hally: You've got a vision, Sam! Sam: Not just me. What I'm saying to you is that everybody's got it. That's why there's only standing room left for the Centenery Hall in two weeks' time. For as long as the music lasts, we are going to see six couples get it right, the way we want life to be. Hally: But is that the best we can do, Sam watch six finalists dreaming about the way it should be? Sam: I don't know. But it starts with that. Without the dream we won't know what we're going for. And anyway I reckon there are a few people who have got past just dreaming about it and are trying for something real."

"Be careful, Hally." "Of what? The truth? I seem to be the only one around here who is prepared to face it."

"Life is just a plain bloody mess, that's all. And people are fools."

"Sam: So then what is art? Hally: You want a definition? Sam: Ja. Hally: [He realizes he has got to be careful. He gives the matter a lot of thought before answering.] Philosophers have been trying to do that for centuries. What is Art? What is Life? But basically I suppose it's... the giving of meaning to matter. Sam: Nothing to do with beautiful? Hally: It goes beyond that. It's the giving of form to the formless."

"Bullshit, as usual."

"Flicker of morbid interest."

"But things will change, you wait and see."

"I'm all right on oppression."

"Tolstoy may have educated his peasants, but I've educated you."

"Sam, Willie ... is he in there with you boys?"

"In fact, I was shit-scared that we were going to make fools of ourselves."

"Little white boy ... and a black man old enough to be his father flying a kite."

"You want to get into the story as well, do you?"

"It was you who start me ballroom dancing."

"Not just me. What I'm saying to you is that everybody's got it."

"He certainly was trying to teach people to get the steps right."

"All you've got to do is stand up and walk away from it."

""It doesn't have to be that way. There something called progress, you know. We don't exactly burn people at the stake anymore."

"We need a definition of greatness, and I suppose that would be somebody who... somebody who benefited all mankind.""

"It's the likes of you that kept the Inquisition in business. It's called bigotry.""

"I think I spent more time in there with you chaps than anywhere else in that dump. And do you blame me? Nothing but bloody misery wherever you went.""

"To be one of those finalists on that floor is like... like being in a dream world in which accidents don't happen.""

"He's a white man and that's good enough for you."

"I mean, how do I wash off yours and your father's filth?...I've also failed. A long time ago I promised myself I would do something, but you've just shown me...Master Harold...that I've failed."

"Fly another kite, I suppose. It worked once, and this time I need it as much as you do.""

"Sam: But don’t let me see it. The secret is to make it look easy. Ballroom must look happy, Willie, not like hard work. It must Ja!It must look like romance."

"Hally: I oscillate between hope and despair for this world as well, Sam."