Believe in the power of your dreams, says film director Bongani Morgan, 29, who has certainly acted upon his own advice. The AFDA graduate who works for Spitfire Films has directed a number of award-winning TV shows and three documentaries, but his proudest achievement was using the power of film to change young people’s lives. During the making of a documentary on Springbok rugby player Makazole Mapimpi, the film crew discovered that his alma mater, Jim Mvabaza Secondary School, had become run-down, so the children of Twecu Village had to attend other schools that were far away. The school was refurbished and opened again in 2024, which “transcended every accolade my films have received”, says Bongani. He dedicates his spare time to empowering children who are interested in filmmaking through the Alexandra Education Committee. Bongani is excited by the “future wave” of young creatives in his field, who he says have powerful convictions — and this bodes well for the future of the film industry. He believes that the youth are open-minded enough to blend innovation with tradition, and rates the greatest achievement of South Africa in the past 30 years as the meteoric rise of its arts, culture and creatives.
Bachelor of Arts in Motion Picture Medium (Directing and Screenwriting), AFDA.
The achievement I’m most proud of so far in my career is rebuilding the high school that Makazole Mapimpi (the first Springbok player to score a try in a World Cup Rugby final and now also a two-time Springbok world champion) attended, called Jim Mvabaza Secondary School.
We had discovered the school’s rundown state through preparations to film his documentary. It had been uncared for, so the local kids had to go to schools in villages that were much further away.
This led to the filmmaking team and the sponsors committing to the refurbishment of the school, which came to fruition in 2024.
What’s made me proud about this achievement is that it is something I’ve always dreamed of: the idea that filmmaking can really change lives.
We are all collectively responsible for the upliftment and the ethics of our society, and the power of film was able to touch and change the lives of the children of Twecu Village in the Eastern Cape.
This has transcended every accolade my films have received, and affirms my belief in the African aphorism: ‘‘If you want to go far, go together. If you want to go fast, go alone.”
There are plenty of them — the likes of Zwelethu Radebe, Nosipho Dumisa-Ngoasheng, Sihle Hlophe and Rolie Nikiwe — just a few local names in my field. One of the best ways they’ve influenced me is through their humility, dedication to their craft and their approach to work. Every opportunity is a chance to learn, despite the battle scars.