Under the guidance of her grandparents — both retired educators — Mbali Lucia Mashaba’s love for storytelling was nurtured early. Her grandmother, a captivating storyteller, trained her in prose and poetry performance, igniting a passion that would shape her career. Today, Mbali, 26, is an award-winning filmmaker, film curator, and creative researcher leading Behind Her Lens Visuals, an agency dedicated to making African diasporic stories accessible to audiences globally. Through film screenings, festivals and talks, her work bridges the gap between industry professionals, emerging filmmakers, and everyday audiences. In 2024, Mbali’s Reel to Reality Film Festival expanded to Joburg, Cape Town, and Umlazi, Durban — showcasing 40 African short films, immersive exhibitions and community programmes. Her vision? To amplify African voices, foster representation, and create employment for young, black, femme creatives. Mbali’s directorial debut, Umlindelo, won Best Short Film at the Mashariki African Film Festival in Rwanda and continues to screen at prestigious festivals worldwide. “Stories are archives, and archives are history,” she says. Mbali ensures African stories remain seen and heard, now and for generations to come.
I really admire Issa Rae. My first encounters with Issa Rae’s work were through a digital storytelling course at university that included her YouTube hit web series Awkward Black Girl as a case study. Since then, Issa’s work has remained true to the alternative representation of Black femme identities she crafted and brought to the mainstream in 2011. She has cultivated and cemented herself as a storyteller of the ages, with a distinct storytelling approach that weaves comedy, authenticity and complexity to craft stories around Black identity. Issa has also built a multi-hyphenate career as an actress, producer, screenwriter and entrepreneur, with businesses spanning property, restaurants, production and, most recently, serving as Creative Director of the American Black Film Festival in 2024. She plays an active role in the film and television industry, often vocalising the shortcomings studios have in recognising the longevity of stories from people of colour. Her career inspires me to think about the longevity of my own, and to continue to champion the skills development of emerging filmmakers to become more business-minded and multifaceted. She is a beacon of authenticity in storytelling, and of alternative means of cultivating success through her YouTube beginnings.