“A powerful tribe of one”

Mbali Lucia Mashaba

Category

Film & Media
 

Organisation / Company

Behind Her Lens Visuals
Reel to Reality Film Festival
 

Position

Director | Curator | Researcher

 

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Profile

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.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of arts degree in film and television, University of the Witwatersrand
  • Film residency exchange programme, University of Gothenburg, Sweden

Achievements

  • Selected as guest curator for the Independent Cinema Office (UK) Screening Days: Young Audiences Programme — an international hybrid event focused on improving representation of children and young people in cinema audiences and the workforce
  • Curated and presented a session on strategic film curation for young audiences, highlighting targeted film programming, brand partnerships and multi-disciplinary approaches inspired by three African diasporic film organisations active in South Africa and the UK
  • Served as creative director, executive producer and curator for the festival’s theme on “Home” in African diasporic discourse, presented in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban
  • Delivered a multi-location programme featuring:  40 African diasporic short films from all over the African diaspora, 4 panel discussions, 2 wellness workshops and community partners across Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, as well as a staff of 50 people
  • Directed Umlindelo, a short film exploring two sisters’ mourning the loss of their father, who navigate the differences in the memories they have of him. The film won the Best Short Film Award at the Mashariki African Film Festival 2024, in Rwanda, with a moving citation from the jury, as a film that highlights the significance of cultural heritage, reminding African audiences of the rich tapestry of stories that shape our identities. 
  • To date, Umlindelo has been selected in the following film festivals: Reel to Reality Festival, Accra Indie Film Festival, International African Film Festival in Argentina, Fame Shorts Film Festival, Silicon Valley African Film Festival (USA), The African Film and Art Festival (USA), The Africa International Film Festival in Nigeria, Mashariki African Film Festival (Rwanda), Africa Rising International Film Festival and the Joburg Film Festival.

Mentors

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.