‘SA Confidential’ victorious in 48-hour Film Project contest
KAZIMLA MFKILI
Eastern Cape Institute of Film from East London will have their short film, SA Confidential screened in Seattle, in the US, next year following their win in the 2025 ‘48-hour Film Project’ — an annual international competition for aspiring filmmakers.
The competition has been running in 100 cities around the world since 2001. East London is one of only three SA cities who host it. Rolled out by the Cortex Hub in Quigney, the competition is supported by Eastern Cape department of sport, recreation, arts & culture (DSRAC), Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) and the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF).
Fifteen groups entered the East London-based version of the competition from June 13-15 in which 100 participants worked together in only 48 hours to write, produce and shoot a short film. Eastern Cape Institute of Film’s SA Confidential, a short crime film, blew the judges away for the depth of its plot and the style of its cinematography.
The panel of judges included renowned Eastern Cape-born actor and film practitioner, Hlomla Dandala and fellow Eastern Cape filmmaker and producer Zinzi Soga.
The group won R50,000 and are among a select few from the other competitions in host cities around the world whose films will be screened in the US next year.
In addition to an international screening they debuted their film locally at the National Arts Festival in Makhanda earlier this month.
The group was led and directed to victory by Babini Ntloko, who runs a digital marketing company.
Ntloko said the experience and opportunity to make a film was so intense and fulfilling, it almost made him forget about the R50,000 prize. He considers this year’s win retribution after having placed second in 2024.
“Competing in the challenge yet again after coming second last year has become easier for us as we knew what goals we wanted to achieve and had a team system to reach them.
“The high-pressure environment that came with making a 48-hour film was one of the biggest challenges.
“We had amateur scriptwriters, and we were all willing to learn. We had to put our egos aside and adjust to working as a team.
“We want to use this achievement to build the momentum towards our ultimate goal of one day opening a film academy in East London for other filmmakers to learn as well.”
The Cortex Hub’s Lunga Feni said; “Here in East London, we wanted to make sure that all could participate.
“We understood that there are limited resources available for filmmakers not only in East London but in the Eastern Cape. We opened the doors for participants to use resources from the hub such as video editing tools. We further provided food and accommodation.”
Feni who is also the partnership associate for Cortex Hub emphasised how important it is to give filmmakers in the Eastern Cape this opportunity rather than them migrating outside of the province for opportunities and funding.
The Eastern Cape sport, recreation, arts & culture spokesperson Andile Nduna said that the department welcomes initiatives like the 48-hour Film Project that give a platform for creatives from the province to tell their stories in a manner that develops the industry.
“Film development, showcasing and telling of Eastern Cape stories is a priority of the Eastern Cape government. Recently, the MEC for finance allocated R70m over a three-year financial circle for film development in the province,” he said.