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The People Behind the Walls
Simba Mahachi
Director, Writer & Visual Effects Artist
Having his first novel published at 13 & his first screenplay shortlisted for a contest’s semi-finals from over 900 submissions at 17, Simba Mahachi’s talent and passion for storytelling has pushed him from his infancy.
Born and raised in the culturally vibrant Harare, Zimbabwe, he always felt comfortable in the creative industry and sought out film, finding it one of the most expressive and malleable mediums of art. An award-nominated filmmaker, Simba endeavors to create motion pictures that stir audiences emotionally, challenge them intellectually, and dazzle them visually.
Kris Marx
Producer
Kris Marx moved down to Cape Town in 2019 with the intention to study Producing, she picked up a lot of different skills during the past 3 years, however her biggest passion remains with connecting creatives together. Kris believes her role in ‘If These Walls Were Wallets’ is to bring together a crew to create something beautiful.
John Crowther
Script Supervisor
John Crowther is a third-year screenwriting and film editing student at AFDA. As a young boy, John would pace up and down his back garden, mumbling to himself, imagining scenes and creating stories in his head. It all came full circle when he decided on going to film school on a whim and had no prior interest in or knowledge of film making. Fortunately, John has found immense value in exploring his creativity and learning about film as a medium of art. It has been one of the best decisions John has made for himself and one for which he feels no regret. Nobody knows where John is off to next, but he will remain open to the opportunities and lessons life presents.
Alex Kellerman
Cinematographer
Alex Kellerman is a third year student at AFDA in Cape Town, specialising in cinematography, data management and colour grading. During his time at film school, he has taken on a range of roles in numerous student films, which has helped him develop his personal artistic expression as a creative. Together with his peers, he hopes to create meaningful content that satisfies the needs of an intended target market.
Ruan van Wyk
Data Image Technician & Colorist
My name is Ruan van Wyk and am the DIT and Grader for If These Walls Were Wallets. As an acting Data Image Technician, I work with the Cinematographer to ensure that the footage being filmed is processed in an efficient workflow where no data can be lost. It is an extremely pressured but rewarding job. Grading entails controlling and enhancing color in order to entice the audience in believing in the world of Walls of Wallets, as well as stylising it.
Chris Hammond
Co-Editor
Born, bred and raised in Cape Town. Christopher Hammond is one of the editors for ‘If The Walls Were Wallets” graduation short film. Chris started editing on windows movie maker at the age of just 11. Being fascinated with the process of post production, Chris has always enjoyed the pleasure that comes with editing. Chris is honing his craft here at AFDA, in his final academic year, majoring in editing and seeks to venture out into documentary storytelling.
Sihle Gwala
Co-Editor
Sihle Gwala is one to keep quiet and let his work speak for itself. “I believe with hard work and persistence you can achieve anything and you only person to stop you from your goals is you. I love what I do because I love to be creative, my best ideas come from good energy, experiences & people. I also think it’s important to share that share good energy too when needed. I would call my editing style a ‘hot mess’, where there’s always beauty in the chaos and you’ll never not be entertained. I do this because I want to tell stories in my own way and it’s the way I know how.”
Jonah Dollery
Sound Designer
Jonah Dollery is the sound designer for the AFDA graduation film “If These Walls were Wallets”. Although raised in Zambia, Jonah developed a love for film and documentary while studying abroad, finally coming to Cape Town to study at AFDA in 2019. While Jonah loves the other elements of film, he came to understand the crucial influence that sound has on the audience’s experience and how it can enhance the film while working side by side with the image.
Daniela Klee
Music Composer
“When the world becomes a massive mess with nobody at the helm, it’s time for artists to make their mark” - Joni Mitchell
Having had her own passion for music spark at a young age, Daniela’s interest and curiosity for music has developed into a deep love and admiration for the work of past and present composers. Her fascination for film scores has been a huge contribution toward this development. Having been inspired by composers such as Thomas Newman, Christopher Tin, and Eric Whitacre, she hopes to continue to create music which will inspire those around her.
Having had the privilege of being a member in the award winning ‘Kwa-zulu Natal Midlands Youth Choir’ and having learnt many instruments over the years, in her final year of studying her undergraduate degree for music composition, her goal is to learn as much as possible, by attending online international summer school workshops as well as interning with sound and music production companies, with hopes of stepping into the industry with a solid base of knowledge and skills.
Emma Marriot
Costume, Make-Up & Stylist
Emma Marriot
Costume, Make-Up & Stylist
“Hi, I'm Emma and I am the acting costume designer for the production ‘If These Walls Were Wallets’. I've been a practicing fabricator for the last 7 years, designing the costumes and characters for this film has been an amazing process. Incorporating different cultures, eras and styles has made the process unique and, being the final film that I will make with Simba, our lovely director, it has been very special.”
Ketsala Makuku
Production Designer
Ketsala Makuku, born and raised in Botswana, is an artist trying to grasp as many skills as he can in the film industry. He believes he is good at using his hands and is looking forward to working on more projects in film to help him gain more experience.
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