Ntokozo Mlaba, a filmmaker, writer, director, social activist, and cultural producer across multiple artistic disciplines, facilitates his social work and impact programmes through a non-profit organisation (NPO) called Umphakathi Artists.
The 23-year-old Mlaba, who holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree, is also the co-founder and managing director of the NPO.
Speaking to Sunday World this week, Mlaba said he practised art as a theatre practitioner and acting student at the National School of the Arts (NSA), where he staged plays at the NSA Theatre, Hillbrow Theatre and Joburg Theatre.
“I then went on to make a number of short films, the most recent of which is titled To Be Seen (2022), starring Mam Sibongile Nojila,” Mlaba said.
“It has been accepted into numerous film festivals, won Best Narrative Short at the Blackboard International Film Festival in the month of October, and received a special mention for its direction at the Eastern Europe Film Festival in the same month.”
Serving the community through the arts
It is the first part of a trilogy of films that Mlaba is making about his take on the issues that plague the world.
The second part is currently in development.
Mlaba, who is one of the 2024 Young Voices Award recipients at the Joburg Film Festival, shared: When Absa hopped on board and said they would be financing my film, I was ecstatic.
“It’s been gratifying working with an organisation that understands that the light of our existence are the stories that we experience and having them on board with our initiative, The Peoples Biskop, where we are facilitating multiple screenings in different parts of Soweto to enable accessibility to an African child and to contribute to community building and social cohesion.”
“I love the work that I do, the stories I tell, and the people I tell them about. It is an absolute honour to be able to serve the community through the arts.”
