The Durban FilmMart Institute (DFMI) is pleased to announce the appointment of its new Board of Directors, marking a new chapter for the organisation as it reaffirms its commitment to championing African film narratives and supporting industry professionals across the continent. The Board plays a central role in guiding DFMI’s strategic direction, fostering sustainable growth, and advancing its mandate to facilitate local and international trade and investment in African film content.
DFMI management extends its sincere thanks to the outgoing Board of Directors for their dedication and commitment in ensuring the organisation remained relevant and met its strategic objectives during a challenging period.
“It has been an honour to serve alongside such a dedicated board, whose service and friendship have strengthened the Durban FilmMart Institute,” said outgoing Chairperson Mpumi Mazibuko. “Over the past three years, this organisation has grown to fully embody its mandate: facilitating investment in film, increasing the visibility of African content, improving access to funding, promoting co-productions, encouraging collaboration, expanding market access, and building a supportive community of filmmakers across the continent. That progress reflects the work of a strong and passionate team operating daily behind the scenes to grow the continent’s film industry. I extend my heartfelt thanks to both the Board and staff, and wish the incoming Chairperson and Board every success as they lead DFMI into its next chapter.”
The new DFMI Board of Directors, who took office in early 2026, comprises Ameera Faber, Mocke Jansen van Veuren, Zanele Mthembu, Masi Mtshali, Poovashnee Reddy, and Khalid Shamis, with Tshepiso Chikapa-Phiri serving as Chairperson.
“We extend a warm welcome to the new Board of Directors,” said Magdalene Reddy, Director of the Durban FilmMart Institute. “These newly appointed members bring considerable experience, expertise, and passion for the film industry, and we have every confidence in their judgment and strategic vision. Their diverse backgrounds and perspectives will strengthen the Institute’s commitment to promoting cinematic excellence, nurturing emerging talent, and preserving film heritage and culture across the continent.”
The collective expertise and leadership of the new Board will reinforce DFMI’s capacity to innovate, lead industry trends, and deliver resources and opportunities for filmmakers and industry professionals. With the Board’s guidance, the Institute is well positioned to continue its legacy of excellence.
New Chairperson Tshepiso Chikapa-Phiri said: “I am thrilled to welcome a new, dedicated Board. Serving on the DFMI Board is a privilege, because everyone who has contributed to it — alongside an exceptional staff complement under the leadership of Magdalene Reddy — has done so with genuine dedication, often without compensation, bringing real expertise to keep its market vibrant and thriving. I am honoured to take on this role, succeeding the outstanding leadership of our outgoing Chair, attorney Mpumi Mazibuko.”
Established in 2020, the Durban FilmMart Institute is a non-profit organisation that aims to be a leading hub for the African film industry, offering year-round support to film professionals and helping build global visibility for African content and talent. Alongside its training and development initiatives, the Institute’s flagship event — Africa’s premier film finance and co-production market, the annual Durban FilmMart — enters its 17th edition this October 2026.
Tshepiso Chikapa Phiri is the CEO and founder of the Known Associates Group of Companies, which includes a below the line agency, design studio, film production development and finance company and is currently building a state-of-the-Art film and television Studio in the Cradle of Humankind outside Johannesburg. KA skilfully produces and directs world-class projects in the communications, experiential, and relationship marketing industries, both locally and across Africa.
She is a University of Cape Town Alumni, with 20 years’ experience in communications, events, media, marketing, and film and television production. Her career includes working in international events including the North Sea Jazz Festival and Sithengi Film Festival. She has also worked in classic advertising as a ‘suit’. In 2007 she decided to commit to a career as a television and film producer. Her training ground was at Bomb Productions where she was the Associate Producer on the drama series Zone14. In 2008 she formed a boutique film and television production company Zing Entertainment with her partner Joel Phiri. Zing in partnership with Pulp Films produced MTN’s The Beautiful Game, a football documentary filmed throughout Africa.
She sits on the board of Media Heads 360 and is a shareholder in the business. She is a trustee of the Smile Artist Foundation and the Gerald Sekoto Trust. Tshepiso holds key industry roles including Co-Chair of SASFED, Deputy Chairperson of the IPO (formerly Chairperson and Treasurer), and Board Member at the Durban FilmMart Institute. She is also a leading voice in the Independent Black Filmmakers Collective (IBFC), advocating for transformation and inclusive growth across the African screen sector.
She is also on the board of the Cradle Nature Reserve, which controls over 10 000 hectares of land in the Cradle Precinct. In 2018 she founded Known Associates Entertainment with Dan Jawitz. The company has recently purchased Moonlighting Films PTY LTD, a leading television and film servicing company. The first KAE production, uBettina Wethu was a multi season series based on the Columbian smash hit telenovela YO SOY BETTY LA FEY (adapted as Ugly Betty in the US).
The company has serviced international productions including Universal Studios’ feature film, Beast and Sony Pictures’ The Woman King. KAE produced ETV’s first EVOD feature film, Atlantis (2021), John Barker’s The Umbrella Man, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2022 and Fabian Medea’s feature film Wild Is The Wind, which premiered on Netflix in 2022.
Ameera Faber, whose career continues a three-generation family presence in storytelling, is an award-winning producer with extensive experience in transmedia campaigns. She has produced over 600 hours of television content broadcast on networks including SABC, e.tv, and Netflix, spanning documentary, factual, reality, and drama genres and reflecting a deep understanding of both African storytelling and global distribution.
Ameera serves as Deputy Chair of the Documentary Filmmakers Association and has served as a juror for the SAFTAs and the International Emmy Awards. She holds two bachelor’s degrees, in Film and in Metaphysical Science, a master’s degree in Business Psychology, and is pursuing a PhD in Conscious Business Ethics. She is an ordained minister and the author of several books on relationship-building in the film, television, music, and entertainment industries, and owns a post-production facility in Johannesburg that supports major SABC 1 soap operas. She is also co-founder of True Continent, an African documentary streaming platform, co-founder of The Superhero Project NPO, and founder of Coaching for Women, which focuses on leadership development for African women.
Khalid Shamis is an editor and educator, director and producer with a film-making practice over 25 years. His practice is strongly dedicated to the pedagogy of independent filmmaking and story construction in Africa, teaching and consulting in and outside film institutions and organised frameworks.
Khalid is a regular jury at film festivals and reads for film funds and workshops. He is on the executive board of the South African Guild of Editors, board member of the Durban Film Mart Institute, a member of Rough Cut Service and a doctoral fellow at the Centre for Humanities Research (CHR) at the University of the Western Cape. Khalid is also founder and director of Rough Cut Lab Africa, RCLA, a story support programme for independent African films at the rough cut stage.
Khalid’s films as editor are numerous, and as director notably ‘Imam and I’ and ‘The Colonel’s Stray Dogs.’
Masi Mtshali is an attorney specialising in intellectual property law. He holds an LL.B from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and is a member of the Legal Practice Council, the South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law, and the International Trademark Association.
Masi assists businesses and individuals with trademark registration, copyright registration for cinematographic works, strategic advice on IP portfolios, and the protection of existing intellectual property from infringement and exploitation. His expertise makes him a valuable resource for those seeking to register and protect their intellectual property in the creative industries. He is Founder and Director of Mtshali & Associates Inc.
Mocke Jansen van Veuren is an experimental filmmaker, multimedia artist, educator and PhD candidate holding the positions of Deputy Head of Department at the Wits Department of Film & Television and Vice-Chair of Animation SA. His PhD research focuses on the development of unique, community-based film and animation production methodologies and pedagogies. He is the recipient of the FNB Art Prize (with Nelisiwe Xaba) in 2013, the UJ Chancellor’s Award for Research in 2013, and the Wits Vice Chancellor’s Award for Academic Citizenship in 2025.
Van Veuren has been deeply involved in the creation of national standards, qualifications and curricula in film, audio-visual production and animation. He has taught filmmaking, multimedia and animation at a number of institutions including UJ, Academy of Sound Engineering, AFDA and Wits over the past twenty years. He is a member of The Beehive Culture Worx, a grassroots collective developing and running community-based film and animation education and production programmes in Kliptown and Eldorado Park, and is currently developing an experimental animated documentary feature film with the collective.
Poovashnee Reddy is a Chartered Accountant and strategic finance and investment professional with more than 13 years’ experience across PwC South Africa, Deloitte UK, venture-backed startups, and institutional investment environments. Her expertise spans strategic finance, investor readiness, financial modelling, transaction advisory, governance, capital strategy, and financial reporting, gained through work with multinational organisations, early-stage ventures, and investment stakeholders across complex, cross-border environments.
Her work centres on the intersection of finance, investment, and business growth — supporting founders, investors, and leadership teams through capital raising, investment evaluation, governance, and strategic decision-making. She has developed investor-facing financial models and materials, supported due diligence processes, and advised businesses on strengthening financial governance and investment readiness, with a focus on translating complex financial information into practical, actionable insight.
Beyond her advisory work, Poovashnee contributes to boards and strategic initiatives in the energy, infrastructure, and creative sectors, bringing experience in financial oversight, governance, risk management, and long-term strategic planning, with a particular interest in strengthening investment ecosystems and supporting entrepreneurship.
Zanele Mthembu is Managing Director and Executive Producer at Brown Panther Films, a part-time lecturer at Tshwane University of Technology, and Acting Executive Officer at Sisters Working in Film and Television (SWIFT).
A seasoned media professional, she has 30 years’ experience in broadcasting, production, and distribution across local and international markets. Her senior roles include Executive Head of Channel at Newzroom Afrika and Group Head of Content at eMedia Group. She began her career at Penguin Films, later became Discovery Communications, Inc.’s International Fellow, and earned an MFA in Film from Howard University in Washington, DC.
Zanele contributes to industry development through her service on the South African Audio Visual Cluster Board. She has also served as a board member of the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) Council and as Chair of the SWIFT Board. She has served on the judging panels for several major awards, including the SAFTAs, Wildscreen Festival Awards, Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival Awards, and other international honours. She is a Fellow of the Africa Leadership Initiative and the Aspen Global Leadership Network. She was Executive Producer on the feature films Otelo Burning and Felix, has recently completed her first PESP5-funded docuseries, and is currently in production with her first documentary.
The Durban FilmMart Institute is the business hub of the African film industry, working toward a world in which African professionals and products are globally competitive and celebrated. Its mission is to provide effective programmes and services that promote, support, and facilitate investment in the African film industry.
The 17th edition of the Durban FilmMart takes place from 9–12 October 2026.
The 17th edition Durban FilmMart is funded by the Durban Film Office, eThekwini Municipality, Ford Foundation, the National Film and Video Foundation and IEFTF.
For press enquiries please contact:
Sharlene Versfeld | Publicist | [email protected]
About Durban FilmMart Institute
Durban FilmMart Institute is the business hub of the African film industry in a world where African professionals and content are globally competitive and celebrated. The mission of the Durban FilmMart Institute is to provide appropriate and effective programmes and services to promote, support and facilitate investment in the African film industry. The Durban FilmMart Institute runs year-round developmental programmes and an annual market (Durban FilmMart). The DFMI is the custodian of Filmmart.africa which is an online tool for filmmakers to connect and which we hope will enhance visibility for African content.
