Prof Sylvia Vollenhoven

Author, playwright, award-winning journalist and filmmaker. Appointed the University of Johannesburg’s first ever Professor of Practice (Humanities Faculty). Awarded a grant by a special SA Presidential fund for Stream Learn, a skills development bridging programme she designed that is assisting film graduates who are struggling to find employment. Her feature documentary Jozi Gold had its international premiere at the prestigious Copenhagen International Film Festival CPH:DOX. This film (She is Co Director & SA Producer) was chosen for a special screening to launch the 21st Encounters Film Festival (SA). Winner of the Jury Prize, Audience Award and the 1st Prize at the Caribbean Tales Big Pitch at the Toronto Film Festival (TIFF) 2019 for her feature film in development, Buckingham Palace District Six. Her creative non-fiction novel The Keeper of the Kumm won SA’s Mbokodo Award for Literature. SA Producer for the BBC 1 2-part mini series Mandela the Living Legend. A play she co authored, My Word, Redesigning Buckingham Palace, was chosen for a run on London’s West End. A Knight Fellow who led a project to improve media coverage of poverty and development issues in Ghana for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Commissioned by the SABC to produce a four-part mini series called Striking A Chord, that tells the stories of iconic South Africans – including writer Athol Fugard – using music and memory. One of the episodes was nominated for a SA Film and Television Award (SAFTA) for Best Director (Vollenhoven) & Best Documentary. Commissioned by the SABC to produce two investigative documentaries: Project Spear, a probe into the billions looted from state coffers in the dying days of the apartheid regime as well as a film on the neglected former MK (ANC military wing) cadres who live on the margins of society, Roar Young Lions. Project Spear became the subject of a Supreme Court battle for media freedom in SA. Member of the International Emmy Awards 2018 as well as the SAFTA (several years) juries. Panelist several years running for the SA National Film & Video Foundation (NFVF) grant awards. As the Africa representative for the Thomson Foundation (UK) she was the lead trainer for the Foundation's first-ever documentary filmmaking course at Cardiff University. The Foundation also appointed her to lead a project that was a collaboration with Oxford University and the African Economic Research Centre in Nairobi to train senior financial journalists. Founder of VIA – Vision in Africa, that has spearheaded innovative international media training initiatives and that specialises in filmmaking, creative writing, cross platform storytelling and training. In the early 90’s, Vollenhoven was the Southern African Correspondent for the Swedish newspaper, Expressen, and was awarded Sweden’s top journalism prize by Scandinavia’s prestigious Publicist Klubben. For 10 years, Vollenhoven served as the Southern Africa Coordinator for the International.