From 21 to 23 August 2026 the Power24 International Film Festival turned its Durban stages into a showcase for emerging talent. The programme featured three films from Afda Durban, the film school attached to the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and one of those films, Isinamuva, walked away with the Best Student Film prize.
According to the press release, the three titles were Tomasi, Isinamuva and the 2025 Honours graduation film Umtsha Wendoda. Isinamuva was directed by Thulisile Sithebe and was entered in the festival’s Best Student Film category alongside other student productions from around the world. Its win marks the first time an Afda Durban student film has taken the top honour at this international event.
What the films are about
Tomasi is a ten-minute experimental musical drama written and directed by Portia Ncwane. It follows a 17-year-old who leaves his rural home after his grandmother dies and moves to a Durban township, where he confronts expectations of masculinity. The piece uses dance, classical music and dream-like sequences to explore identity, grief and self-expression. The film had already been screened at Durban’s Insika Festival for Men earlier in the year, showing its ability to engage with ongoing conversations about gender.
Isinamuva tells a story that resonated with the festival judges, though the release does not detail its plot. The award citation highlighted the film’s capacity to connect with audiences beyond the classroom, suggesting a level of craftsmanship that rivals professional short-form work.
Umtsha Wendoda is a 24-minute lyrical surrealist piece written by Hannah Veronica and co-directed with Nonala Zondi. It follows two boys revisiting a childhood waterfall, using the journey as a metaphor for growing up, memory and masculinity. The film has already been selected for competition at the 2026 Mpumalanga International Film Festival, indicating that Afda Durban graduates are gaining traction on multiple festival circuits.
Why it matters for local creative businesses
For small production houses, post-production studios and equipment hire firms in KwaZulu-Natal, the success of these student films signals a growing pool of talent ready to work on professional projects. When a film school’s output reaches an international festival, it often leads to collaborations, internships and freelance opportunities that can feed the regional creative economy. The award also raises the profile of Afda Durban, making it easier for its graduates to attract funding or co-production deals.
From a broader industry perspective, the Power24 International Film Festival is positioned as a bridge between South African storytellers and the global market. The festival’s programme mixes local and overseas titles, offering a platform where emerging South African voices can be seen by international programmers, distributors and investors. That exposure can translate into sales, distribution agreements or even tourism-linked events that benefit local businesses.
What remains uncertain
The press release does not disclose the prize money attached to the Best Student Film award, nor does it detail any follow-up support for the winning filmmaker. It also does not specify how many South African student films were entered in total, making it hard to gauge the competition level. Those gaps mean the full commercial impact of the win is still to be measured.
Nevertheless, the achievement underscores Afda Durban’s commitment to experimental storytelling and to preparing students for the realities of a competitive festival environment. For entrepreneurs in the creative sector, the story is a reminder that nurturing local talent can yield recognisable outcomes on an international stage.
Film schools attached to universities occupy a specific place in South Africa’s screen-industry pipeline: they produce graduates already credited on a finished, festival-selected work before they ever apply for their first industry job, which is a meaningfully different starting position from a graduate with only coursework to show. For small production houses and equipment-hire businesses in KwaZulu-Natal specifically, a steady supply of festival-ready graduates matters because local crews are frequently assembled on a project-by-project basis, and a director or cinematographer with an international selection already on their reel is easier to place with a producer weighing up an unfamiliar name.
