South African Film God’s Work awarded prestigious prize at Luxor African Film Festival

The South African feature film God’s Work, directed by Michael James and produced by Sithabile Mkhize was awarded the prestigious Radwan El Kashef Prize for Best Film Addressing an African Issue (Silver Mask of Tutankhamun) at The Luxor African Film Festival in Egypt last week.

“The Radwan El Kashef Prize for the Best Film addressing an African issue is not granted annually, but only when the High Committee decides that a particular film deserves this special honour, marking it as a distinction reserved for truly exceptional works that embody both artistic excellence and deep engagement with African realities,” says Festival Director Ms Azza El Husseiny.

The prize is named after Egypt’s pioneering independent filmmaker Radwan El Kashef (1952–2002), and symbolizes cinema that elevates marginalized voices with empathy and poetic depth. The film was honoured for “its powerful artistic vision and its sincere exploration of African identity and collective struggle.”

The award was presented to the director, Michael James by Dr Hossam El-Mandouh El-Husseini, Egyptian Member of Parliament, in recognition of the enduring cultural ties between Egypt and Africa and the festival’s role as a platform for creative dialogue across the continent.

Reflecting on the honour, director Michael James said: “Receiving this award on behalf of the film, and all involved is deeply humbling. This award affirms the importance of telling African stories with honesty and empathy, and I hope God’s Work continues to contribute to the ongoing dialogue around affirming the humanity of the homeless community."

Sithabile Mkhize commented, “This award is especially important because it acknowledges one of the central intentions of the film, which is to use the power of cinema to build bridges across humanity."

“This recognition is a powerful validation of the collaborative effort behind God’s Work,” says Executive Producer Toni Monty. “It highlights the strength of African filmmaking and the importance of creating platforms where our stories can resonate globally. We are proud to see the film stand alongside works that embody both artistic excellence and social relevance.”

The film is supported by the Durban Film Office, KZN Tourism and Film, The National Film and Video Foundation, and co-produced with Amafrika Films and Mojo Entertainment. 

Four African Writers Head to France for Series Mania Forum

Cape Town SA:  23 March 2026: Four exceptional African screenwriters will showcase their original television series projects to international industry leaders at the Series Mania Forum in Lille, France, later this month, following six months of intensive development through the Realness Institute’s AuthenticA Series Lab.

The AuthenticA Series Lab is an episodic screenwriting programme run in partnership with The StoryBoard Collective, and with support from the Canada Media Fund and industry partners Series Mania Forum, the major international gathering for the development, financing and distribution of scripted television series.

Now in its fourth edition, AuthenticA Series Lab supports and mentors African writers to develop globally competitive television series enabling them to pitch and connect with international partners, financiers and producers.

The writers from Egypt, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria will present their projects at the AuthenticA African Series Pitch on Tuesday, 24 March 2026 (14:30–15:00) during the Series Mania Forum. 

The four participating writers are:

Reem Morsi (Egypt/Canada) who will pitch Humanitarians!, a Dark Comedy at the Forum. Reem is an award-winning writer and director, and multi-genre filmmaker, with a background in professional scuba diving, and human rights advocacy. Her feature Banned has just begun its festival tour, and she has directed the film Queen Tut and episodes of Virgins!, including the season finale. Her series FISH won the Canadian National Genre Competition by WIFTV and is currently in development, along with two other scripted projects. 

Gamel Apalayine (Ghana) who will pitch his Mystery Drama The Gospel According to Charlotte Nelson is a storyteller working across film, television, theatre, and music. He was Head Writer for 560 episodes of Ghana’s hit series DEDE and two seasons of ENO, Showmax’s first original drama series. He is developing a dynamic slate of film, TV, and theatre projects through his creative company, Whistling Rocks. 

Mona Ombogo (Kenya) is an award-winning scriptwriter and best-selling author, who received the 2024 Women in Film Award for Best Script Writer and the Best Writing in a Series award at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards for Netflix’s Volume. She has served as head writer for Salem and Shanga, and contributed to Showmax’s Single Kiasi. She will pitch a Romantic Thriller series called Kanaan at the Forum.

Joladé Olusanya (Nigeria/UK) who is a poet, filmmaker, and photographer, who tells intimate stories blending lyrical writing with cinematic visuals, will pitch his project KID: The Hogan Bassey Story, a Sports Epic. Joladé has been commissioned by the BBC and Barbican, and exhibited internationally. Through his company, By The Kin, he is developing short films and an original TV series while building community-led projects. 

"At Series Mania Forum, we’re excited to showcase these four extraordinary talents from Africa on a global stage, where their rich and diverse stories can captivate the international industry,” says Francesco Capurro, Director, Series Mania Forum. “We’re proud to champion their voices and look forward to the impact they will make worldwide"

“Providing African writers a safe space to develop the stories they want to tell with the resources they need to tell them, is still a rare intervention.  These four writers are proof of what becomes possible when that space actually exists,” says Mehret Mandefro, Creative Producer, Managing Director, Realness Institute: 

“Each year the AuthenticA writers are encouraged to tell the stories they have kept quietly hidden — the audacious, difficult, complex ones. With the support the lab provides, the writers consistently push the boundaries,” says Selina Ukwuoma, Script Consultant and Director of Writing Programmes, Realness Institute. “They find a way to tell these groundbreaking stories and in so doing they redefine the narrative about Africa.”

Laure de Peretti de la Rocca, Executive Director, The StoryBoard Collective says, "The AuthenticA Series Lab is not only a long-term creative development program, but also provides writers with the market literacy and industry access needed to protect their voices. We support storytellers whose perspectives deserve far greater visibility on screen and create pathways to international partners ready to bring those stories to life.”

Through its robust and hands-on mentorship and development programme the AuthenticA Series Lab equips African series writers with the skills to bring their stories to life, while the Series Mania Forum opens doors to global audiences.

For more information on the AuthenticA Series Lab: https://www.realness.institute/authentica-series-lab

God’s Work Premiering at 46th Durban International Film Festival

Durban, South Africa: A haunting and visually arresting South African debut feature God’s Work, by Durban-based award-winning director Michael James, has been selected to be in competition for Best South African Feature, and will have its SA Premiere at this year’s Durban International Film Festival on Sunday 20 July.

In the heart of Durban, South Africa, a crumbling building offers a fragile sanctuary to a group of unhoused men surviving on society’s margins. Blurring the line between reality and fiction, the film follows Simphiwe played by SAFTA award-winning actor Thobani Nzuza (eHostela, Uzalo, DiepCity), and his crew as they navigate addiction, poverty, performative politics, and the lure of fleeting fame.  With Simphiwe (Thobani Nzuza) fighting demons only he can see, and moving performances by a strong supporting cast, Mbulelo Radebe, Omega Mncube, Siya Xaba, Zenzo Msomi and Nduduzo Khowa, the film is a raw exploration of survival, brotherhood, and the human desire to be seen before disappearing.

The plight of the poor and unhoused is a starkly present and concrete problem throughout the world today, and increasingly becoming a political quagmire, but for director James attempting to portray that in God’s Work, he believes called “for storytelling that transcends the conventional narrative of social realism.”

Inspired whilst filming a documentary about homeless shelters at the Denis Hurley Centre in Durban during the pandemic, God’s Work doesn’t ask for pity, it demands attention. It confronts the viewer with the brutal poetry of life on the margins—and the stubborn humanity that persists there. “My intent is to engage with both the internal and external worlds of the characters,” says James, “and to allow the audience deeper access into the surreal and often troubling recesses of the human mind.” 

“From the outset, God’s Work stood out for its bold vision and emotional depth, and was always going to be a fascinating filmic challenge. The combination of Michael’s creative vision and Sithabile’s empathetic yet unrelenting approach to the production ethos combined with support from our production team and partners has brought this powerful story to life. We look forward to sharing it with Durban audiences” says Executive Producer, Toni Monty.

“The film considers what it means to be human in an unjust world,” says Producer Sithabile Mkhize. “It hopes to contribute to the current conversations within the zeitgeist regarding income inequality, the failures of capitalism, racism, police brutality, class consciousness, and ultimately how all these ideas intersect with the existential realities of life within the African context. This is not just a film about homelessness, it’s a story about power, loss, resistance—and what it costs to stay human in a world that’s abandoned its soul.”

Produced by Mkhize (SA), co-produced by Marco Orsini (USA), and executive produced by Toni Monty (SA) and Gary Springer (USA), God’s Work is written and directed by Michael James - a Maverick Resistance production in association with the KwaZulu-Natal Film and Tourism Authority, the National Film and Video Foundation of South Africa, Amafrika Films, and Mojo Entertainment LLC, supported by the Durban Film Office. Award-winning composer, music producer, musician and film producer, West-African born George Acogny has created a deeply emotive score for the film. 

The film debuts at the Durban International Film Festival on Sunday 20 July at 7pm, at Suncoast Cinecentre. Other screenings take place at the Denis Hurley Centre 26 July at 1pm, Watercrest Sterkinekor Sunday, 27 July at 5pm. There will be screenings at The Bioscope (Johannesburg) on Friday, August 1 at 12 noon, and at the Labia Theatre (Cape Town) on Sunday, 3 August at 12 noon.

For more information follow on social media : Facebook and Instagram: godsworkthefilm or website https://www.godsworkthefilm.com/

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