For Nomvuselelo Dlamini, building a career in South Africa’s film industry has meant embracing both the uncertainty and opportunity that comes with working in a creative field.
The 2019 MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) alumna and co-founder of production company Seamless Cut says the periods between productions are a reality for many filmmakers, with one project ending before the next begins.
Rather than letting those gaps stall her career, Dlamini says she has learned to keep creating.
“Coming up with new concepts, coming up with new ideas, becomes part of how you keep your skill alive.”
She says storytelling has remained both her creative outlet and the foundation of her career.
Collaboration through the MTF alumni network
Dlamini has continued to build her experience through the MTF alumni network, collaborating with filmmakers from different cohorts, including graduates of the MultiChoice Extended Cut programme.
Her credits include working as line producer on Eyes on Lens Films’ festive feature Ukukhanya kwe Christmas for Mzansi Bioskop (now available on DStv Stream), and production manager on Zethu’s Tales’ romantic film Motho Waka, which premiered on Mzansi Magic.
For Dlamini, these collaborations have been about more than adding production credits.
Working with Zethu’s Tales, she says, reinforced the importance of staying calm under pressure and approaching production challenges with a level head. Her experience with Eyes on Lens Films offered something different.
“A reminder of the importance of ambition.”
She says working with younger filmmakers has helped reignite the excitement that first drew her to filmmaking.
“It can be easy for the business side of filmmaking to become the priority,” she says, adding that younger creatives often remind her of the passion that comes with simply wanting to tell stories.
Passing the baton to the next generation
Dlamini describes mentoring and collaborating with younger alumni as “passing on the baton” — a role she says she feels honoured to play after receiving support from filmmakers who came before her.
She believes the MultiChoice Extended Cut programme is valuable because it gives emerging filmmakers room to keep learning after graduation.
According to Dlamini, many young producers enter the industry feeling pressure to have everything figured out, while Extended Cut creates space to learn on the job, make mistakes and develop as both producers and business owners.
Her own career, she says, has been shaped by that ongoing process of learning across productions while steadily building her own production company.
Building relationships between projects
Dlamini’s advice to fellow MTF alumni navigating quiet periods between productions is simple: invest in relationships.
“Network, go on other alumni sets, build relationships.”
She says the film industry is built on collaboration, and filmmakers cannot afford to work in isolation.
“Showing up and building relationships can make all the difference,” she says, particularly for creatives looking for their next opportunity.
Her advice is to make every opportunity count, even if it starts with observing rather than leading.
“Whenever you go somewhere, even if it’s just to shadow, make sure you leave a mark. That’s how you move from being in the gap to getting your next project.”
As South Africa marks Women’s Month, Dlamini says the journey for MTF graduates does not end with completing the programme. Instead, it continues through the relationships they build, the lessons they share and the opportunities they create for the next generation of filmmakers.
“When the opportunity comes, pass the baton forward.”
