The Media Online’s weekly column delivering news of award wins, entries, competitions, dates to note and winners in the media.
Ayanda Charlie to host 21st annual journalism awards in London
The Association for International Broadcasting (AIB) has announced that Ayanda Charlie, South Africa-based freelance multimedia producer and presenter, will host the 21st annual AIBs, the international awards celebrating journalism and factual productions across video, audio and digital platforms.
The AIBs gala will take place in London on 14 November 2025 at the Park Hyatt London River Thames, welcoming journalists, editors, producers, directors and media executives from across the globe to honour the very best in international factual storytelling.
Charlie is best known for her work with BBC Africa Eye, including Fear And Loathing in South Africa, a powerful investigation into the xenophobic group Operation Dudula. She is the winner of the AIB Emerging Talent Award in 2024 and a 2022 Open Society Foundations Investigative Journalism Fellow, establishing her as one of the most dynamic and courageous voices in investigative journalism today.
Charlie said: “I am absolutely delighted to be invited to host the AIBs in 2025, especially after winning the Emerging Talent award last year. The AIBs shine a vital spotlight on the power of journalism and the importance of reporting facts with integrity – something that is urgently needed, particularly across my home continent of Africa where courageous reporting can change lives. It is also deeply meaningful to me, as a woman in journalism, to stand on this stage and celebrate the outstanding work of colleagues around the world who are holding power to account and telling the stories that matter.”
The AIBs 2025 will showcase entries from across the world, recognising the creativity, determination and impact of journalists and producers who bring factual stories to audiences on television, radio, podcasts and digital platforms.
TikTok Ad Awards 2025: Celebrating South Africa’s most creative campaigns of the year
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It’s the Creative for Me: Spotlighting TikTok-first ideas that could only happen on the platform, pushing creative boundaries and engaging audiences.
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Community Core: Recognizing authentic collaborations with creators and communities that drive engagement and impact.
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Full Funnel Flex: Recognizing integrated strategies that deliver measurable results across the entire marketing funnel.
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Big Branding Energy: Celebrating the best upper-funnel strategies and creative storytelling to achieve standout brand recall.
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Goal Digger: Honoring campaigns that excelled at lower-funnel performance, from ROAS to conversions and sales.
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Bougie on a Budget: Showcasing campaigns that maximized impact through inventive use of modest production budgets.
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Sound On Please: Celebrating campaigns where sound was central to storytelling, using music, voice, or effects in fresh and memorable ways.
20-something siblings’ debut film selected for BFI London Film Festival
Finding Optel, co-directed by 25-year-old Mikayla Joy Brown and her 29-year-old brother, Jesse Brown, will have its international premiere at the prestigious BFI London Film Festival, taking place from 8-19 October 2025.
Teenager Claire Abrahams runs a lost and found service where she locates anything and everything that has been misplaced. When Optel, the community dog, goes missing, Claire must confront her brother’s painful disappearance in order to solve her biggest case yet.
The BFI London Film Festival describes the film as “heartwarming… a quirky detective story that skilfully tackles childhood grief.”
Finding Optel had its South African premiere at the kykNET Silwerskerm Festival in August, where the whimsical detective story received a standing ovation, a nomination for Paul Guyeu’s cinematography, and the Best Production Design award for Sumaya Wicomb.
FAME Shorts Film Festival Announces 2025 Award Winners
Africa’s directors, storytellers and filmmakers were in the spotlight at the FAME Shorts Film Festival Awards on 3 September 2025 at the Radisson Red in Cape Town.
The winners were selected from the programme of 31 short films that explore themes of identity, freedom, and resistance. From horror to comedy, documentary to sci-fi, the FAME Shorts Film Festival is a short-form cinema format that enables film makers to make independent work – a kind of calling card for their talent and storytelling abilities.
The winners are:
- Best Screenplay: Belinda – Isaac Kasende (Director)
- Best Score/song: Ecstatic Exit – James Matthes and Keith Kavayi (Composers)
- Best Make-up and hair styling: JIMBI – Ester Nakaziba (Hair and Make-up Stylist)
- Best Production Design: The Incredible Sensational Fiancée of Sèyí Àjàyí – Christelle Matou (Production Designer)
- Best Director: King George – Ari Kruger (Director)
- Best Actor: King George – Brent Palmer as George (Actor)
- Best Actress: Belinda – Muadi Ilung (Actress)
- Best Supporting Actor: Punter – Tiago Marques (Actor)
- Best Supporting Actress: Belinda – Annie Robinson Grealy (Actress)
- Best Costume Design: The Incredible Sensational Fiancée of Sèyí Àjàyí – Yety Akinola (Costume Designer)
- Best LGBTQ+ Film: Blind Spots – Miselwa “Missy” Ngamlana (Director)
- Best Student Film: V’S SECRET – Bassma Farah Nancy (Director)
- Best Documentary: Onthou vi Fredo? – Cleveland Hopp (Writer and Director)
- Best Short Film: The Incredible Sensational Fiancée of Sèyí Àjàyí – Abbesi Akhamie (Director)
- Best Animation: Pal – Isaac Kannigan (Director)
Presenting the 2025 Inclusive Lens Award Winners
The 2025 Inclusive Lens Awards stand as proof that representation is a force for transformation. From heroines and mythological warriors to para-athletes, queer icons and unsung community leaders, this year’s winners embody the future of African storytelling — bold, diverse and globally resonant.
In the Diversity in Kids’ Programming categories, Kiya & the Kimoja Heroes (Triggerfish Animation Studios, Entertainment One, Frog Box Productions, TeamTO) was recognised for its vibrant Afro-urban setting.
The Representation of Disability awards honoured powerful stories of resilience and inclusion. Facing Forward (Firstlight Studio) captured global attention with its moving portrayal of para surfers overcoming challenges through community and sport. Everybody Loves Touda (Les Films du Nouveau Monde, Ali n’ Productions, Velvet) offered a rare and authentic portrayal of deafness within North African storytelling, while Diepe Waters (Penguin Films) was celebrated for its empowering depiction of Lucas, a swimmer competing alongside able-bodied athletes, challenging stereotypes in South African television.
For Representation of LGBTQIA+, the winners reflected the breadth and depth of queer storytelling across Africa. Onthou Vi Fredo? honoured the life and legacy of a queer icon in a compassionate, non-scripted portrait. Nyame Mma (Church of Stories) explored queer identity and love through magical realism, following a gay Ghanaian man’s return home. This Body Works For Me (POP24) was praised for its bold unscripted portrayal of transgender identity through Lebo’s journey, while She, He, They (TIERs Nigeria) was recognised for its courageous scripted series centering queer and trans lives in Nigeria.
A highlight of the evening was the presentation of the inaugural Unseen Impact Award, created to honour those whose behind-the-scenes work drives systemic change. The first recipient was acclaimed director, writer and producer Karen Jeynes, whose advocacy, mentorship and inclusive storytelling have uplifted underrepresented voices across the continent.
Have your say: V&A Waterfront People’s Choice Award voting is now open
The finalists are in. Now it’s over to the people – again!
The V&A Waterfront is calling on the public to vote for their favourite eatery, store and small business in the 2025 People’s Choice Awards. Whether it’s the café that nails your flat white every time, or the sushi spot where they know your usual, this award honours the places that turn everyday visits into something meaningful.
Earlier this month, hundreds of nominations poured in from shoppers, diners and V&A Waterfront regulars, and the top five most-nominated restaurants, stores and small businesses have been selected as finalists. ‘The People’s Choice Award is all about celebrating the places that leave a lasting impression,’ says Alex Kabalin, Executive Manager of Retail at the V&A Waterfront. ‘These finalists have earned their spot because they consistently connect with their customers, and we’re excited to see who takes the crown.’
Voting is open until 14 September 2025. To vote, visit: https://awards.waterfront.co.za/public-voting
