Meet The Team

Mbali Thabethe

PROJECT LEAD

A skilled event and project manager who practiced the discipline as an art form long before she started pursuing it as a science, whose career kicked off in and amongst the walls of some of the leading advertising agencies of their time. She developed and advanced her career at Lindsay Smithers, Publicis and HerdBuoys McCann in various roles focused on insight generation, research and strategy, before being captured by the entrepreneurial bug in the early 2000’s.

Her transition into business saw her extend her capabilities and experience into live events, project management and business operations including leading a 120-member project team to showcase South Africa at the 2010 World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland.

A chance meeting with a former schoolmate and friend resulted in a new partnership with her in EarCandy Dubbing, which she joined as partner in 2022 bringing her unique skill set of strong operations, administrative, project management and MARCOMMS expertise. She is also passionate about Access Services and the development and growth of Audio Description as a recognized practice in South Africa.

In 2019, she was introduced to the then 3-year-old Joburg Film Festival which she joined on a part time basis as the 6-day festival’s Project Manager. She continues to work with this young festival that breaks barriers, punches above its weight and is well on its way to being Africa’s Premier Film Festival that elevates and celebrates African stories and the tellers of these stories!

Taryn Joffe

FESTIVAL MANAGER

With a passion for curating and celebrating film in its diverse forms—whether as art, entertainment or industry—Taryn works to raise awareness about African and international cinema through a spirit of freedom and dialogue.

Taryn joined the Joburg Film Festival team in September 2024 as the Festival Manager, a key role that positions her at the forefront of one of Africa’s leading film events. As Festival Manager, Taryn ensures that the various festival’s facets and activities align with its overall vision, goals and objectives, thereby assisting in delivering a world-class event and raising the festival’s profile locally and internationally.

Taryn’s mission is to cultivate and sustain a dynamic film culture by fostering collaborations between filmmakers, hosting insightful industry events, and encouraging a deep appreciation for film audiences.

With experience working for Encounters South African International Documentary Festival, Durban FilmMart, Big World Cinema, and serving as the Co-Chair of the Documentary Filmmakers’ Association, Taryn’s experience and commitment to the industry inform her work at JFF.

Nhlanhla Ndaba

FESTIVAL CURATOR

Starting out as a production runner for both Out In Africa Gay & Lesbian Film Festival and Encounters Documentary Festival between 2003 – 2015, Nhlanhla worked his way up occupying various roles (including Festival Manager, Co-Director etc), in both these festivals and others European Film Festival (Johannesburg Leg) and Tri Continental Film Festival. The culmination of this journey was being appointed Curator for the Joburg Film Festival in 2022, having worked on the property as Programme Manager in 2018 and 2019.

As a film aficionado, his expertise and talents are extensive and include physically creating the content wearing various hats over the years. He has worked as a locations manager for the Manchester City Football Club global fans web series; line producer on a number of documentaries; creator and producer of a string of shows for SABC and ETV, including a 13-part talk show Intimate Connexionz and two seasons of a 13-part drama series titled AFTER 9; produced numerous docu-series and documentaries such as The Cost of Exclusion for Outright International developed for the UN, My Culture My Music as well as a short film titled Beautiful Contradictions.

Teddy Awards International Juror at the 2011 Berlinale International Film Festival, National Coordinator for the Marikana Support Campaign in 2012 and Impact Assistant Producer on the Emmy Award winning documentary, Miners Shot Down. His JFF tenure was interrupted by a two-year spell as Assistant Production Controller for AAA Netflix slate of 10 feature films.

Jack Chiang

FESTIVAL PROGRAMMER

The programmer for the Joburg Film Festival, he has been consulting for and advising the festival since inception in 2016!

Jack is a lover of film and loves all things films.

Trained as an architect, Jack applies the analytical methodology in the design theory to read and dissect films and their storytelling.

He is no stranger to film festivals having first joined the Durban International Film Festival as a programmer between 2006 to 2016 before proceeding to consult and contribute at the Cape Town International Film Market & Festival (2017-2018) and also advising African title films to various international film festivals – including Busan, Tokyo, Taipei and Hong Kong.

When not watching films, he supports local filmmakers and has produced a number of documentary films that participated and were screened in festivals around the world.

Jack currently lives in Durban and has survived 3 Comrade Marathons.

Fanney Tsimong

YOUTH PROGRAMME MANAGER & JOBURG FILM SOCIETY COORDINATOR

Fanney Tsimong started his career in the Film & TV space for both Out In Africa Film Festival and Encounters SA Int’l Doc Fest. Under mentorship from Underdog, Fanney received the “ Award” for his PSA in 2003’s DSTV/MNET Vuka Awards, which awarded him a scholarship to AFDA.

He was nominated by Mail and Guardian, Vodacom and Umsobomvu Youth Fund as one of 100 young South African To Know, was selected as part of a panel of judges at the Berlinale Film Festival and was nominated for South African Traditional Awards (SATMA) for Best Cultural Electronic Media Journalist.

He continues to break new grounds with film projects in development under Doti Productions, a company he founded in 2002. In 2018 Fanney joined the Joburg Film Festival curating team assisting and supporting them with film traffic and scheduling. Over the years, his role and scope has evolved and extended and Fanney currently wears a number of hats within JFF including coordinating and overseeing the Joburg Film

Personal quote: Filmmaking is a huge privilege; it’s not brain surgery. It’s art, and art is supposed to be an enjoyable process, and it is an enjoyable experience for me. Lake Bell.

Sisa Nondumo

JBX SALES & SPONSORSHIP MANAGER

Sisa is the Sales & Sponsorship Manager for Joburg Xchange (JBX), a content market that is focused on the business of content as part of the Joburg Film Festival. His role is to bring in Buyers, Sellers (Exhibitors), Financiers and producers of content together through the market.

He is the exclusive Africa Agent, together with Native Yard, for Qwest TV by Quincy Jones, which is the biggest Live concert (Jazz, Blues, Hip Hop, RnB etc.) SVOD platform with over 1300 concerts, documentaries & Interviews.

Background in Content Distribution and held the position of REGIONAL SALES MANAGER for Cote Ouest AudioVisuel, which is an independent group, leader in the distribution of audiovisual rights in Africa.

Personal quote: “The behind the scenes of film and television industry, is what makes the finished picture a beauty to behold”.

Ashika Ashram Singh

LEAD CREATIVE

An advertising professional with over 30 years of experience, specializing in creative brand development, design and integrated marketing campaigns across diverse industries. Ash, as she is fondly known, has a particular passion for leveraging advertising to build experiential and entertainment brands and the Joburg Film Festival has been one of those exciting brands that does just that!

Her unparalleled expertise in translating a brand’s ethos into a compelling narrative has enabled her to successfully build experiences that resonate with audiences whilst endearing her to many clients over the years, many of whom have become like family!

She has a proven track record of developing strong brand identities for properties and events, including the Joburg Film Festival which has worked on since 2019. Film festivals thrive on storytelling, both on-screen and off-screen. She sees her role as a creative lead as critical in ensuring that every visual and narrative element reflects the spirit of the festival, including curating the festival’s visual identity, designing promotional content, and overseeing all creative outputs to maintain a cohesive brand voice. She works with a dedicated festival team, sponsors and other stakeholders to tell their stories in a way that enhances the overall festival experience.

“Wherever you are, be there totally.” – E. Tolle

Maserame Magakoe

FINANCE MANAGER

Maserame joined the Joburg Film Festival in 2022 taking on the role of Finance Manager.

Before joining the festival, she gained invaluable experience working in the financial accounting service and external audit in various industries in both the public and private sectors.

Post-articles, her work was dedicated to helping accelerate SMME’s growth by ensuring audit readiness and funding readiness. Her core duties at the festival include managing the budgets of the different festival pillars and events under those pillars.

Since joining the festival, she has also worked closely on the planning of the Youth and Audience workshops, Film Society events as well as the Opening and Awards Closing nights, opening up her horizons to the world of eventing and more finance consulting opportunities in the creative industry.

Motto: Stay low, keep firin’ – Notorious B.I.G

Theo Singo

I.T AND WEB DEVELOPER

As the Web Developer and Information Technology Officer for the Joburg Film Festival, Theo Singo serves as the backbone of the festival’s digital infrastructure.

With a keen eye for innovation and a meticulous approach to detail, He oversees the design, development, and maintenance of the JFF website, ensuring it remains a dynamic and user-friendly platform for audiences and stakeholders alike. Beyond design, Theo manages critical IT functions, including the dedicated JFF server, e-commerce systems, and email operations, ensuring seamless communication and transactions across all festival operations.

Committed to maintaining the highest standards of online security, Theo diligently monitors and protects JFF’s portals and third-party integrations against potential threats, safeguarding the festival’s digital assets and user data.

By merging technical expertise with strategic foresight, He plays an integral role in enhancing the festival’s digital presence, ensuring the Joburg Film Festival remains a secure, innovative, and engaging platform for celebrating the art of cinema.

My Motto: In I.T, the smallest details protect the biggest dreams. – Theo Singo

Hlengiwe Ntumba

PROJECT MANAGEMENT SUPPORT

Hlengiwe is a dynamic events professional with over 20 years of experience in the industry, she is highly competent, passionate, motivated, creative and adaptable.

She offers a range of skills in project management, event logistics, creating and maintaining a network of professional contacts, strong customer and quality service delivery and ability to work under pressure.

Hlengiwe’s role as the Joburg Film Festival Project Management Support places her at the forefront of dealing with the JFF Project team, sponsors, industry key players and service providers. From providing support to the different workstreams to venue scouting, interfacing with suppliers, scheduling meetings and events, compiling and management of guest lists; all form key aspects to ensuring a smooth and professionally executed festival.

Melanie Ramjee

FESTIVAL PUBLICIST

Melanie Gia Ramjee is the founder and Managing Director of Tutone Communications, a Joburg based boutique PR agency that has represented multiple renowned local and international lifestyle and entertainment brands including the Joburg Film Festival.

Melanie, an acclaimed award winning South African publicist with over 25 years in the field of Public Relations, Events and Social Media Marketing is also the Managing Director of this 100% female Black owned entity. Having worked with some of the biggest urban and youth culture brands, festivals and artists over her career, Melanie truly lives up to her alias HYPRESS delivering the Hype.

Tutone Communication has managed the Joburg Film Festival PR for the past six editions and had a strong media footprint across the continent.

Motheo Moleko

SOCIAL & DIGITAL CREATIVE

Founder and co-owner of digital agency, FRESH NOW, Motheo heads up social marketing for Joburg Film Festival. He coordinates the social media, paid media, and direct marketing content teams.

He describes his role as helping get bums in seats at the festival for the next generation of great filmmakers to be discovered.

Keorapetse Chakela

SOCIAL & DIGITAL STRATEGIST

Keorapetse, the other partner in FRESH NOW, is the lead digital content producer for Joburg Film Festival. His primary role is engaging with stakeholders across the industry to produce content for our digital channels, including on- and off-screen talent, sponsors and more.

If JFF and JBX is the culmination of all the hard work filmmakers and producers put into making great films, his team’s work is telling the story behind the story.