Sihle Hlophe

Sihle Hlophe is a multi award-winning director and a multi-degree earner. Over the last 15 years, her work has been recognized with a number of accolades including an award for Best Achievement In Directing (South African Film & Television Awards (SAFTAs), 2023), two African Movie Academy Award nominations and over 60 global film festival selections. Hlophe is an alumni of the IDFAcademy (the Netherlands), the North-South-South Student Exchange Program (Finland) and the Hot Docs Blue Ice Group Story Lab (Canada). In 2023, she underwent Story Editing training at the Torino Story Lab (Italy). Hlophe is directing three feature-length documentaries, "Celebrating Winnie Through Song" (SA, Nigeria), "My Father, Chris Hani" and "Road To Jerusalema" (SA, Israel, Palestine). She is the producer and director of the feature-length documentary, "Lobola, A Bride's True Price" (2022), winner of the Best Documentary Feature award at the SAFTAs, the Zambia International Film Festival and the National Film & TV Awards. Hlophe directed, "Lindela Under Lockdown" (2020), winner of the Best Documentary Award at the Cameroon International Film Festival and the Best Documentary Short Award at the SAFTAs. In 2021, Hlophe also directed and produced the SAFTA nominated documentary short "Celebrating Herstory Through Song". Hlophe has directed two feature-length Showmax Original made-for-TV fiction films, "Pearls Of Wisdom" (2021) and "Expiry Date" (2022). Hlophe is the director of "African Dreams" (2021), a SAFTA-winning 13-part mockumentary (SABC 1). Hlophe is the co-producer of 'Sadla' (2020), a narrative short film that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival (USA). Hlophe has written and directed two narrative short films, "As I Am" (2014) and "Nomfundo" (2017). Between 2012 and 2017, she worked as a scriptwriter and story-liner on award winning TV shows such as "Lockdown", "Scandal", "Mutual Friends" and "Broken Vows". She has also worked as a part-time Lecturer at AFDA (2016) and the University of Johannesburg (2018/19). She is the founder and executive producer of Passion Seed Communications, a film-driven social enterprise.