JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - MARCH 26: Actress Connie Ferguson at the Bridgerton Affair at Inanda Club on March 26, 2022 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The event featured an elite list of highly esteemed special guests from Johannesburg. (Photo by Gallo Images/Lefty Shivambu)
The Directors Guild of South Africa (DGSA) successfully hosted the first-ever DGSA Creatives Awards on Saturday, 11 April, at the Century City Conference Centre in Cape Town.
This landmark event, initially planned for last November, aims to spotlight the country’s talented directors making waves both locally and internationally. This year, it honoured household names like Connie Ferguson, Thabo Rametsi and the late Connie Chiume.
According to a report published by Actor Spaces and a statement by the guild, the DGSA Creatives Awards 2026 honour excellence in directing across diverse categories, including feature film, television, commercials, branded content, short films, and digital storytelling.
The ceremony celebrates visionary directors who craft authentic South African narratives infused with innovation and cultural depth; stories that resonate with universal audiences while pushing creative boundaries in the rapidly evolving African content landscape.
The guild further argues that as global interest in African cinema and television continues to surge, South African directors are playing a pivotal role in shaping a new cinematic language. Their work blends local realities with compelling storytelling that transcends borders, contributing meaningfully to the worldwide content ecosystem.
A standout feature of the awards is the rigorous, peer-reviewed adjudication process, which evaluates nominees against the highest standards of artistic excellence and professional achievement.
DGSA representative Andile Sinqoto emphasised the global relevance of South African directors, stating that their contributions are actively defining a rich, diverse, and impactful cinematic voice on the continent and beyond.
In addition to the accolades, the event served as a premier networking and collaboration hub. Industry stakeholders (including filmmakers, producers, broadcasters, cinematographers, editors, writers, and international partners) gathered to foster dialogue, build partnerships, and advance African storytelling on the world stage.
Full list of this year’s winners
- Lifetime achievement award: Connie Temweka Gabisile Chiume
- Best Director (Feature Film): Mandla Dube, Silverton Siege
- Best Director – Commercial and Branded Content: Lourens Van Rensburg, Chicken Licken, Soulffluencer
- Best Feature Film: Kelsey Egan, The Fix
- Best Actor: Thabo Rametsi, Kalushi
- Best Actress: Connie Ferguson, Heart of the Hunter
- Best Supporting Actor: Tafara Nyatsanza, The Fix
- Best Supporting Actress: Robyn Roussouw, The Fix
- Best Performance in a DGSA Directed Project – Actor: Tony Kgoroge, Recipes For Love And Murder
- Best Performance in a DGSA Directed Project – Actress: Maria Doyle Kennedy, Recipes For Love And Murder
- Best Director, TV Series: Jozua Malherbe and Karen Jeynes, Recipes For Love And Murder
- Best Director, Short Film: Jozua Malherbe, Engel
- Excellence in Storytelling – South Africa Narrative: Mandla Dube, Kalushi
- Outstanding Cinematic Vision: Mandla Dube, Heart of the Hunter
- Best Documentary Feature: Yaseen J Khan, Robots
- Best Screenplay: Hylton Tannenbaum and Brett Morris, Just Now Jeffrey
- Best Cinematography: Hayden Brown, Bergbruidjie
- Best Director – Music Video: MacMillan Mabaleka, The Big 3 Trilogy
- Best Director – Documentary Short: Johnny Swanepoel, Jean Francoise Proprio Foot
- Best Director – Web Series, Digital Content: Dibi & Zigi, Snippets
- Outstanding Emerging Filmmaker: Raihaanah Sayed, The Moment In Between
- Best First Time Director: Meekaaeel Adam, The Trek
