AFDA is a South African private Higher Education institution that offers higher certificates, undergraduate, and postgraduate degrees in

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

performance A performance is an act or process of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. Performance has evolved glo ...

, business innovation and

technology Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...

, radio and podcasting, and creative writing. It has four campuses located in Auckland Park,

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

; Observatory,

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

; Durban North,

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

; and Gqeberha Campus, Central,

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha ( , ), formerly named Port Elizabeth, and colloquially referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipal ...

History

AFDA was founded in 1994 by Garth Holmes, Bata Passchier, and Deon Opperman. Its inaugural class at its Johannesburg school had five students. In 2003 AFDA's second campus opened in Cape Town followed by the Durban campus in 2012 and the

Gqeberha Gqeberha ( , ), formerly named Port Elizabeth, and colloquially referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipa ...

campus in

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape ( ; ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, and its largest city is Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Due to its climate and nineteenth-century towns, it is a common location for tourists. It is also kno ...

in 2015. AFDA Botswana was established in 2015 at Oodi College Of Applied Arts And Technology (OCAAT), but has since closed. In 2017, AFDA was acquired by tertiary education company, Stadio Investments, a wholly owned subsidiary of JSE-listed Curro Holdings. By then, the school had expanded to 2,000 full-time students, 3,500 alumni, five campuses (eventually scaled back to four), and nine fully accredited degrees. In 2024, AFDA has 2,700 students, over 7000 alumni and a permanent staff of over 180 academics and administrators. In November 2024 Diaan Lawrenson was appointed as CEO of AFDA. The former actress had been serving as Dean of AFDA Cape Town since 2019.

Academics and Accreditation

AFDA offers 3 higher certificates, 4 undergraduate degrees and 4 postgraduate programs. * Higher Certificate in Film, Television and Entertainment Production * Higher Certificate in Performing Arts * Higher Certificate in Radio and Podcasting * Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Motion Picture Medium * Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Live Performance * Bachelor of Commerce (Bcom) in Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship * Bachelor of Creative Writing * BA Honours in Motion Picture Medium * BA Honours in Live Performance * Postgraduate Diploma in Innovation * Master of Fine Arts in Motion Picture Medium ( MFA) AFDA is fully accredited by the Council on Higher Education (CHE),

Department of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

(DoE) and the

South African Qualifications Authority The South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) is a statutory body, regulated in terms of the ''National Qualifications Framework Act'' No. 67 of 2008. It is made up of 29 members appointed by the Minister of Education in consultation with ...

(SAQA), and is a full member of CILECT (The International Association of Film and Television Schools).

Awards and Distinctions

In 2021, 2022, and 2023 AFDA was ranked among the top 5 most innovative South African educational institutions in the creative brand space in The Loeries Official Rankings. AFDA has won the Best Student Film award at the

South African Film and Television Awards The South African Film and Television Awards (sometimes referred to as the Golden Horns; often simply called the SAFTAs) is an annual South African awards ceremony hosted by the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), to honour creative exce ...

10 times, with ''Anguish'', a 2023 graduation film from AFDA Johannesburg, taking home the award at the SAFTAS 2024 awards. At the 33rd 2006 annual

Student Academy Awards The Student Academy Awards are presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in an annual competition for college and university filmmakers. Description The awards were originally named the Student Film Awards and were first pres ...

(SAA) presented by the

Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...

, the AFDA production ''Elalini'', directed by Tristan Holmes, won the Foreign Film Award, making AFDA the only African film to have won the award. The 2021 SAA Narrative Gold winner, ''Lakutshon’ IIanga”'' (''When the Sun Sets)'' by South African Phumi Morare of

Chapman University Chapman University is a private research university in Orange, California, United States. Encompassing eleven colleges, the university is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". The school maintains its foundi ...

(USA) was filmed in South Africa and produced in association with AFDA.

Notable alumni

* Michelle Allen – actor, singer / songwriter * Jenna Bass - film director * Munya Chidzonga – Zimbabwean actor, filmmaker, entrepreneur * Shahir Chundra – actor and filmmaker * Christopher-Lee Dos Santos – director * Vuyo Dabula – actor * Nosipho Dumisa – director and screenwriter * Daniel Etim-Effiong — Nigerian actor, scriptwriter and director * Leroy Gopal – actor and comedian * Daryne Joshua – filmmaker *

Jonathan Liebesman Jonathan Liebesman (born 15 September 1976) is a South African film director and screenwriter. He is known for directing the films ''Darkness Falls (2003 film), Darkness Falls'' (2003), ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning'' (2006), '' ...

– director * Eric Macheru – actor * Thabo Malema — actor * Noxolo Mathula — actress * Khanya Mkangisa – actress * Shoka Mokgapa — actress * Thapelo Mokoena – actor * Preshanthan Moodley – director, producer, writer * Jamie D. Ramsay – cinematographer *

Riky Rick Rikhado Makhado (20 July 1987 23 February 2022), known professionally as Riky Rick, was a South African rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and entrepreneur. He was also the founder and owner of record label ''Cotton Club Records'' and ...

– musician * Shekhinah (singer) – singer * Ofentse Mwase - Cinematographer, Director and Comedian * Mapula Mafole, actress

References

Sources

SAQA

AFDA alumni page

News All : AFDA

AFDA , Educartis
Educartis. Retrieved 29 July 2018. {{authority control Film schools in South Africa Educational institutions established in 1994 Mass media in Johannesburg Mass media in Cape Town 1994 establishments in South Africa