Runner

What was the starting point for this film, and what made you want to tell this particular story?
As a filmmaker, I have always wanted to tell a story set within the filmmaking world — its fast-paced nature, the demands of different roles and what happens behind the scenes. What interests me most is the ambition of creative people and the incredible drive they have to reach their goals. With this film, I wanted to celebrate the underdogs who work incredibly hard but often go unnoticed. I also wanted to reflect that relatable experience of having one of those days where everything goes from bad to worse, but the work must go on. The starting point was a question: What fuels us to keep going? When obstacles arise and we find ourselves in challenging situations, what makes us persevere? Is it the idea of success itself or the journey towards it? I think it’s an important question because the journey shapes not only the creative success we achieve, but also the people we become.

What did the short-film format allow you to do creatively that a longer format might not have?
The short-film format allowed me to shoot the film in long, single takes. It was technically challenging and would have been significantly harder in a longer format. It worked particularly well because the story takes place over a single shooting day. The pacing was important, and this technique allowed us to enter moments with the characters and stay with them for as long as they experience them. As a runner with ambitions for her own career, I wanted the audience to experience the protagonist running — doing her job, juggling her personal and professional life, and being challenged in ways she never expected. It creates an immersive experience for the audience. The short format also allowed me to try things I had never done before within a compact but still eventful and engaging story.

Is there a particular moment, character or idea in the film that holds special significance for you as the director?
The ending sequence is particularly special to me because I had never attempted anything as technically challenging or visually experimental. We shot Xolani being rushed into make-up by Kea, changed and taken into the studio, followed by his final interview with Kea, all in one take. During the interview, we see both characters’ ambitions and future successes physically manifest before returning to the present, where they remember the cost. Each time we looked at a character, a set and wardrobe change was happening in the background while we were still rolling. It required enormous coordination, precise blocking and commitment from the cast and crew. As a director, this was my dream cast and crew, and having everyone so invested in the vision and committed to achieving it was truly special.

What conversation do you hope the film creates with audiences after they leave the cinema?
I have always been fascinated by people’s rich inner worlds — unseen but always present. We get a glimpse into our protagonist’s inner world and see how it shapes her decisions and unexpectedly seeps into her outer world. We also see how little we truly know about each other until an event binds us together. I hope the film creates conversations about the journey to success: what success means, what it takes to get there and what we are willing to do to achieve it. I also hope audiences consider the personal and moral cost of ambition in demanding environments, something that is universal across industries. Ultimately, I hope the takeaway is that perseverance is essential, but sometimes so is slowing down and making sure you are on a path you will be proud of in the end. The journey matters as much as the destination.

Where does this film sit within your wider creative journey, and what are you interested in exploring next as a filmmaker?
I have made several short films, but this was my first as a director and writer through my own production company, Basecamp Community. It gave me the opportunity to fully translate my creative voice and vision into the project. I want to continue pushing the medium, experimenting with genre and working with my incredible team to create bold, contemporary African stories that are equally compelling on a global stage. As I move into longer formats, I’m particularly interested in dark comedy in South Africa because we have such a distinct sense of humour — we laugh so we don’t cry. South Africans face great pain and difficult experiences every day, yet we remain vibrant and unafraid to laugh. I want to tell stories through that lens, exploring how we connect across a vast socio-economic landscape and shining a light on the small moments of humanity that exist between it all.