Director's Biographies

Chandre Biography
My name is Chandre Jade van der Merwe. I am a 22-year-old coloured female, born & bred in the city of East Johannesburg and I am the eldest of three. My hobbies include coaching swimming and being a part time social butterfly by attending music/dance events. Currently, I am a third film student completing my Undergraduate Bachelor’s degree in Directing & Writing. I came to AFDA Johannesburg originally to study Live Performance as I loved and excelled in high school drama but found myself intellectually challenged by the Directing & Writing classes. Pursuing these disciplines helped me to grow my skill set in the film realm and unlock abilities that I thought I did not have. Filmmaking is a journey of getting to know oneself. It has taught me to own my identity and always remain to true to the world around me.

 

Sihle Biography
Sihle Tyikwe is an aspiring filmmaker based in the city of gold, Johannesburg, South Africa. Sihle is currently a final third-year student majoring in directing and writing. Outside of school she composes music for personal projects and enjoys writing about the hidden gems of South African storytelling. In Sihle’s upbringing, she understood the privileges she had as her parents worked hard to put her through pronounced schools and provide the best education for her. Through this, she understood the value of hard work from a young age. Having parents who were raised in the second biggest township in South Africa, Mdantsane. She grew up understanding suburban life and township life and ultimately with those experiences she aims to create a unique way of combining the hardships of both worlds and telling an authentic South African story. Sihle Tyikwe believes that it is important to always bring light to all the experiences we go through as humans and always find new perspectives of communicating and sharing these experiences with the world.