Mamello Makhetha
She/Her | Actress, Writer, Producer & Voice Artist
“This experience to me was valuable in the ways of making queer community. A temporal and permanent space that celebrated young queer black and brown writers creating and validating their work, existence, experiences, ideas, thoughts, and provocations.
QWI is not just about taking up space in an industry that can be driven by whiteness and heteronormativity, But more importantly, about being the space. Creating new spaces all together.
What a refreshing and inspiring incubator! All the mentors were so intentional with all their time, knowledge and advice. Every single moment was used so constructively and positively. I learnt and am continuing to learn throughout this process. I am being urged to find my writers voice, the stories that move me, and constantly consider how I put that into writing. Spaces like these are absolutely vital as young queer people to be understood, seen, to have our stories start to shape what film and tv is looking like and will look like for the of this country and the world.
To have other queer writers with years of vast knowledge filling into our cups so compassionately has been deeply inspiring. Thank you immensely to everyone and the team of QWI.”
QWI is not just about taking up space in an industry that can be driven by whiteness and heteronormativity, But more importantly, about being the space. Creating new spaces all together.
What a refreshing and inspiring incubator! All the mentors were so intentional with all their time, knowledge and advice. Every single moment was used so constructively and positively. I learnt and am continuing to learn throughout this process. I am being urged to find my writers voice, the stories that move me, and constantly consider how I put that into writing. Spaces like these are absolutely vital as young queer people to be understood, seen, to have our stories start to shape what film and tv is looking like and will look like for the of this country and the world.
To have other queer writers with years of vast knowledge filling into our cups so compassionately has been deeply inspiring. Thank you immensely to everyone and the team of QWI.”
Mamello Makhetha is an actress, voice artist, singer, performance artist, producer, and writer. As an actress she is fluent in both English and Sesotho.
Her producing career includes: production assisting for various AFDA third year graduating productions such as: How to Kill a Girl Named Amanda, and Siembamba, both directed by Christian Grobbelaar. As well as, Coup De Grace directed by Bongani Morgan. (2015). She produced Verdict directed by Matthew Coxon, as an AFDA first year film. (2015). She co-produced What Would Sarah Do, directed by Tarania Naidoo for the Bokeh Internatonal Fashion Film Festival. (2018). In 2019, she co-produced the theatrical production Nguvu Ya Mbegu: eNtabelanga for Makhanda National Arts Festival, which she co-wrote with Mandla Mbothwe and the fellow actors. She also co-produced Nguvu Ya Mbegu: The Cleansing for the Institute of Creative Arts, Infecting The City Festival, with the fellow performers and Mandla Mbothwe. In 2020, she was a production assistant for the Mafikizolo music video, Thandolwethu and a Liqui-Fruit TVC. In 2021, she was the 2nd Assistant Director for a Nivea Even and Matte Cream TVC directed by Paul Ramaema for Robot, a production and commercial company based in Cape Town.
Her writing history also includes: co-writing the UCT short film Stained directed by Kirsten Gobey, a MySchool: Nelson Mandela Day Digital Campaign for Special Effects Media. Co-writing a few UCT plays such as Ingugquko directed by Lukhanyiso Skosana, and Shacks and Yoga Mats directed by Linda Makgabutlane , and lastly writing an AFDA first year script which she directed entitled, The Choice.
She has worked as a researcher for Kim Geldenhuys, the director, executive producer and owner of 0307 Films on their Tiguan VW TVC Pitch in 2020. She wrote the script for the MySchoolMyPlanet: Nelson Mandela Day Campaign for Special Effects Media (Pty). (2020). She is currently a writing mentee in the Queer Writers Incubator facilitated by FreeFilmSchool and Femme Projects.
Her awards include: Mike Van Graans’s 2020 STAND Foundation Satirical Writing Challenge, The Sugar Daddy Theatre Company: 1 minute monologue acting competition (2nd Place) in 2020, the Standard Bank Ovation Award (Makhanda National Arts Festival) (Nguvu Ya Mbegu: Entabelanga) (2019), and the Golden Key International Honour Society (2020). Her film Ore Phelele came 2nd place in the Open Horizons Fringe Festival for the Jomba Contemporary Dance Festival hosted by UKZN, which is currently running online. (2021).
She graduated from the University of Cape Town with an Honours Equivalent Bachelor in Theatre and Performance, specializing in Bilingual Acting. She received a distinction in Acting. (2020). She is represented by Authentik Management.
Currently working on Zaka. Zaka is an 8 part series set in contemporary Cape Town, South Africa. The ‘supposed’ gay capital of Africa. The series centres around 2 black queer best friends, Brenda(24) and Qhawe (24). Qhawe is a young black gay man and Brenda is a young bisexual woman. Comrade, a historical drama feature film, set during the a violent time of Apartheid in South Africa, filled with racial turmoil and oppression. It follows the journey of a young girl named Tshepo. After the death of her brother at the 1976 Soweto Uprising , she sets out to join the ANC military wing, Umkhonto We Sizwe, and travels to Angola.
Her producing career includes: production assisting for various AFDA third year graduating productions such as: How to Kill a Girl Named Amanda, and Siembamba, both directed by Christian Grobbelaar. As well as, Coup De Grace directed by Bongani Morgan. (2015). She produced Verdict directed by Matthew Coxon, as an AFDA first year film. (2015). She co-produced What Would Sarah Do, directed by Tarania Naidoo for the Bokeh Internatonal Fashion Film Festival. (2018). In 2019, she co-produced the theatrical production Nguvu Ya Mbegu: eNtabelanga for Makhanda National Arts Festival, which she co-wrote with Mandla Mbothwe and the fellow actors. She also co-produced Nguvu Ya Mbegu: The Cleansing for the Institute of Creative Arts, Infecting The City Festival, with the fellow performers and Mandla Mbothwe. In 2020, she was a production assistant for the Mafikizolo music video, Thandolwethu and a Liqui-Fruit TVC. In 2021, she was the 2nd Assistant Director for a Nivea Even and Matte Cream TVC directed by Paul Ramaema for Robot, a production and commercial company based in Cape Town.
Her writing history also includes: co-writing the UCT short film Stained directed by Kirsten Gobey, a MySchool: Nelson Mandela Day Digital Campaign for Special Effects Media. Co-writing a few UCT plays such as Ingugquko directed by Lukhanyiso Skosana, and Shacks and Yoga Mats directed by Linda Makgabutlane , and lastly writing an AFDA first year script which she directed entitled, The Choice.
She has worked as a researcher for Kim Geldenhuys, the director, executive producer and owner of 0307 Films on their Tiguan VW TVC Pitch in 2020. She wrote the script for the MySchoolMyPlanet: Nelson Mandela Day Campaign for Special Effects Media (Pty). (2020). She is currently a writing mentee in the Queer Writers Incubator facilitated by FreeFilmSchool and Femme Projects.
Her awards include: Mike Van Graans’s 2020 STAND Foundation Satirical Writing Challenge, The Sugar Daddy Theatre Company: 1 minute monologue acting competition (2nd Place) in 2020, the Standard Bank Ovation Award (Makhanda National Arts Festival) (Nguvu Ya Mbegu: Entabelanga) (2019), and the Golden Key International Honour Society (2020). Her film Ore Phelele came 2nd place in the Open Horizons Fringe Festival for the Jomba Contemporary Dance Festival hosted by UKZN, which is currently running online. (2021).
She graduated from the University of Cape Town with an Honours Equivalent Bachelor in Theatre and Performance, specializing in Bilingual Acting. She received a distinction in Acting. (2020). She is represented by Authentik Management.
Currently working on Zaka. Zaka is an 8 part series set in contemporary Cape Town, South Africa. The ‘supposed’ gay capital of Africa. The series centres around 2 black queer best friends, Brenda(24) and Qhawe (24). Qhawe is a young black gay man and Brenda is a young bisexual woman. Comrade, a historical drama feature film, set during the a violent time of Apartheid in South Africa, filled with racial turmoil and oppression. It follows the journey of a young girl named Tshepo. After the death of her brother at the 1976 Soweto Uprising , she sets out to join the ANC military wing, Umkhonto We Sizwe, and travels to Angola.
