Mbali Mashaba
Pushing Culture Forward
"She amplifies African cinema, championing diverse narratives for global impact."
Biography
Creative researcher, film director, and curator Mbali Mashaba, listed in Mail & Guardian's 200 Young South Africans, completed Honours in Film and Television at University of the Witwatersrand and film residency at Gothenburg University. Passionate about nuanced representations of African diasporic life and complex lives of Black women, she founded curation and production company Behind Her Lens Visuals and annual Reel to Reality Film Festival as home for African independent films. Her film Umlindelo won Best Short Film at Mashariki Film Festival (Rwanda, 2024); I Think I Should Say Something received Honorable Mention at The Absurd Film Festival (2025). She drives culture forward by amplifying and making African cinema accessible through curation, proving African storytelling deserves global recognition.
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