WELCOME,
I’M BONGIWE SELANE
Bongiwe Selane is an award-winning producer who has produced across several mediums, including commissioned serial content for Africa’s largest pay TV broadcaster, multiple short films, a feature film and a documentary series. Her credits and accolades include Culture Shock, the 2013 SAFTA winner for best reality show; Best South African Short Film at The Durban International Film Festival in 2015 for Unomalanga and The Witch, Great Africans – documentary series for Africa Magic Entertainment, and the NFVF’s Female Only Filmmakers Project, a series of 26 short narrative films by women filmmakers. Happiness is a Four-Letter- Word is her debut feature film, released in February 2016. The film went on to break South African box office records, ranking in just over R14 million (over 1 million EUR) at the local box office. She is an alumna of the Durban Film Mart, La Fabrique Cinema de L’Institute Francais Cannes, as well as Produire Au Sud. In 2018, she was awarded a full scholarship by Creative Europe Media to participate in the EAVE Producers Workshop (European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs).
COMPANY DESCRIPTION
Bongiwe Selane (PTY) Ltd trading as Blingola Media is a Johannesburg based Film and Television Production company headed up by award winning producer Bongiwe Selane. Bongiwe has produced numerous film and television content in the African continent including a Pan African documentary series called Great Africans; the SAFTA winning docu-reality show Culture Shock; winner of Best SA short film at DIFF Unomalanga and the Witch and the box office hit feature film Happiness is a Four-Letter Word.
From 2014-2017 Blingola produced a series of 26 short films in collaboration with the National Film and Video Foundation called the Female Only Filmmaker Project, a series of short films by women writers and directors, and continues to collaborate with a new generation of filmmakers who endeavor to tell original and authentic African stories with global resonance.
Bongiwe’s first feature film, Happiness is a Four-letter-Word, based on the novel with the same title by Cynthia Jele, was released theatrically in Southern Africa in February 2016 and made it to no 3 on opening weekend, making it the best performing film of all new releases.
She is currently in late development and early financing on the sequel to Happiness is a Four-Letter Word called Happiness Ever After, as well as Miles from Nowhere by first time feature film writer/director – Samantha Nell.
SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY
- 2018-present: co-producer – This is not a Burial, it’s a Resurrection with Venice Biennale Cinema College.
- 2015/16: Producer Happiness is a Four-Letter Word (Feature film).
- 2014-2017 Producer of the Female Only Filmmaker Short Film Slate. 26 Short films by emerging female writer directors produced under the slate.
- 2015
Magic with Mo : 13 X26 minutes Talk show with Magician Mo Magic. - Transnet Corporate Series: 6X48 minute series for Transnet showcasing its impact on the South African Economy.
- 2012: Culture Shock - 10 x 48 minutes Reality Series.
- 2009 Great Africans 7x 1-hour Documentary Series profiling African Icons
IN DEVELOPMENT
- Happiness Ever After (sequel of Happiness is a Four-Letter word (currently in development/early financing).
- Miles from Nowhere (Feature film, currently in development/early financing).