Shane Vermooten

Shane Vermooten is a SAFTA wining director, he has filmed in 21 countries and his work has won awards around the world. His latest short film #WeAreDyingHere, with executive producer Siya Kolisi, is a first-of-its-kind project; a fusion of spoken word, music and visual metaphor that weaves a powerful story of the war that rages against women’s bodies. Shane’s latest documentary project commissioned for Chinese television is a retelling of the historic events that lead to the world’s first heart transplant. His documentary Kusasa was selected as the only South African film to form part of a BRICS co-production, executive produced by China’s acclaimed Lu Chuan and Tencent Pictures. Kusasa won best documentary feature at Chagrin International Film Festival as well as SCAD Savannah Film Festival and selected as part of the marquee selection at Austin Film Festival. Bypass, Shane's debut feature film, was theatrically released and received global distribution. In 2015, his short film Freedom Road was screened alongside William Kentridge’s work at the City Gallery in Wellington, New Zealand. He is co-founder of Optical Films, a production company that tells stories to drive social impact and is also an alumni of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative, and a Mail & Guardian Top 200 Young South African. Shane began his career in South Africa and now resides in London.