Sara Blecher

An award winning documentary director and producer, Sara Blecher has recently completed her second and third feature films simultaneously – AYANDA and DIS EK ANNA, both of which were to released theatrically in October 2015. AYANDA premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival where it received a special mention in the world category and was selected to open the Durban International Film Festival, and DIS EK ANNA won both best film and best director at the South African film and television awards 2016. Sara’s debut feature OTELO BURNING won over 17 international awards and was named by CNN as one of the top ten African films of the decade. She is also currently in development with a slate of feature films.
Sara is a co-founder of CINGA PRODUCTIONS, a small boutique South African based production company which has, in its 15-yearlong existence, made a number of innovative television programs and drama series including the International Emmy Nominated ZERO TOLERANCE.
Sara has made some noteworthy documentaries for Curious Pictures and the SABC’s Award winning current affairs program, Special Assignment, where she worked as a journalist and senior producer for two years. Awards for these documentaries include the Safta award for best documentary for SURFING SOWETO, and in 2003 a CNN’s African journalist of the year award in the Arts and Culture category for KOBUS AND DUMILE, among others.
She began her career working on theatre productions. Prior to this she waitressed, modelled, drove elevators, and worked as a journalist in London, Paris, Windhoek, Washington and New York. Her first film related job was as a production assistant on the documentary PARIS IS BURNING.
Sara was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa. Her family immigrated to the United States in 1981 when the policies of apartheid became untenable for her parents. She was educated at Stuyvesant High School and later graduated with honors from NYU film school.
Soon after this she returned home. She has been living in South Africa with her husband and three children ever since.

AWARDS AND PRIZES
Sara Blecher was recently awarded a grant by the South African National Film and Video Foundation NFVF, to develop and produce a slate of films. She is a founding member of SWIFT (South African Women in Film and Television) She was nominated in the new Directors Voice category of the Seattle international Film Festival and was awarded the IFP Adrienne Shelly Director’s Grant in New York (2012) Sara is a former recipient of the CNN African Journalist of the Year Award in the Arts and culture category (2003). Her work has won numerous awards as outlined below.

Festivals and Awards
Ayanda played in over fifty festivals around the world, was selected as the opening night film of six and was earned numerous nominations and awards including:
Special Jury Mention Los Angeles International film festival, world competition (2015); Golden Panda for Special award at the 2017 BRICS International Film Festival in Chengdu, China (2017); Best Actress award AFRIFF, Lagos Nigeria (2016) ; 8 Nominations and winner Best script/ Makeup ( AMVCA awards 2016 ) ; 9 Nominations and winner best actress African Movie Academy Awards ( 2016); 6 Nominations South African Film and Television awards and winner of Best Actress ( 2016)
It also played in competition at BFI London International Film; was Opening night film Durban International Film Festival (2015); Opening night film Cinema Africa Film Festival, Stockholm (2016); Opening night film New Zealand African Film Festival (2016); Opening night film Mozambique International Film (2016) ; Opening night film Festival Cinemas d'Afrique, Lausanne (2016); Opening nights film Africa in motion Film Festival Edinburgh, (2016)

Awards for DIS EK ANNA Include: Best film, best actor and best director Silverskerm Film festival (2015); winner of Best Director and Best Feature film at the South African Film and Television awards (2015)

Awards for Otelo Burning include: Best Drama - One World Media awards in London (May 2012), Was Nominated 13 AMAA (African Movie Academy Awards) Won 2 – Best cinematographer (Lance Gewer) best child actor (Tshepang Mohloni) Lagos, Nigeria 2012, Audience award for best feature Cinerama BC (Brazil, 2012), Best feature film Cape Winelands Film Festival (2012), Winner Long fiction Feature Competition Bagdad International Film Festival (2012), Winner best sound and Best Actor at the Colors of the Nile Film Festival in Addis Ababa, Winner Best international feature at the Bronze lens Film Festival in Atlanta , Winner "I Have Rights" in The Armenian International Children’s Film Festival
Festivals include: Busan International, London International, Seattle International, Dubai International, Heartlands, Opening film at the Durban International Film Festival

Awards for Surfing Soweto include: Official selection Durban International Film Festival 2010; Tri Continent Film Festival 2010 - audience award best documentary; Youth award (best film) Artivist film festival Los Angeles 2011; Best documentary (Rwanda Film Festival 2011); Official selection Film Africa (London 2011);Official selection Tarifa Film Festival Spain 2011; Official selection Afrikamera Film Festival – Poland 2011; South African film and television award SAFTA (2012) best documentary; Winner best feature documentary at the fifth annual Africa World Documentary Film Festival 2012.