After more than a decade of using his talent internationally, a Port Alfred-born video editor will be returning home in March to impart knowledge and some tricks of the trade to aspiring filmmakers during the Eastern Cape Film Festival.
Sakhe Jele, who has been working in Los Angeles for the past 11 years, will be among the judges at the 2025 film festival taking place at the Kariega Love Life Centre from March 21-23.
The event was initially scheduled to take place in December but vandalism of the centre forced it to be postponed.
The seasoned video editor, whose work has captivated audiences nationally and internationally throughout his more than two decades in the industry, said it was a privilege to partner with the Eastern Cape Film Festival.
“I will get to have an outlet to impart skills.
“I think we will be able to reach a larger audience, where there might be people who have access to cameras as there are even cellphones that have really good cameras.
“Now we can encourage the youth to not wait until they get a camera, but to instead use their cellphones,” Jele said.
Jele has worked in post-production on various big shows for major US networks including TLC, Netflix, The History Channel, WeTV, VH1 and BET.
From 2019-2021, he obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Screenwriting at the California State University, Northridge, and became a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society.
And from 2016-2018, he obtained his associate degree in cinema production (cum laude), directing skills certificate and cinematography skills certificate at the Los Angeles Community College.
In 2011, he obtained his Business Management certificate at Milpark Business School and in 2004 he obtained a Diploma in Sound Engineering at Birnam Business College.
In 2010, his introduction to the international film community came when he worked on the post-production of BudHouse, a Ridley Scott show centred around soccer fans’ experience during the Fifa 2010 World Cup.
Apart from working as an editor, he also got an opportunity to work as a director on Mzansi Insider as well as on popular shows such as Strictly Come Dancing.
He is currently working for Box to Box Film in Los Angeles which is well known for its Netflix documentaries.
Jele said he was hoping to see in-depth content, storytelling and good acoustics from contestants competing in the 2025 film festival.
“When you want to sell your product or you want funding, your product is usually on paper because it starts with the script.
“So I want to see what their stories are about and how they impact society.
“Sometimes when people edit, it’s a matter of just using the shot, because you have many different shots of an angle, then you want to use all of them.
“That is where I want to see the importance of decision-making from the filmmaker, where the filmmaker decides even though we had many shots, but a particular shot had more impact,” Jele said.
He said the province was not lacking as far as talent was concerned, but rather the main issues were access to facilities such as editing systems as well as cameras.
“While actors can hone their craft by having improv sessions, editors on the other hand cannot get good at editing by thinking, you get good by trial.
“You can only get better by having access to editing facilities.
“The Eastern Cape has talent just like the children of LA do, the only difference that sets us apart is access,” Jele said.
The Eastern Cape Film Festival’s director, Nceba Mqolomba, said they were disappointed when they were forced to postpone the festival, however, the show must go on.
The first 100 festivalgoers will receive free entry to the Love Life Centre in Kariega where local, national and international films will be showcased.
In less than a year, the Eastern Cape Film Festival has shot 10 films in association with the Eastern Cape Film Studios and National Film and Video Funding, with a cash injection of R2.4m.
“We chose to host the festival during the long weekend so people that were in the films that were shot in Kariega can also get to see themselves and their community,” Mqolomba said.
The Herald
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