I recently read the opinion piece, “Lights, camera, cash flow: Turning Nelson Mandela Bay into a film tourism hub,” and wanted to commend both the authors and The Herald for bringing attention to an important conversation for our city.
Too often, discussions around the creative industries focus solely on the films themselves.
Your article rightly recognises that film is far more than entertainment.
It is an economic ecosystem capable of stimulating tourism, hospitality, transport, construction, catering, small business, marketing and investment.
A thriving creative sector creates opportunities well beyond those who work directly in film.
For a city seeking sustainable economic growth and renewed confidence, this is a conversation worth having.
Reading the article, however, I found myself reflecting on one additional ingredient that I believe will determine whether this vision succeeds over the coming decades: education.
Studios, incentives and film offices can attract productions, but industries are ultimately built by people.
Every production requires writers, performers, producers, editors, cinematographers, designers, technicians, marketers and entrepreneurs.
Developing those people is not a short-term investment.
It is the patient work of building a creative economy that can sustain itself for generations.
At AFDA Gqeberha, we have spent many years investing in exactly that future.
Every year we see talented young people arrive with stories to tell and leave with the skills to contribute meaningfully to SA’s creative industries.
Our hope is that, over time, more of those graduates will be able to build fulfilling careers here in the Eastern Cape rather than feeling they must leave to pursue opportunity elsewhere.
There will undoubtedly be those who believe this vision is too ambitious.
Building a recognised film hub in Nelson Mandela Bay may seem difficult, even unrealistic.
Yet history reminds us that every successful creative city once faced exactly the same doubts.
Cape Town’s film industry was not built overnight, nor was Johannesburg’s reputation as a creative centre inevitable.
They were the result of years of persistence, investment, collaboration and belief.
Every thriving ecosystem begins long before its success becomes visible.
The Eastern Cape possesses remarkable landscapes, extraordinary stories and deeply talented people.
What we need now is the collective confidence to believe that these assets can become an industry capable of transforming lives.
The economic impact of such a transformation extends far beyond film production itself.
Every production supports accommodation providers, restaurants, transport companies, builders, equipment suppliers, retailers, tourism operators and countless small businesses.
It creates employment, attracts outside investment and gives young people tangible reasons to remain in the province.
A healthy creative economy is not simply about making films; it is about creating opportunity.
There is an old proverb that says, “Blessed are those who plant trees under whose shade they will never sit”.
I often think of education in those terms. We invest in young people knowing that many of the greatest rewards may only be realised decades later.
The same can be said for building a creative industry.
The decisions we make today will shape the opportunities available to the next generation.
As the Eastern Cape’s only dedicated higher education institution for film and performance, AFDA Gqeberha is proud to play a small part in that journey.
We see ourselves not simply as a film school, but as one contributor within a much larger ecosystem that includes government, industry, tourism, business and the communities we serve.
If Nelson Mandela Bay is to become a recognised creative destination, it will not happen because of one institution or one initiative alone.
It will happen because a city chose to believe in its own potential and committed itself to the long, often difficult work of building something that future generations will inherit.
Thank you again for publishing an article that encourages exactly that conversation.
I sincerely hope it marks the beginning of a broader discussion about how education, industry, government and the wider community can work together to build a creative economy worthy of the Eastern Cape.
Simon Pienaar, campus dean, head of programme: postgraduate studies, AFDA
