Portia Cele

Réalisateur·trice

BIOGRAPHIE

[EN] ZuBeDa Portia Cele is a South African filmmaker with roots in both Cape Town and KwaZulu-Natal. Her work is grounded in powerful storytelling and a sharp visual instinct, especially as a writer and director. ZuBeDa Portia was the South African co-producer on the award-winning documentary project Truck Mama, which gained international attention during its development. It was named Most Promising Documentary Project and received the Best Pitch Award at the 2015 Durban FilmMart, and went on to win Most Outstanding Documentary Project at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) later that year. In 2019, ZuBeDa Portia created a sample piece titled Nazeem as her artist’s proof, setting the tone for the authentic, character-driven work she continues to explore. In 2023, she wrote and directed her first professional short film, Richard Palmer Where Are You?, which showcased her growing voice and style as a filmmaker. Earlier in her career, she produced and assisted on the sound team for the documentary short Imbokodo in 2017, and served as executive producer on the short film Frog Hair in 2015. Her latest short film, Idris, Josi and Blackie, is her second professional work as writer and director — and reflects her continued commitment to telling emotionally resonant stories with grit, humanity, and vision.

FILMOGRAPHIE