The first Real Stories told by Real People Award Winner has been decided, who did you choose…

8th Oct 2019 | Source: African Media Agency

In 2017, Discovery partnered with the Jozi Film Festival (JFF) to launch the Discovery Channel ‘Don’t Stop Wondering Award’ – a special category in the festival which aimed to recognise African filmmakers creating unique African stories. Following the success of the previous two years with the JFF, Discovery renewed its partnership once again, this time in support of the recently launched channel, Real Time (DSTV 155) – the brand’s first free-to-view channel in Africa – to find Real Stories told by Real People.

We received over 200 entries from across the continent, and 4,818 votes cast by you – the public – to find the winning film of the first Real Stories told by Real People award.

The winner is filmmaker, Tapiwa Gambura from Johannesburg, South Africa for her film, “Redefining the Road” – a thought-provoking documentary about the power of perspective and the experiences an open heart and mind have to offer. Although she currently lives in Johannesburg, Tapiwa was born in Zimbabwe and that’s where she shot her film about a woman bus conductor.

Tapiwa was announced as the overall winner at the Jozi Film Festival closing ceremony in Johannesburg on Sunday 6 October, where she received $2,500 from Discovery to use towards her next filming project.

“There’s something so humanising about film and that’s the reason I do this – to humanise the people who we don’t get to see as much,” says Tapiwa, Producer, Redefining the Road.

“As the global leader in real life entertainment, we at Discovery are passionate about immersing viewers in the stories of real people,” says Henry Windridge, Head of Brand, Discovery Middle East & Africa. “Changing the theme of the award this year gave us a chance to explore different stories that spoke to the people of Africa, and the depth of storytelling absolutely blew us away.”

The top 20 films, selected from over 200 entries, will be showcased on Real Time in the coming month to bring these new, exciting and uniquely African stories to viewers as a compliment to the best globally-loved content aired on the channel, for world-class lifestyle viewing with a local touch.

“It has been an honour to partner with Discovery once again on this special award, to celebrate African filmmakers and the real people that inspire them,” said Lisa Henry, Founder and Organiser of the Jozi Film Festival. “This platform creates invaluable exposure for the talent found across the continent, and we are so pleased this competition is in its third consecutive year – well done to all finalists and our winners – we look forward to see the stories you bring us in future.

Watch the top 20 Real Stories told by Real People on Real Time (DSTV 155) from Monday, 21 October, with a new finalist film scheduled to play everyday at 20h50.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Discovery.

About Discovery:

Discovery, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is a global leader in real life entertainment, serving a passionate audience of superfans around the world with content that inspires, informs and entertains. Discovery delivers over 8,000 hours of original programming each year and has category leadership across deeply loved content genres around the world. Available in 220 countries and territories and 50 languages, Discovery is a platform innovator, reaching viewers on all screens, including TV Everywhere products such as the GO portfolio of apps and Discovery Kids Play; direct-to-consumer streaming services such as Eurosport Player and Motor Trend OnDemand; digital-first and social content from Group Nine Media and a strategic alliance with the PGA Tour to create the Global Home of Golf. Discovery’s portfolio of premium brands includes Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, Turbo/Velocity, Animal Planet, and Science Channel, as well as OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in the U.S., Discovery Kids in Latin America, and Eurosport, the leading provider of locally relevant, premium sports and Home of the Olympic Games across Europe. For more information, please visit www.corporate.discovery.com and follow @DiscoveryIncTV across social platforms.

About the Jozi Film Festival:
The Jozi Film Festival was initially created to provide a platform for local filmmakers in Johannesburg, and to develop an audience for South African films. While still prioritizing local film, JFF now accept films from around the world – features, short films, documentaries and student films. We are the longest running multi-genre festival in the City of Gold and our motto remains the same from Day One: We Love Jozi. We Love Film.

The Jozi Film Festival strongly supports independent films.