South Africa Mentorship Closes Film Industry Gender Gap

When Harriet Gavshon co-founded Quizzical Pictures in 1993, women held barely 11% of South African directing jobs. Three decades later, her mentorship program has launched 100 interns into thriving careers, with many now holding Netflix and Showmax credits.

The gender gap in South African film remains stark. Only 11% of nationally released feature films have female directors, and just 16% are written by women.

Behind the camera, the numbers look even worse. Men dominate technical positions like sound engineering, lighting, and camera work, while women cluster in wardrobe and makeup roles.

Gavshon saw the pattern and decided to fight it with action. Over 30 years, she's built an active internship program that gives young women real responsibility from day one, not coffee runs and busy work.

Tammy Lewis-Houghting discovered this when Gavshon reached out during her final year at Wits University. The internship on the TV series Hard Copy became the foundation for a 20-year career as a line producer, managing multimillion-dollar budgets and schedules.

"Quizzical trusted me with meaningful responsibility from the beginning," Lewis-Houghting said. "That early belief in my potential gave me the confidence to build my career."

Mthatha-born Olwethu Maduna followed a similar path, going from intern to Netflix-ready production accountant. She's now one of the rare women managing money on major film productions, a role traditionally dominated by men.

The Ripple Effect

These success stories are creating their own momentum. Lewis-Houghting now lives by the motto "Bring others with me," actively opening doors and championing talented women the way Gavshon championed her.

The approach works because it gives young people what they need most: a safe environment to learn actual skills and someone willing to take a chance on their potential. "Everyone needs that first push to get them going," Gavshon said.

While high-budget commercial cinema and prime-time television directing still lack women, the mentorship model is proving that hands-on experience breaks down barriers faster than policy alone. When women see other women succeeding in technical roles, they know those paths are possible.

The journey from 11% to parity has miles to go, but 100 launched careers show the road map is clear.