Maynard Kraak

I came to film late, having only entered film school at 27, attending ARTTS International in North Yorkshire, UK, an eclectic school established by the late John Sichel. After returning to South Africa in 1999, I directed and produced my first professional work, a stage production titled Bourgeoisie Gam. Later that same year, I caught a lucky break when offered a directing position on a South African daily drama series, Generations on SABC1.

During the five years on this series, I also directed a couple of short films and assisted my friend, Akin Omotoso (director of Disney movie, RISE) produce his first feature film, God is African. Also during this period, I was allowed a sabbatical to direct a South African adaptation of the cult BBC series This Life for SABC3. I left Generations to take up the Executive Director position on a new flagship series, Scandal for ETV where I spent the first year of the series' lifespan (still on national television) prior to moving back to London.

In 2009 I directed and produced a short film title Crazy Pickles that screened in Cannes in 2010. Then returned to South Africa as Head of Development at Stark Films in Johannesburg. Besides developing new television series, I also directed on the series Binnelanders, and produced and directed several episodes of Parys Parys for Kyknet; and produced and directed the sitcom series Loitering in Jozi for SABC3.

I left Stark Films in 2012, setting up West Five Films where I immediately set about developing feature film content, and in 2013 directed and produced my first feature film, the romantic comedy Vrou Soek Boer. The following year I produced another successful romantic comedy, Knysna directed by Andre Velts. In 2015, I directed and produced two feature films back to back, the comedy Finders Keepers and romantic dramedy Sonskyn Beperk. After four intense years of work, I took a sabbatical spending time in Los Angeles starting with AFM 2015, then the Berlinale before a couple of months in LA, then off to Cannes, participating in the Producers' Network, and was invited to be part of the Trans Atlantic Partners co-production initiative in Munich and Halifax, Canada where I also did Strategic Partners.

Following further networking in 2017 at the Berlinale, Cannes Film Festival, Durban International Film Festival (DIFF)and AFM, I produced and directed a political thriller The Last Victims that went on to premiere in Los Angeles at the Pan African Film Festival and also opened the Rapid Lion Film Festival in Johannesburg. This film has gone on to play thirty international festivals and has picked up twenty awards. In 2018, I produced and directed the comedy Bhai's Cafe that went on to close DIFF 2019.

I am currently closing finance on my next feature film, White Lie (working title) with Atlas International in Munich, Germany handling international sales, and Jeremy Zimmerman in London heading up casting.

Aside from directing, producing and developing, I am a founding partner in a new major motion picture studio facility in South Africa.