From Johannesburg to New York: Boys’ College Film Club Reaches the Global Stage

At the beginning of Term 2, the Boys’ College Film Club embarked on an ambitious journey: to create and submit a film to the All-American High School Film Festival, the largest international film festival dedicated to high school filmmakers. For many of our students, this marked their first experience working in the medium of film, making the challenge both exciting and formidable. Adding to the significance of the endeavour was the knowledge that St Stithians would become the first South African school to submit a film to the festival.

Faced with uncertainty, our students embraced the opportunity with remarkable enthusiasm and commitment, driven by determination, creativity, and a shared passion for storytelling. Their hard work and resilience ultimately culminated in an extraordinary achievement.

We are delighted and immensely proud to announce that the Film Club’s production has been named an Official Selection of the 2026 All-American High School Film Festival. This honour places our students among an elite group of young filmmakers from around the world, with the festival selecting their work from more than 2,500 submissions from over 40 countries.

The film, The Play (or the Failure Thereof), has been officially selected in the Comedy category and will be screened in New York City this October as part of the prestigious festival programme. Directed by Landilani Chinkanda (Grade 10), who also wrote the screenplay, alongside Shakeel Karumia (Grade 11), the mockumentary follows the production of a school play as it unravels in increasingly entertaining fashion, offering both humour and insight into the creative process.

What makes this achievement particularly noteworthy is the collaborative effort behind the production. Every aspect of the film, from its performances and cinematography to its editing and production, was conceived and executed by members of the Film Club. The project stands as a testament to the students’ creativity, dedication, and impressive command of both the artistic and technical dimensions of filmmaking.

The All-American High School Film Festival will take place from 16 to 18 October in New York City, where The Play (or the Failure Thereof) will be screened at the historic Empire Theatre before an international audience of filmmakers, industry professionals, and fellow students.

This milestone represents not only a remarkable accomplishment for the Film Club but also a proud moment for the Boys’ College, as our students showcase their talent on a global stage. We congratulate everyone involved in bringing this project to life and wish them every success as the festival’s nominations and awards process unfolds.

Congratulations to our Film Club on this outstanding international achievement.

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