Jahmil X.T. Qubeka

Xolani Thandikaya Qubeka (born 26 March 1979),[1] professionally known as Jahmil X.T Qubeka, is a South African film director, screenwriter, and producer.[2]

Jahmil X.T Qubeka
Qubeka at the 2019 African Films Festival
Born
Xolani Thandikaya Qubeka

(1979-03-26) 26 March 1979
Mdantsane, Eastern Cape, South Africa
Occupation(s)Film director, screenwriter, producer
Years active2000–present

He has mostly worked on action, crime, and drama films that tell the story of post-apartheid South Africa, and has received multiple accolades, including Best Director at the 15th edition of the Africa Movie Academy Awards for Sew the Winter to My Skin.[3]

Personal life

Qubeka was born in a Xhosa family in what used to be the nominally independent state of Ciskei. Although he was born during the apartheid era, he grew up in a relatively elite Black neighborhood, and stated that he "doesn’t have the weight of apartheid on his shoulders." He describes his father as a cinephile who constantly watched movies.[4]

He states that Stanley Kubrick and Fritz Lang are among his biggest cinematic influences, but that he also enjoys comedy and is a huge fan of American comedian Eddie Murphy. He also stated that the 1982 Murphy-starring 48 Hrs. is one of his favorite films.[4]

Cinematic career

Qubeka's 2013 film Of Good Report was originally chosen to open the Durban International Film Festival, but was announced that it was banned by the National Film and Video Foundation of South Africa for containing an "unethical" romance between a teacher and a student,[4] constituting what the board said was "child pornography". This decision was later overturned after an appeal by the producers of the film.[5] Of Good Report later won the 2014 Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Film.[6]

He won the award for Best Director for his action thriller Sew the Winter to My Skin at the 15th Africa Movie Academy Awards that were held in Lagos, Nigeria.[7]

Speaking on his 2019 film Knuckle City, Qubeka stated that he looked forward to mixing genres on his future film projects, and also spoke about the "toxic masculinity" that exists in South African culture.[8]

In 2022, Qubeka released two television series. His epic fantasy series Blood Psalms launched on Showmax in September and billed as its biggest and most ambitious production to date.[9] It stars South African actress Thando Thabethe, Sello Maake Ka Ncube and Warren Masemola, and tells the story of an African queen battling a world-ending prophecy to navigate her people through politics and never-ending wars.[10][11] In November, his Kings of Queenstown, a Netflix original series about a young soccer prodigy, was released. As of November 2022, he is in pre-production on the supernatural thriller The White Devil, based on a book by the same name.[12]

Reception

Guy Lodge for Variety praised Qubeka's unique attempts of telling post-apartheid South Africa's story in film making that is not solely based on racial segregation, but violence and patriarchal sexuality. The adoption of black and white sequence of images, as opposed to colored, was also highlighted as adding a positive uniqueness to the film Of Good Report. He summarized its review by stating, "Jahmil X.T. Qubeka's striking but grisly feature swerves wildly from obsessive student-teacher romance into splattering horror."[13]

Filmography

References
  1. "5 Questions for Filmmaker Jahmil XT Qubeka". africasacountry. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  2. "Jahmil X.T. Qubeka". IMDb. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  3. "AMAA 2019: Here are all the winners at the 15th edition of movie award". Pulse Nigeria. 27 October 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  4. Rorich, Dezi (22 July 2013). "South Africa Banned Film Director Jahmil Qubeka Speaks Out". Variety. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  5. "Of Good Report: The serial killer movie they tried to ban". CNN. 21 August 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  6. "SA's 'Of Good Report' scoops 13 Africa movie award nominations". 8 May 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  7. Gbenga, Bada (27 October 2019). "AMAA 2019: Here are all the winners at the 15th edition of award". Pulse NG. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  8. Vourlias, Christopher (18 July 2019). "Jahmil X.T. Qubeka on Durban Opening-Night Film 'Knuckle City'". Variety. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  9. Whittock, Jesse (17 August 2022). "Rising South African Streamer Showmax Talks Co-Production And "'Black Panther' Effect" As Firm Reveals First Trailer For African Fantasy Drama 'Blood Psalms'". Deadline. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  10. Ferreira, Thinus. "Epic new local drama series Blood Psalms coming to Showmax in 2021". Channel. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  11. "'Blood Psalms' shot in Eastern Cape to be aired internationally". DispatchLIVE. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  12. "Jahmil working on spooky film". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  13. Lodge, Guy (5 November 2013). "Film Review: 'Of Good Report'". Variety. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
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