He directed Kelly Khumalo's hugely popular and topical season reality show, Life with Kelly Khumalo, which won Best Structured Soapie Reality Show for season 3 at the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs). Film director and producer Kuda Jemba shares the highs and lows of working behind the scenes.

VALIDATION

The reality show documented Kelly's life during the period in which she was the talk in Mzansi due to controversy around her being implicated in the ongoing Senzo Meyiwa trial and the release of her eagerly anticipated album, Voice of Africa. Kuda says, winning an award for the TV gem validates his hard work. "Generally, I feel incredible and like I've just walked on water, you know," he says. "Getting recognition and validation for the hard work we put in as a team is a feeling I can only describe with a sports analogy because it's a team sport and we worked like one. I feel like Michael Jordan's iconic buzzer-beater." The show was up against some very stiff competition in the category of Best Reality Show. When asked what gave his show the edge, Kuda says, "I feel what might have given us the competitive edge was, from her past two seasons that ended with a sort of cliffhanger," he says. "I honestly think that with season three we ended it off on a good note with the family back together and it showed some character development from her reality show arch. So, it did not just look beautiful but felt right and resonated with a lot of people."

HIS FIRST BIG WIN

This win marks Kuda's very first SAFTA and is the culmination of a hugely successful year that also saw him acknowledged as one of Mail & Guardian's top 200 Young South Africans. For Kuda, looking back at directing the show, the prospect of directing his very first reality show was a daunting challenge that he relished. "Technically I would say it was a bit challenging at first not being able to plan shots and a few other things a couple of days ahead, but with this, I gained experience of thinking quickly on my feet and always being ready." He also shares what it was like shooting the show amidst all the public noise. "To be honest with you I couldn't block the noise out because it was helping us curate content for the show," he says. "It was advantageous to us that we were getting all that coverage."

HIS FIRST REALITY SHOW

Working with Kelly at the beginning, especially since it being his directorial reality show debut, was a bit challenging. "I had to come to grips with the reality show genre and how different it was from the world I came from where I had time to plan shoots a couple of days before," Kuda says. "The show pretty much covered what was going on in her life. I just wished we could have dedicated an episode to Kelly and her sister rekindling their relationship. It was beautiful to watch, and I wish we could have shared more of that moment with the world."

A BRIGHT FUTURE

Kuda initially found his way into the industry by working with some of the biggest musical artists in the country on their music videos through his production company, Chopped and Screwed. Now, with years of experience having worked on an award-winning reality show, commercials, and various other productions, Kuda is looking to expand into film. When asked what's next, he says simply, "The big screen!"