He is one of Mzansi's leading directors. Tebogo Malope is fresh from the set of directing the NBA series with rapper J. Cole and former U.S. President Barack Obama. He is currently working on an Amazon series titled Classified. He is also the executive producer and director of Showmax's Outlaws and directed Rise: The Siya Kolisi story.

MAKING SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING

His style of filmmaking is raw and unapologetic. "A lot of filmmakers put a camera up. I like to believe that I am a stylistic filmmaker. I really appreciate the craft and craftsmanship of putting together a cinematic piece and so I like it when the style is not hidden and clear that an audience is in the hands of a craftsman,' he says. "So, my style is raw, authentic and has to capture people for who they are but elevate them.' Tebogo has directed some award-winning music videos and productions such as Spirit by Kwesta and Wale, Queen Sono, and For Love & Broken Bones to name a few. "The whole point of it was how do I capture the mundane and make it seem spectacular. I look at the mundane as a piece of art. I don't like my style to be silent but loud and aggressive in my compositions and how I move the camera. Everything is intentional and it doesn't hold back.'

MEETING SPIKE LEE

When he was a young boy, he met award-winning US filmmaker Spike Lee while he was shooting in Soweto. "Meeting him was a fascinating experience. It was a fluke. He came down to shoot something. I used to play for Orlando Pirates under-17 team and I used to do a lot of running and exercising,' he says. "There is an amphitheater next to the Soweto theatre and we used to work out there. While running up and down the stairs. I saw this group of guys and I go and look and see Spike Lee and his team. I greet him and he made a joke about me sweating and running. I tell him that one day I will be like him. At the time, I used to do community theatre and had already fallen in love with the idea of storytelling. But seeing him on set and having so much power and influence made me want to be like that guy,' he says. 

WORKING WITH J. COLE AND OBAMA

Tebogo got to experience a different side to rapper J. Cole and former US president Barak Obama. "The J Cole and Barak thing is quite fascinating. You always have this concept that they are going to be a certain type of people then you get surprised when they are not,' he says. "They are of course powerful and influential people, but they are also humans that work hard and try to impact the world in a unique way. The moment you start seeing them like that, it becomes fascinating. I was stuck with J. Cole in a COVID-19 bubble and I got to hang around him quite a bit and got t chat with him and know him a bit. I realised they are human beings trying to do good and it inspired me more.' 

HIS CHILDHOOD INFLUENCED HIS PASSION

Born and raised in central western Jabavu, in Soweto, Tebogo says he received a lot of his influence from his diverse environment. "I grew up in an environment where I saw all sorts of people. So many tribes, and foreign nationals from all over the continent. So, I was constantly being barraged by all these sounds, sonic, textures, and colours,' he says. "My neighbour on the right owned a tavern that went on the whole night. To the left was a sangoma, that would go on until the morning. At the front, there were magintsa and ma comrade. At the corner was a DJ and engineer fixing cars and playing music. I played food ball and travelled by train passing Jabulani hostel So, I was exposed to a lot,' he says. "My senses were constantly active. It felt cinematic. I took it all in. That sensation I grew up with and dynamism and being able to bounce between all that is a visual cocktail I was constantly being fed. I have always wanted to capture the realism and hyper stylise it.'  Tebogo has many people who have made an impact on his life. "I never got to spend a lot of time with my dad because he left us when I was really young. But one thing he said to me that impacted me a lot was that 'Everything you see, that tree, the wall, the sky came from something that is unseen.' He said you can't see into the spiritual realm, but the spiritual realm is what created what I see. I was about seven years old or eight and that blew my mind.' Tebogo says his mom then influenced his hard work. "She was intense and from an early age taught me hard work, waking up early and sleeping late, just to grind.' Pastor Don Motloung was there to pray for him, guide and look at his dreams. "When I went to film school to register, he walked with me, prayed with me at the gate and he paid for half of my registration fees. He was an engineer, but he believed, held my hand, and carried me.'