Giant Films director and AFDA alumna Thea Small’s ‘Stay Free’ campaign, an upbeat, comedic femcare spot starring Sho Madjozi, was awarded a Gold – Social Media Campaigns, a Craft Silver –  Excellence in Social Media Community Management , a Silver - Bots, Messaging and Dark Social, and a Bronze – Social Media Innovation, at the IAB Bookmarks Awards 2020.

Giant Films had this to say on social media: A huge congrats to the amazing King James Group team and the talented and humble Sho Madjozi on such a fun, yet super important piece of work - we feel honoured to have been a part of a campaign that really made a difference in young women’s lives around South Africa.

The IAB Bookmark Awards, an IAB SA initiative, celebrates its 12th year of rewarding excellence in digital and recognising the powerful impact interactive has on the overall marketing mix. The Bookmark Awards sets the benchmark for tech, digital and leading edge innovation. The award winning work inspires and educates the industry about the power to build brands through creative and high impact digital executions that deliver measurable results.

Thea is a storyteller first, and a filmmaker second. This combination saw her enrol at AFDA, going against the tide of what was expected of a woman of colour in Cape Town in the 2000s.  Both Thea’s undergraduate and honours films were nominated at South Africa’s SAFTAS, and screened at international festivals.

Thea has written for several notable South African TV Shows (including the International Emmy-nominated Sokhulu and Partners) and was one of 15 African filmmakers selected for the Durban International Film Festival’s Talent Campus in 2016.

From directing her first commercial spot, to creating an intimate character journey in her latest music video, “Obsolete”, Thea’s talents reveal a range of capabilities, grounded in a keen sense of storytelling and performance.

Watch “Stay Free” ad here: https://giantfilms.tv/directors/thea-small/play/the-loneliest-aisle

Watch “Obsolete” here: https://vimeo.com/344965028