At 34, Elelwani Netshifhire is telling the stories too often left at the margins, placing women, rural communities and overlooked voices at the heart of South African cinema. For her, filmmaking is not simply an artistic pursuit but a means of shifting perspectives and creating lasting social impact.

As managing director of Thase Media, Netshifhire leads the development and production of short films, documentaries, series and feature films, overseeing projects from concept to completion while cultivating creative collaborations that centre women's experiences. Holding a Bachelor of Arts degree, she has built a body of work that is both artistically ambitious and deeply rooted in community.

Her films have earned recognition on local and international stages. Khoroni received the Bertha Spaces MOBI FEST Award, A Story of a Baked Brownie won at the American Film Fest, and her latest feature, Humdrum, was selected for the Joburg Film Festival. Beyond the screen, she founded Thase Screenings, an initiative that takes impact-driven films to rural schools in Limpopo and Mpumalanga, creating spaces for dialogue, reflection and inspiration.

Netshifhire credits acclaimed Zimbabwean author and filmmaker Tsitsi Dangarembga, now a mentor on her current feature film, with shaping her creative vision. Guided by the advice to always complete what she starts, she continues to build a cinematic legacy that empowers women and demonstrates the transformative power of African storytelling.