The incredible director leading on this animated short film, she’s a South African film  director, visual development artist specialising in environment design and a 2D animator.  Whilst growing up, she saw a lack of representation of stories and characters that she could relate to or looked like her. As a result, in her work she pushes for authentic African aesthetics to help build the identity of animation coming from South  Africa.

@naledifilm

Aristote Douroudakis is a graduate of Rubika Supinfocom's Master's in 3D Directing and the Gobelins production management school. Commencing his professional journey at Fix Studio, a subsidiary of the Quad group specializing in VFX, Aristote has consistently stood out in diverse roles. His distinctive expertise lies at the intersection of technology watch, environmental concerns, and fundraising. With an innovative and dedicated approach, Aristote co-founded Avec ou sans Vous, showcasing his commitment to pioneering initiatives in the industry.

@avecousansvous

Valentin Maupin, co-founder of Avec ou sans Vous, boasts fifteen years of experience as an actor and voiceover artist. Following a degree in animation film production management at Gobelins, he contributed his talents to renowned studios such as Wizz and Caribara before assuming the role of Production Director at Dada Animation. Prior to his involvement with Avec ou sans Vous, Valentin established "Film Génesis" to champion emerging talents. A graduate of Animation Sans Frontière in 2022, he is currently expanding the reach of Avec ou sans Vous on an international scale. A devoted enthusiast of animation and storytelling, Valentin Maupin remains deeply committed to his craft.

@avecousansvous

With 10+ years of experience in production, Kaya Kuhn is a versatile producer, specializing in post-production and animation. She started her career in the South African film industry in live action post-production. In 2017, she took the leap into producing animation at renowned studio ‘Triggerfish’. Since then, she line produced the critically acclaimed short films ‘Zog’ (BBC1) and ‘The Snail and The Whale’ (BBC1), and co-produced the animated feature film ‘Seal Team’ (Netflix). Recently, she was the senior producer on the groundbreaking anthology ‘Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire’ (Disney+) which released in 2023. She was the consultant producer for the animated short ‘Aau’s Song’ which forms part of the anthology ‘Star Wars: Visions Volume 2’ (LucasFilms). Kaya is involved in running training and mentorship programs for aspiring producers and has been a speaker for various festival workshops and panels on the role of production and the need for diversification in the industry. Currently, she runs a production services company ‘Those Production Girls’ which offers high end production support through innovation and inclusion.

@those producion girls 

Following her experience in business development, training and content creation, Kate Marsay co-founded South African production management firm 'Those Production Girls' to reinvent how productions are managed - keeping up with the fast-paced evolution and growing demands within the film and television industry and providing world class production management services to a host of prestigious and internationally recognised clients. She heads up the training division of the company; providing expertise for existing and developing production teams. Additional to this her role as Head of Business Development within the firm ensures the innovation and optimisation of the production processes that are offered. In a short span of time, she solidified critical production partnerships with major industry players and curated a diverse development slate with critically acclaimed creatives.

@those producion girls 

Lesego Vorster, from Diepkloof, Soweto, qualified with a Fine Arts degree, Post-Graduate Diploma and Animation Masters at the prestigious Gobelins l’ecole de l’image in Paris, France. He is passionate about teaching and passing on knowledge to the next generation. He founded the Tshimologong Precinct's Animation Academy, which is aimed at empowering young graduates through high-end animated filmmaking. Currently, he runs his own company, The Hidden Hand Studios, and has worked with the likes of Triggerfish, Studio La Cachette, SpecialTouch Studios, Zeropoint Studios, and MOZAIC Pictures.

@hiddenhandstudios