Film School, Live Performance, Business & Innovation, Creative Writing
AFDA is the Nr 1 School for the Creative Economy and offers Higher Certificate programmes, Undergraduate degrees as well as Postgraduate qualifications in film, television, performance, business innovation and creative writing. AFDA is fully registered and accredited by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). AFDA participates productively in the ongoing reaccreditation and quality assurance processes of the Council on Higher Education (CHE) to ensure the quality of the AFDA programmes.
AFDA is also an internationally recognized institution and is a full member of CILECT – The International Association of Film and Television Schools. AFDA’s membership to CILECT gives AFDA students and alumni the opportunity to continue or further their studies at any of the 180+ CILECT member film schools around the world.
AFDA was founded in 1994 by Garth Holmes, Bata Passchier and Deon Opperman.
From its early beginnings with a mere 6 students, AFDA has steadily grown to become one of the leading institutions of its kind in the world today. AFDA now has over 2600 students, a permanent staff of over 260 academics and administrators and 4 fully equipped campuses in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Gqeberha. AFDA has an impressive list of over 6500 alumni. AFDA graduates are pervasive and well known and respected in the entertainment industry both locally and abroad.
The quality of the AFDA educational offer is evidenced by the numerous industry-acclaimed awards that AFDA students and alumni have accumulated locally as well as internationally. AFDA is the only film school in Africa to have ever won the coveted Oscar (Academy Award). In 2006, the AFDA Honours film “Elalini” won the Best Foreign Student Film at the Oscars. In 2021, an AFDA alumnus worked as the colourist on the Oscar and BAFTA Award winning documentary “My Octopus Teacher”. On the local awards circuit, AFDA alumni outshine the rest, amassing 52 South-African Film and Television Awards (SAFTA), 16 Simon Sabela Awards, 8 South-African Music Awards (SAMA), 8 Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) Awards, 14 Kyknet Silwerskermfees Awards, 6 Loeries and 5 Fleur Du Cap Awards – all just over the last 3 years.
