Expert contributors

TIM ARGALL
Others Experts


DIANNE MAKINGS
Dianne joined the animation industry after an 11-year career in advertising, PR and events. Not only does she perform the mammoth role of CTIAF’s festival director, but she also has produced a series of high profile projects. Her latest project; Aau’s Song was an original story produced for Lucasfilm LTD released on Disney +. This 15 min fully CG film was developed and produced entirely in South Africa. She has managed creative teams and processes for a variety of digital content including 2d, 3d, stop motion and VR. She is passionate about African animation and believes that the continent is more than ready for the global stage.


KAYA KUHN
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 where she notably post-produced six seasons of reality television series ‘The Voice’. In 2017, she took the leap into producing animation at renowned studio ‘Triggerfish’. Since then, she line produced critically acclaimed short films ‘Zog’ (BBC1) and ‘The Snail and The Whale’ (BBC1), co-produced animated feature film ‘Seal Team’ (Netflix), was involved with pre-production for animated series ‘Mama K’s Team 4’ (Netflix) and ‘Kiya & the Kimoja Heroes’ (Disney+), and most recently was the senior producer on the groundbreaking anthology ‘Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire’ (Disney+) which is set to release in 2023. She was the consultant producer for animated short ‘Aau’s Song’ which forms part of anthology ‘Star Wars: Visions Volume 2’ (LucasFilms) and has recently been involved in producing live action feature films for local broadcaster, Kyknet. She is also involved with Triggerfish Academy and Foundation in running training and mentorship programs for aspiring African producers, and has been involved in various festival workshops and panels speaking 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.


CLEA MALLINSON
She has over 15 years of video editing experience and in the dramatic MIDPOINT of her career thus far, she shifted from editing real people to hamsters being chased by giant doughnuts. Clea has worked at Triggerfish Animation and Sunrise Productions on shorts, series and features films including Supa Team 4, Netflix’s first ever African animated series. From doing an MA in screenwriting in Ireland, to taking animation writing classes delivered from Nigeria, Clea is excited to continue her creative journey as a writer/director. Her projects focussing on self-expression, connection and the environment have received numerous funding grants and she has pitched twice at Animation Du Monde, receiving a residency at Ciclic Animation. When she’s not glued to her screen you'll find her in nature, crocheting Totoro's, or (finally) playing D&D.