Witsie producer wins international award
- Wits Alumni Relations
Gabriella Blumberg acknowledged for her engaged work that pushes professional standards.
Witsie filmmaker Gabriella Blumberg (BA FT 2017) has been awarded the Alumni of the Year Award at the 2022 PIEoneer awards held earlier in September in London.
According to the awards statement, the PIEoneer Awards honour "innovation and achievement across the global education industry. With a distinguished judging panel representing geographical and professional diversity, the awards recognise both individuals and organisations who are pushing professional standards, evolving their engagement or redefining the international student experience".
The 28-year-old Blumberg submitted several films to support her nomination, including her role as producer on Near Not Far (2019), Street Smart and I Am Here (both 2021).
This award is the latest in a string of accolades. Earlier this year, another film she produced, Leemtes en Leegheid (2022) premiered at kykNET’s Silwerskermfees, where it won Best Short Film, Best Script, and the Audience Choice Award. In 2021, I Am Here won Best South African Documentary and the Audience Choice Award at the Durban International Film Festival, as well as the Audience Choice Award at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival.
After Wits, Blumberg obtained her master’s in directing at the MET Film School in London.
Blumberg told WITSReview she has always been passionate about filmmaking that has impact, something she attributes to her Wits education: “The Wits film department makes one interrogate one’s role and responsibility as a filmmaker. I have always been interested in sharing stories that have impact in people’s lives. Wits gave me the tools to bring this to life. I truly found that I had a solid base of critical thinking and a strong theoretical background from Wits. This gave me the confidence to master the more technical skills that I learned in my MA.”
Her short film I, Coolie (2018) won best student film at the San Francisco Black Film Festival and won the judge’s choice at the Best Global Shorts Festival.
The short documentary Near Not Far was presented to the South African government to encourage better infrastructure for breast health in Limpopo. It is because of this campaign that a breast and cervical screening unit is being set up in the area. Her television advert about breast health was screened on 200 slots on eTV and DStv in 2021.