Meet Thandiwe Mlauli, The First Independent Black Woman To Build An Animation Studio In SA

Studio Yezi, an animation studio founded by Thandiwe Mlauli, announce their first development – South Africa’s first independently produced and women-led afro-animation which will see Thandiwe as a producer, director, and showrunner. The production, titled SOLA will comprise of a series and short film based on the series.  

Per the company’s official site, “Studio Yezi is a development and animation studio based in South Africa.”Yezi” is short for “inkanyezi” which means “star” in isiZulu. As a company, we intend to be a symbol of hope and light, we intend to serve the world with our storytelling.”

As the studio’s founder, Thandiwe is already carving out a unique space in the South African animation and entertainment industries that focuses on heart-warming local stories, diverse narratives and character representations, as well as nurturing and developing fresh local talent. 

Having graduated with a BFA in Producing for Film & TV from the New York Film Academy, the studio founder spent time in Los Angeles studying the international animation game by attending workshops like the first-of-its-kind, Black Women Animate Bootcamp in 2018 and returned to her home country having built a bad-ass network of like-minded creatives all over the globe.

Connect with Thandiwe Mlauli on Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin and Facebook. 

Visit www.studioyezi.co.za for more. 

Twitter: @StudioYezi

Facebook: Studio Yezi 

Instagram: @StudioYezi  

Youtube: Studio Yezi

Le'Afrinique

Le’Afrinique, pronounced “Leh-Aa-Frii-Neek” meaning (don’t look it up… lol) “Uniquely African”, is a culture news platform originating from South Africa. With the tagline “plugging the world with the coolest in Music, Art & Urban Culture” we aim to serve in that manner by covering relevant and informative content.

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