SARA CF DE GOUVEIA

SARA GOUVEIA is an award winning filmmaker and interdisciplinary artist based in Cape Town. Her films have strong visual aesthetics and explore the line between fiction and reality. Sara often collaborates with musicians, artists and performers to explore broader existential and historical themes.

Sara’s first feature length documentary "THE SOUND OF MASKS" had its World Premiere at IDFA 2018 and was described in magazine Africa is a Country as “a visual meditation on the nature of memory in postcolonial societies”. The film screened at the MARRAKECH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2018, HOT DOCS 2019, NEW YORK AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL 2019, THE DURBAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL AND DOCLISBOA 2019. The film received the award for Best Feature Documentary at the Plateau International Film Festival 2019 and the 14th SAFTA Golden Horn Award for Best Cinematography as well as SAFTA nominations for Best Feature Documentary and Best Editing in 2020. In 2021 the film received the awards for Best International Feature and Best Direction at the 7th Brasil Festival of International Cinema.

Her mid-length film “MOTHER TO MOTHER”, produced by The Ergo Company and Seashore Films, premiered at the 2020 Encounters SA International Documentary Film Festival, where it was described as “an engaging and thought-provoking work of cinema that expands our collective humanity”. The film was awarded second place in the Adiaha Award for best documentary film, it also received nominations for Best Documentary Feature, Best Cinematography and Best Sound during the 2021 SAFTAs and won the Writers Guild of South Africa Muse Award for Best Documentary Script 2020. 

Sara has participated in the DURBAN FILM MART, IDFA SUMMER SCHOOL, HOT DOCS BLUE-ICE LAB, DOCSOCIETY, AND BERLINALE TALENTS, with her work broadcast on platforms like Showmax, PBS, CGTN, SABC and RTP. She has also participated in the CASA DO XISTO 16mm residency in Portugal in 2022, the TANKWA ARTSCAPE RESIDENCY, the BODHI KHAYA RESIDENCY and ELECTRIC SOUTH: NEW DIMENSIONS LAB in South Africa 2024.

Documentaries

The Sound of Masks - 70min, Documentary, 2018

Atanásio Nyusi, a compelling storyteller and legendary Mapiko dancer, takes us on a journey through Mozambique’s past and present.

Like Water - 14min, Documentary, 2021

A hyperactive 6-year-old girl in a pink tutu. A fluffy rabbit named Carrots. A 72-year old Sensei. We follow this rare, unseen world of competitive, women-led Karate sports in a community in Cape Town through the eyes of the school’s newest and youngest inductee, Nawar Taliep (6), as she prepares for her first tournament.

Mother to Mother - 48min, Documentary, 2020

Mother to Mother beautifully dramatises the novel of the same name written by Sindiwe Magona about the murder of Amy Biehl. Featuring South African singer, actress and playwright Thembi Mtshali, Mother to Mother is engaging, thought-provoking and deftly constructed cinema.

Music Videos & SHORTS

“Wind” - Francesca Biancoli (2019)

Music Video

“Ribbon Tooth” - Card On Spokes (2017)

Music Video

Commercials

AXE "MODERN MAN" SPEC AD


Winner: Second Place MOFILM Global Axe Competition

GUINNESS "LOOK TO THE STARS"


Shortlisted "Guinness: Made of More" Competition