Impressive panel announced for PPC Imaginarium Awards

Renowned for her film Otelo Burning, award-winning documentary director and producer Sara Blecher is one of many creatives who sit on this year's panel. Blecher has elicited glowing praise locally and internationally for her latest venture entitled Ayanda and the Mechanic, a film that she co-produced with award-winning Tsotsi star and actor Terry Pheto. Her new film enjoyed a sold-out world premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival, was successful at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival in France, and was screened as the opening film of the 36th Durban International Film Festival.

Other cinematic forces to be reckoned with include award-winning director Wessel van Huyssteen of Tin Rage Productions; and Karima Effendi, producer of the acclaimed educational TV drama series InterSEXions.

Heavyweight design luminaries

The awards committee is also joined by heavyweight design luminaries that include Alayne Reesberg, who previously headed the World Design Capital Cape Town 2014; Programme Director of 100% Design South Africa, Cathy O'Clery who curates the country's only international design show; and industrial design duo Adriaan Hugo and Katy Taplin, who are behind the ground-breaking design studio Dokter and Misses and inspire a broad-ranging audience with their contemporary African aesthetic.

Renowned artists gracing the panel include Diane Victor, Wilma Cruise, Stephen Hobbs and Ledelle Moe. High calibre academic professionals in the arts include Wayne Matthews, David Jones, Aaron Kohn, Theresa Hardman, Annali Dempsey and Philippa Tumubweinee.

The full PPC Imaginarium Judging Panel is as follows:

• Aaron Kohn, Founding Director of the Museum of African Design, Joburg, and co-curator of the forthcoming AKAA (Also Known As Africa) Art and Design Fair in Paris;
• Ledelle Moe, Head of Sculpture Department at the University of Stellenbosch;
• Cathy O'Clery, Programmes Director of 100% Design South Africa and Design Facilitator for Design Network Africa;
• Alayne Reesberg, CEO World Design Capital Cape Town;
• Wayne Matthews, Gallery Manager and Curator at ArtEC;
• David Jones, Head of Department of Studio Arts at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University;
• Theresa Hardman, Artist, Architect and Lecturer at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University;
• Diane Victor, Printmaker, Visual Artist and Lecturer at various South African institutions;
• Annali Dempsey, Curator at the University of Johannesburg Art Gallery;
• Stephen Hobbs, Artist, Curator and Director of Art-icle;
• Wilma Cruise, sculptor and visual artist;
• Adriaan Hugo and Katy Taplin of Dokter and Misses;
• Philippa Tumubweinee Co- founder and Director of Izuba inAfrica Architects;
• Karima Effendi, film producer, script editor and writer;
• Sara Blecher, Director and Co- founder of CINGA productions; and
• Wessel van Huyssteen, filmmaker and director of Tin Rage Productions.

The judges are tasked with evaluating the entries in order to determine the finalists and overall winner. The judging process will occur in three phases. The first phase of judging will be based on entrants' written proposals to determine who makes it to the production phase. The second phase of judging, in which regional judging takes place and finalists are chosen, will be based on physical submissions. The finalists will then be judged in the third and final phase at the national level.

The winners in each competition category will be announced on Thursday, 4 February, 2016. The overall competition winner announcement will take place at the University of Johannesburg in Auckland Park on Thursday, 31 March, 2016.

The winners will receive substantial monetary prizes, but in addition to this, the judges will also mentor each of the category winners.

Follow the PPC Imaginarium Awards website www.ppcimaginarium.co.za for more information and interviews with the judges.