Diaan Lawrenson - New AFDA Cape Town Dean

"We are extremely excited and honoured to have Diaan as our new AFDA Cape Town campus dean. Diaan comes with an immense depth of experience and wealth of knowledge in the South African film and television industry. Diaan is not only one of South Africa's most recognisable faces in television but an AFDA alumna. Diaan joins a now proudly majority AFDA alumni senior management team! We believe our Cape Town campus, staff and students will benefit greatly with Diaan at the helm. We are looking forward to a bright and successful future with Diaan running the ever-growing Cape Town campus," says AFDA CEO Teresa Passchier.

Photo by SJ van Zyl

"Eighteen years ago I graduated from AFDA Johannesburg and the journey since has been an exciting discovery of various disciplines over many genres in the entertainment industry. An industry I have a great love, respect and passion for. Three years ago I started lecturing at AFDA Cape Town campus and discovered another passion - I realised that I am a student at heart, that I adore being a mentor and so bridging young, dedicated practitioners into the industry. I am honoured to be appointed as Dean of Cape Town campus and hope to share my experiences as an actor, producer, director and scriptwriter with our future industry leaders," says Diaan Lawrenson.

Diaan may be better known in South African households as "Paula", for her role in the role in the TV soapie, 7de Laan, but she has also very successfully mined her multiple skillset in the entertainment industry, working across all genres as an actor, producer, director and scriptwriter on a host of television shows, short films, feature films, theatre productions and music videos. Diaan also co-owns an award-winning production company called Jester Productions.

Over the last 11 years her production company has been responsible for productions crossing all genres: theatre, corporate and industrial theatre and DVD production, film and television. Jester has been nominated for various awards including the prestigious Fleur du Cap, Naledi and Fiesta awards and management of Jester Productions have won various awards including SAFTAS, ATKV Veertjie, YOU Spectacular, Tempo, Fleur du Cap and Naledi Awards.

Diaan also recently played the lead role of "Ingrid" in the film, Raaiselkind, for which she was nominated at the SAFTA's 2019, she also acted in box office hit, Susters, directed by fellow AFDA alumnus Corne van Rooyen, she played "Megan" in the film, Table Manners, and starred in the multi-award-winning film, Sink, directed by AFDA alumnus Brett Michael Innes.