Along the Way (2023)

A unique, slice-of-life and experimental mockumentary about a group of students' final-year of university. It follows three girl friends, who are among an even broader group of varsity friends (some of which are represented through a collection of real-life archival footage), as they navigate through the emotionally challenging last months of university before they graduate and transition into the real world. During this time, their deeply-intimate friendship is tested with their last night together and the preparation for it being what puts it at stake. What makes things worse is the realisation that this night might be the only chance they have left to create long-lasting memories together before they separate and start new lives.

  • Andile Prince Mangwana
    Director
    It All Comes Down (2022-2023), Once Requited Love Cannot: Animated Sequel (2023), The Knife's Edge (2023), Dating Siya (2023), Momentarily Captured (2022), Haven (2022), Victoria's Secret (2022)
  • Andile Mangwana
    Writer
    It All Comes Down (2022-2023), Once Requited Love Cannot (2023), The Knife's Edge (2023), Dating Siya (2023), Momentarily Captured (2022), Haven (2022), Victoria's Secret (2022)
  • Jessica Reddy
    Writer
    Homecoming (2023), Unveiled (2023)
  • Aviwe Makapela
    Producer
    The Knife's Edge (2023), Dating Siya (2023)
  • Aviwe Makapela
    Key Cast
    "Mandisa"
    What It Means To Be A Woman (2023), Dating Siya (2023), Momentarily Captured (2022)
  • Moshibudi Molomo
    Key Cast
    "Khanya"
    Dark Space (2022)
  • Nyalo Junior Ramasehla
    Key Cast
    "Denise"
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Experimental, Short, Student, Other
  • Genres:
    Drama, Mumblecore, Expressionist, Coming of Age, Dialogue-driven, Mockumentary, Non-linear
  • Runtime:
    13 minutes 44 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    November 14, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    South Africa
  • Country of Filming:
    South Africa
  • Language:
    English, Southern Sotho, Xhosa
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, 1080p HD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    96:49
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - University of the Witwatersrand
  • Wits Film/TV Experimental Film (2023) Exam Screening
    Braamfontein, Johannesburg
    South Africa
    November 14, 2023
    Wits Film/TV Exam Premiere
    4th Year Final Examination
Director Biography - Andile Prince Mangwana

Andile Mangwana is a screenwriter and filmmaker. His artistry explores African queer representation and storytelling in a way that South Africa hasn't seen before while also unpacking how perspective plays a huge role in the shaping of the world we live in.
As someone who is finding themself through their artistry, Andile continues to explore this gap of South African coming-of-age stories that offer relatable lessons as this is a need for young people like him, especially those of queer identity.

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Director Statement

"you live twice, once in reality, the second time in memories. memory is that diary we all carry with us. we do not remember days, we remember moments, and sometimes we will never know the value of that moment until it becomes a memory.

no one can ever take your memories from you - each day is a new beginning, so make good memories every day."
- an @ihategum Instagram quote

What Andile has to say:
This concept is testament to every final-year student’s horrors. It grapples with the idea of experiencing the end repeatedly as a way to communicate the feeling of existentialism; a philosophical ideology that questions the nature of the human condition and the inherent need to exist on meaningful and liberating terms. The point of this film is to challenge the idea that fulfilment only comes when there is guarantee. This film is a reminder that the end is also a point of renewal and change. Coming of age is realising how the crises of existentialism all hold weight only when we encounter the end of a guaranteed journey. This film will challenge the audience to look at the end with a new layer of perspective and consider what else it could mean; closure, hope and moving on. It will be a reminder that what matters about the end of a journey is knowing that you've lived it, it happened and you enjoyed it - not its inevitable end. A journey is about what is there to cherish along the way, not what it has to offer in the end.