Liana Hassim

Revolution Through Story: Guiding the Next Generation of Impact-Driven Filmmakers

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As cinema continues to shape collective consciousness, film schools must evolve beyond technique to nurture courage, conviction, and compassion in their students. This presentation explores pedagogical approaches to training filmmakers to consider the social impact of their work—moving beyond entertainment to intention. 
Drawing from my background as a South African Indian and Cuban filmmaker, I bring both theoretical insight and lived experience into the classroom. My Honours thesis investigated film as a tool for social cohesion among South African Indian and Black communities. This was done by analysing the award winning short film I wrote and directed called “Amandiya” (2016). The analysis looked at the script and film content, but also analysed and investigated the process of making the film, as well as race relations observed within the cast and crew.
Through practical case studies, including the feminist horror feature-length film I directed in Honduras in 2019, “El Regreso de La Llorona,” I will unpack methods of embedding ethics and social awareness into screenwriting, directing, and story development. As Head of the Creative Writing program at AFDA Cape Town, I’ve mentored a generation of students to interrogate not just what stories they tell, but why and for whom.
This proposal includes both a theoretical framework and practical exercises that aim to cultivate storytellers who wield cinema with responsibility and empathy—empowering students to confront injustice and create change through the power of narrative.

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Liana Hassim was born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. She began her love affair with film as an actor and then turned to writing and directing. She has written and directed a number of award-winning short films and documentaries. She also directed her first feature film in Spanish that was set in La Ceiba, Honduras titled; El Regreso de la Llorona (2021). This feature film can be viewed on Amazon Prime. Liana is currently in post-production with the pilot episode of a Medical Drama that she wrote and directed. She is also the Head of the Creative Writing Department, at AFDA Cape Town.