Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jordy Sank. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jordy, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I did a feature documentary about the life of a remarkable 98-year-old Holocaust Survivor, Ella Blumenthal. She survived the ghetto and three concentration camps and in spite of all of this her spirit remains undimmed. Every day I spent working on her documentary I felt as though I was doing something positive for the world. There was a lot of pressure in doing her story justice and communicating all of her remarkable values of faith, resilience and joy to audiences – I wanted everyone watching to feel as uplifted and inspired as I did when I was around Ella. The film and Ella’s spirited personality seemed to really connect with audiences, as it won multiple international awards and locally it won three South African Film and TV Awards, including best Documentary Film.

Jordy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Sanktuary Films:

Sanktuary Films is a South African Film Production Company that is incredibly passionate about crafting human stories and social impact narratives. The company’s debut feature documentary, “I Am Here”, won Best South African Feature Documentary at the Durban International Film Festival in 2021, which made the film eligible for Oscar consideration. The film has won multiple international Audience Choice, Best Director awards and 3 sought-after South African Film and Television Awards in 2022. It has screened in cinemas in the United States, Australia and South Africa, with more territories releasing later this year.

Their short film “Leemtes en Leegheid (A Void)” took home 3 prestigious awards at its world premiere at Silwerskermfees, including Best Short Film, Best Screenplay and the Audience Choice Award. Among other international awards, the short film won Best Artists’ Film at the Aesthetica Film Festival in the United Kingdom. With a striking slate of fiction and nonfiction films, they continue to create a sanctuary for audiences who believe in the power, impact and artistry of storytelling.

Jordy Sank:

Jordy Sank is a two times SAFTA-winning South African Director, Screenwriter and Producer known for his feature documentary “I Am Here” (2021), and Afrikaans short film “Leemtes en Leegheid (A Void)” (2022). He was honoured with the Emerging Filmmaker Award at the South African Film and TV Awards (2022), given to one South African filmmaker making waves in the industry. He is a Durban Talents alumnus (2022) and winner of a Silver Screen Award at the Young Director Awards (2022) in Cannes. In 2021, he received 2 Best Director Awards from the Jozi Film Festival and Africa Human Rights Film Festival. Jordy is exceptionally passionate about pushing the envelope of South African storytelling and sharing these meaningful and impactful films with the world.

How I got into the industry:

I was a Director’s Assistant at a local production company and when I felt that there was little room to grow there I decided to leave. When I handed in my resignation I was told that ‘I should look for another industry’ and that because I am a practicing Orthodox Jew that “maybe I should look at immigrating somewhere that will be more accommodating to my religious needs”. I had poured my heart and soul into this job, working after hours, weekends and even occasionally sleeping at the office to get deadlines done. These comments shattered me until I remembered wise words that Filmmaker Martin Scorsese had said “Make your own industry.” So I immediately started to work on the stories and projects that I felt passionate about telling and these documentaries and films have been embraced by audiences around the world. This would have never happened if I had listened to my previous employers ‘advice.’

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Film Festivals and Markets: These are pivotal to understanding the industry, networking and meeting with other like-minded filmmakers that you can collaborate on projects with. The quality of films that you see there and the way that people market their films teaches one so much about not only creating a good story but finding ways to share it to a wider audience. Even the people that you meet in an elevator or at the bar can impart so much wisdom and be the very person that you need to connect with for a particular project.

Collaborators:
Investing in people is one of the most important lessons that I have learnt. Find people who are as passionate about filmmaking as you and who are even more talented than you are. You will learn so much from them and the conversations that she will have with them will be priceless. There are some people that I will not do a project without because I understand how much they add to them, even if they are just the head of one department. Find these people and work with them time and time again.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

As a filmmaker you need to be resilient and get used to people saying no all the time. The great ideas are the ones that you cannot get out of your head and you know that people are wrong for saying no to. Filmmaking is art and art is subjective, so you have to get used to the idea that some people will like your work and some people will hate your work. On one of my projects we got a really terrible review and I was gutted after reading it, but later on that day we found out that we had won the audience choice award at a film festival which really cheered me up. This is filmmaking where the highs and lows are many and the greatest lesson that you can learn is to be proud of your work and the people that you are affecting with it, even if not everyone loves it.

Contact Info:

• Website: sanktuaryfilms.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sanktuaryfilms/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sanktuaryfilms