Ballito filmmaker SJ van Breda scooped a record number of awards at the 11th SmartFone Flick Fest (SF3) Gala Finals, held at the Sydney Opera House in Australia.

Squashbox – a 2025 mini-documentary written, directed and edited by Van Breda – premiered on the international festival’s opening night on January 23, later winning five awards.

These included the three most prestigious honours: Best Film, Best Documentary and Best Cinematography.

The film tells the story of the relationship and work of David “Qadasi” Jenkins and Maqhinga Radebe, a South African Music Award-winning maskandi (Zulu folk music) duo.

“It was an amazing honour to screen at the Sydney Opera House,” said SJ.

ALSO READ: Maskandi duo Qadasi and Maqhinga to premiere documentary at Aussie film fest | North Coast Courier

“I was so proud to represent the team and South Africa in such an iconic location. Being on the big screen in the sold-out Playhouse, with nearly 400 people, was surreal.”

SF3 is the largest festival of its kind, receiving around 450 entries across 36 categories from around the globe. Produced by Fun Bruh Dar Films, the documentary competed against 15 other international films.

“I was not expecting to win the biggest award of the night – documentaries usually never win Best Film,” said SJ.

The 34-year-old filmmaker also took home the Blackmagic Camera Award, while Qadasi and Maqhinga won Best Original Score.

“I was hoping for Best Documentary and Best Score for David and Maq, but the rest were a complete surprise,” she said.

READ MORE: Ballito filmmaker’s documentary ‘Squashbox’ premieres at Lyric Lounge | North Coast Courier

The 10-minute bio-documentary was filmed on an iPhone 14 Pro and a drone, using the Blackmagic Camera App, a feature that turns a smartphone into a digital film camera.

Festival director and SF3 co-founder Angela Blake was effusive in her praise. “SJ is one of the most talented filmmakers we have ever seen at SF3,” Blake said.

“Squashbox is a truly incredible film, one the whole world should see and one that all of South Africa can be proud of. You forget that it was shot on a phone; she is a movie magician.”

Squashbox will be released in South Africa after completing the international film festival circuit.

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