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About OPTICAL.
Optical Films was co-founded by Bianca Vermooten, Marlon Parker and Shane Vermooten, and currently has offices in London and Cape Town. Our slate includes features, shorts, documentaries and series. We have optioned, developed and created award-winning stories which have gone on to win multiple awards around the world.
Optical Films’ latest documentary film entitled The Heart Of Cape Town which is set for release in 2022, tells the story of Prof Christiaan Barnard who was courageous enough to transplant the first human heart and change the future of heart surgery forever.
Our short film #WeAreDyingHere, with executive producer Siya Kolisi, is a first-of-its-kind project; a fusion of spoken word, music and visual metaphor that weaves a powerful story of the war that rages against women’s bodies and has been mentioned in multiple publications as the most highly regarded African film on gender-based violence.
Our documentary feature, Kusasa was selected as the only South African film to form part of a BRICS co-production and was executive produced by China’s acclaimed Lu Chuan and Tencent Pictures.
Bypass, Africa’s first medical thriller received a theatrical release as well as an international distribution deal and its domestic marketing campaign resulted in a spike in organ donation and won a silver Loerie award.
At Optical Films we tell stories that guide audiences to question their perspectives and the way they relate to the world around them. The films we produce are not only high quality entertainment, but also have a direct social impact. From seeing a spike in organ donor registrations to putting a football team through high school and shining a light on gender-based violence and human trafficking, entertainment and impact is at the heart of who we are.