Sesihle Manzini

Sesihle Manzini is a South African filmmaker who works at the intersection of African history, theology, and memory. Her work moves between economics and human rights, film, research-based storytelling, and public dialogue, with an ongoing focus on land, faith, and the aftermath of colonial destruction. Through a practice grounded in theological research and cinematic storytelling, she explores how communities engage with history, power, and belonging.

Her most recent works include "A Piece of Ground (2023)," a documentary film that addresses current debates on land justice through personal narratives and theological perspectives and has received recognition at international film festivals, and "Idinga (2025)," a short film about faith, betrayal, and resistance during the Xhosa border wars.

Manzini is a recipient of the Goethe-Institut Global Perspectives Grant 2026. As part of this funding program, she is researching the hidden history of black rugby in rural Eastern Cape, South Africa, uncovering a parallel sporting world that has been erased from the country's national narrative. Her work has been presented in academic, cultural, and civil society contexts in southern Africa and internationally.

Sesihle Manzini is a scholarship holder of the "Focus International" program, which was launched in 2023 in cooperation with the Austrian Ministry of Culture (BMWKMS). Young cultural workers from Kosovo (2023–2025) and South Africa (2025–2027) are invited to Austria to complete two-month internships at selected Viennese art institutions, thereby gaining work experience and enriching the host institution through their collaboration.

During her residency at MQ, Manzini will support the Tricky Women / Tricky Realities team, contribute to the festival's archival and curatorial work, and thus promote its mission of making feminist perspectives visible through animated films by women and genderqueer artists.
Her tasks will include cataloguing films, organising and contextualising archival materials, and supporting the preservation and visibility of diverse feminist voices in animation art. In addition, she will assist with festival planning, editorial coordination and digital public relations, contributing her analytical and communicative expertise to the Tricky Women / Tricky Realities team.