Our Work
At Rise and Shine Films, we tell stories that cut deep and leave a mark. From daring features to bold documentaries and character-driven series, our work spans continents and genres—but always comes back to the truth. We champion outsider voices, untold histories, and cinematic storytelling with soul. Below is a glimpse into our growing body of work.
Feature Documentary
THE QUIET ONE (in production)
A lyrical portrait of Oscar Gutierrez — Mandela’s favourite photographer and a father in exile — tracing the scars of history and the longing for home.
Set between Guatemala, the USA, and South Africa.
Feature Film
LOW RIDER (2025)
Quinn, a queer Londoner, impulsively jets off to Cape Town following her mother's sudden passing, seeking to reconnect with her estranged father. Along the way, she forms a bond with a charismatic stranger, Harley, who offers to help her on her quest.
Starring Emma McDonald and Thishiwe Ziqubu, this BFI-backed UK-South Africa co-production, directed by Campbell X, is a queer, emotionally charged road movie that reimagines the Western genre through a contemporary lens.
.jpeg)
Feature Film
THE CURSED ONES (2015)
A stylish Ghanaian noir tackling superstition, corruption, and the courage to confront them. Directed by Nana Obiri Yeboah, this critically acclaimed film was nominated for 13 African Movie Academy Awards and screened at top international festivals, including Pan African Film Festival (Los Angeles), Edinburgh International Film Festival, and Luxor African Film Festival.
Feature Film
TRIOMF (2008)
Set in a crumbling white working-class suburb built on the ruins of Sophiatown, TRIOMF is a darkly comic, taboo-busting plunge into post-apartheid dysfunction, family secrets, and racial delusion. Directed by Michael Raeburn and based on the explosive novel by Marlene van Niekerk, the film doesn’t flinch—it stares directly into the toxic underbelly of a nation in transition.
Winner of Best South African Feature Film at the Durban International Film Festival, TRIOMF also earned critical attention at global festivals including Cannes’ L’Atelier, Tokyo International Film Festival, Göteborg Film Festival, and African Diaspora Film Festival (New York)—where it shocked, provoked, and refused to play nice.
.jpeg)