Uga Carlini
Uga Carlini | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | |
| Education | Stellenbosch University |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2010 – present |
| Notable work | The Butterfly Revolution; Alison |
| Children | 2 |
Uga Carlini is a South African and Italian film director, writer, actor and producer, based in Canada. She is known for the documentaries Alison and Beyond the Light Barrier and the feature film Angeliena.
Life and career
Carlini was born in Pretoria, Gauteng and graduated from Stellenbosch University. In 2010, She founded Towerkop Creations, a production company centered on stories featuring female protagonists. Since 2025, Towerkop Creations has operated a branch in Vancouver, Canada, expanding its presence beyond South Africa. Her debut documentary short film, Good Planets Are Hard to Find, was about Elizabeth Klarer. In 2016, she directed the feature documentary, Alison, based on the Marianne Thamm book, I Have Life. It premiered at the Dances with Films Festival. She has also directed the music videos 17 shots, Die Deur, Wildste Oomblik and Beauty of Africa for the Sony Music Africa.
Carlini's debut feature film, Angeliena, about a formerly homeless parking attendant, was released worldwide Netflix on October 8, 2021. She directed Beyond the Light Barrier (2023), a hybrid documentary about Elizabeth Klarer, a South African meteorologist. In 2006, she wrote a syllabus in acting, filmmaking, and screenwriting for the Fiji National University (FNU). In 2024, she returned to FNU to host a film masterclass. She is a member of the Producers Guild of America, and the Directors Guild of Canada.
Personal life
Carlini has two sons, Roka and Neo, both made their acting debuts together in the feature film, Angeliena.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Sewe Sakke Sout | Yes | TV series | ||
| 2011 | Good Planets Are Hard to Find | Yes | Yes | Yes | Documentary |
| 2016 | Alison | Yes | Yes | Yes | Documentary |
| The Butterfly Revolution | Yes | Yes | Yes | Commercial video | |
| 2017 | Die Bergs | Yes | Yes | Yes | TV series |
| 2019 | 17 Shots | Yes | Yes | Yes | Music video |
| Die Deur | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short film | |
| Far from home | Yes | Yes | Documentary | ||
| Day Zero | Yes | Yes | Documentary | ||
| 2020 | Home #homehuman2020 | Yes | Yes | Short film | |
| Wildste Oomblik | Yes | Yes | Music video | ||
| 2021 | Beauty of Africa | Yes | Yes | Short film | |
| Angeliena | Yes | Yes | Yes | Feature film | |
| 2023 | Beyond the Light Barrier | Yes | Yes | Yes | Documentary |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Result | Award | Category | Work | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Won | Asia-Pacific Film Festival | Best Documentary Film | Alison | |
| Nominated | Silwerskerm Film Festival | Best documentary Feature | |||
| Won | Writers Guild of South Africa | Best documentary script | |||
| 2017 | Won | Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards | Best Documentary Feature | ||
| Nominated | South African Film and Television Awards | Best Documentary Feature | |||
| Nominated | Best Achievement in Directing | ||||
| 2019 | Nominated | New Media Film Festival | Festival Award | 17 Shots | |
| 2022 | Nominated | Africa Movie Academy Awards | Best director | Angeliena | |
| 2022 | Nominated | Africa Movie Academy Awards | First feature by a director | Angeliena | |
| 2022 | Nominated | Africa Movie Academy Awards | Best film | Angeliena | |
| 2022 | Won | SAFTA Awards | Best supporting actor in a feature film: Tshamano Sebe | Angeliena | |
| 2022 | Nominated | SAFTA Awards | Best achievement in original music/score - feature film: Charl-Johan Lingenfelder | Angeliena | |
| 2023 | Won | Writers Guild of South Africa | Best produced documentary feature film screenplay | Beyond the light barrier | |
| Won | Female Eye Film Festival | Best Foreign Documentary | |||
| Nominated | Encounters Festival South Africa | Best Documentary Film by an African Woman | |||
| Nominated | Best South-African Film | ||||
| 2024 | Nominated | South African Film and Television Awards | Best Documentary Feature |
References
- ↑ "Film writer and director Uga Carlini talks new film, Angeliena". bizcommunity.com. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ↑ "Writer-director Uga Carlini talks about her inspirational and life-affirming film Angeliena". writingstudio.co.za. 6 October 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ↑ "MOVIE REVIEW: Alison". iol.co.za. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ↑ "SPOTLIGHT - New Venom movie; DC Fandome global event; & local film 'Angeliena' on Netflix". sowetanlive.co.za. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- 1 2 "Uga Carlini on 'Beyond the Lightbarrier: The Elizabeth Klarer story'". ofm.co.za. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ↑ "Uga Carlini: The heroine of her own story". mediaupdate.co.za. June 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ↑ "Alison wins big at the International Innovation Film Festival in Switzerland". screenafrica.com. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ↑ "Local UFO believer in film about extraterrestrial lover Klarer". news24.com. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ↑ "South Africa Pic 'Alison' Screens at Dances With Films". variety.com. 21 June 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ↑ "Celebrating heroines". news24.com. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ↑ "Carlini and her heroines - just in time for a women's month finale". quickread.co.za. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ↑ Carlini, Uga (8 October 2021), Angeliena (Comedy, Drama), Towerkop Creations, retrieved 21 June 2022
- ↑ "Watch Angeliena | Netflix". www.netflix.com. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
- ↑ Le, Phuong (9 October 2021). "Angeliena review – car park worker dreams of getaway in cartoonish South African drama". The Guardian.
- ↑ "When Stars Collide- Paul Slab's new play meets Uga Carlini's new film at Hilton Arts Festival". Rising Sun Newspapers. 13 July 2023.
- ↑ "Uga Carlini: Be the Change". splingmovies.com. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ↑ "16 Students Complete Short Film Course with Renowned Filmmaker". fnu.ac.fj. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ↑ "Uga Carlini". dgc.ca. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
- ↑ "Writer-director Uga Carlini talks about her inspirational and life-affirming film Angeliena". writingstudio.co.za. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ↑ "Another win for Uga Carlini's award winning 'Alison'". filmcontact.com. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ↑ "AMVCA 2017: Complete winners list". africamagic.dstv.com. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ↑ "Golden Horn Documentary Feature Nominations 2017" (PDF). nfvf.co.za. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ↑ "10th Annual New Media Film Festival Programming". newmediafilmfestival.com. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ↑ "award winners & honourable". thefemaleeyefilmfestival.com. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ↑ "Encounters Docfest". the2023.encounters.co.za. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ↑ "2024's SAFTA nominations announced: See all the dominators and new categories at this year's event". news24.com. Retrieved 5 April 2025.