Roberta Durrant is a creative producer and the show runner of television and film. She has created and worked as director/producer/show runner on several long running, award winning drama series and sitcoms for South African broadcasters:
Ring of Lies, Home Affairs, Montana, Izingane Zobaba, Sokhulu and Partners, Shreds and Dreams, Saints and Sinners, Z’bondiwe, Isikizi, Forced Love, and sitcoms: Sgudi Snaysi, Going Up, About Us, Madam & Eve, SOS, Fishy Feshuns, Going Up Again, Mazinyo dot Q, and Stokvel, Disney Cookabout, Sara se Geheim Season, Arendsvlei and Projek Dina.

Her televison drama series have received international recognition including:
Finalist Drama International Emmy (Sokhulu and Partners– 2009)
Semi-finalist Drama International Emmy Awards (Home Affairs– 2006)
Finalist Banff Canada (Home Affairs- 2007)
Rose d’Or Switzerland (Home Affairs- 2007)
Finalist Drama International Emmy Awards (Home Affairs– 2007)
Second Prize Best Sitcom Golden Rose Awards Switzerland (Madam & Eve– 2002)
Runner-up Sitcom in International Emmy Awards New York (Stokvel – 2004)
Her filmography includes:
Felix (Won 17 International Awards inclusding TIFF Kids Festival Young People’s Jury Award for Best Feature Film in 2014; Audience Choice Award at Durban International Film Festival in South Africa, in 2013; Lucas award for Best Film at the Lucas International Children’s Film Festival in Frankfurt, Germany;
Inside Out (successfully distributed by Ster Kinekor and Icon Entertainment);
Skilpoppe (Mnet Movie of the Month)
Ingoma (Won 6 SAFTAs 2016 for best Made for TV Film)
Krotoa (distributed by Ster Kinekor and Shoreline Entertainment) Winner of 9 international awards including Best Film at the Harlem International Film Festival and The Montreal International Black Film festival.

With a Bachelor of Arts degree in motion picture from AFDA, he interned for two years whilst in film school on top SABC dramas like HOME AFFAIRS.

After his graduation he started working as a Junior Producer in the advertising industry. He has to date production managed and coordinated 29 commercials, line produced the music duo Cassettes documentary, produced 6 music videos for Terraplane, as well as for international artists Like Faze, Dare and Buffalo Soulja from Nigeria, produced a 2 hour multi camera promotional DVD at the Standard bank arena for Masters of Rhythm, produced the second season of the reality magazine show Mikasi Sukasi which was on aired on SABC 1 in 2015/16. He’s been a technical director for reality shows such as Big Brother Africa/Nigeria/Angola and Mzansi, he was the production manager on Ring of Lies season 1 and 2. He co produced Disney Cookabout, season 2/3, an international co-production between Disney UK and Penguin Films, he co produced the feature film ‘Pinky Pinky’ for Showmax, and two local dramas ‘Kwamamazala’ and ’13 weeks to find Mr. Right’ for the SABC. He’s also sat on the evaluation panel for the KwaZulu Natal film commission from 2017- 2021.

Sheena-Lee Hendricks, a distinguished figure in the film industry, serves as a Director, Shareholder, Producer, and Director of Business Affairs at Penguin and Paw Paw Films. Commencing her journey in 2015 as a Production Accountant, Sheena has rapidly ascended through the ranks, culminating in her current pivotal role as the Director of Business Affairs. In this capacity, she adeptly navigates the intersection of business development and financial oversight, ensuring the success and sustainability of the company and its diverse productions.

With an impressive eight years of industry experience, Sheena’s multifaceted contributions extend beyond her official titles. She has collaborated as a Co-Producer on various projects alongside esteemed producing partners, showcasing her adeptness in steering productions to success.

Currently in pursuit of her BBA Degree, Sheena-Lee Hendricks exemplifies a commitment to ongoing learning and professional development. Her invaluable eight-year tenure at Penguin and Paw Paw Films, under the mentorship of industry luminary Roberta Durrant, has uniquely positioned Sheena as a formidable force in the field. Durrant’s mentorship has not only fueled Sheena’s professional growth but has also equipped her with the skills and insight necessary to meet the industry’s ever-evolving demands.

In her role, Sheena takes on a comprehensive portfolio, overseeing and actively participating in all facets of funding applications, budgets, cash flows, cost reports, and expenditure control for the company’s diverse array of productions. She stands as an indispensable asset to Penguin and Paw Paw Films, her strategic involvement contributing significantly to the overall growth and success of the Group.

Andréa Frankson – Titus graduated with a BDram degree from the University of Stellenbosch; majoring in directing. The years following her graduation in 2011 were spent honing her craft on stage in productions such as Blood Brother the musical, for which she was nominated for a Fleur du Cap theatre award and Naledi theatre award, District Six Kanala and Siener in die Suburbs. Her passion for production was fueled when working on a kid’s magazine show for the SABC, here she worked as an anchor presenter for the show and was given the opportunity to work as a production assistant and later junior director on the second and third season of the popular kids show. In 2017 she worked as an assistant to one of the directors on a 13-part youth drama for kykNET and kie (Danz!).

Thereafter she spent just under 2 years at a popular local soapie (Suidooster) working in production as a coordinator and scheduler. She has participated in 2 Silwerskermfees competitions and was part of the team that won best short film at the 2017 Silwerskermfees for the 24 minute short; Soldaat. In 2019 her journey at Penguin films began and since her introduction to the company she has been presented with numerous opportunities to grow creatively and especially within the field of production. She has recently line produced her first Penguin films production, a 13-part drama for kykNET, which is due to air next year. She is a budding creative producer who has the privilege of being mentored by Roberta Durrant and is keen to contribute to the future successes of Penguin films in her capacity as producer and shareholder.

By virtue of being a filmmaker in South Africa one has to be versatile. And that’s what Mandilakhe strives to be. Although his passions lie within the directing department, he’s a budding creative producer having been involved in the creation of shows like Isikizi S1 for Mzansi Magic and Ring of Lies S1 for the same channel. He is a shareholder and co – owner of Penguin Film’s sister company, Paw Paw Films (Pty. Ltd) He’s a two time SAFTA nominee for being part of the directing teams on Saints and Sinners S1 (2013) and Ring of Lies S2 (2019) being the most recent. His directing CV includes, Traffic S1&2 (2013/2014), Saints and Sinners S1&3 (2013/2016), Forced Love S2 (2015), Z’bondiwe S1&2 (2015/2016), Isikizi S1&2 (2016/2017), Ring of Lies S2 (2017/2018), Ingoma the series S1 (2018), and most recently the very successful Afrikaans telenovela Arendsvlei (2018/2019).

Julia Jansch is a Tribeca-award winning filmmaker from South Africa with films distributed and commissioned by Disney+, MTV Docs and The New Yorker. Her stories take deep dives into what makes us most human.

Julia spent just under a decade working in development at FremantleMedia and RadicalMedia before going independent and telling her own stories.

In 2015 she set up Southern Point Pictures. Her film, My Father the Mover, won the Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary Short at the Tribeca Film Festival (2020) and was acquired by MTV Studios. It was nominated for a prestigious Critics Choice Award. Julia premiered her documentary short, ELSA, at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2022. It was acquired by The New Yorker. She recently wrapped a short documentary for Disney+ and is currently packaging her narrative feature, Huberta.

Julia has a filmmaking diploma from The New York Film Academy, and an MBA and Masters in Global Governance from the University of Oxford.

Julia Jansch Website

Uwe studied at the Fachschule für Film & Fernsehtechnik in West Berlin 1968-70. He joined ZDF German Television permanently, where he worked from 1970 to 1981.

After emigrating to South Africa 1980 he worked at the SABC as a cinematographer. He was a founder member of Penguin Films in 1982 and worked as their resident Director of Photography. Uwe has filmed many of Penguin Films’ award winning documentaries most notably the award winning profile documentaries on Sheila Cussons, Paul du Toit, Pierneef, Richard van der Ross, A Sahib in South Africa ( SABC and the BBC). More recently a documentary film on Krotoa and the Bulhoek Massacre. He has also filmed on many of Penguin Films’ award winning drama series most notably Khululeka the voter education comedy series which was on air over for over a decade.

Tarryn is the PR and Publicity Manager at Penguin Films. She started working at Media24’s Huisgenoot magazine as the digital content manager in 2017. She then joined Etv’s Open News channel as a digital journalist in 2018, where she helped launch the news channel and produced stories for its social news segment. She is currently working on the Afrikaans telenovelas Arendsvlei and Diepe Waters. She also works on reality shows such as Die Real Housewives van Pretoria, My Ma Kook Beter as Joune, Koortjies met Jonathan Rubain, Klop! and numerous other shows on kykNET. Tarryn has a BA in Social Anthropology and Sociology from Stellenbosch University, as well as a BA Honours in Journalism.