Mobility grantee film shows at EU Film festival

16 May 2026
Sub-Saharan Africa Component

‘Inkululeko’, an experimental film created by Jan Seynaeve, an AEPC: Sub-Saharan Africa mobility grantee, screened at this year's European Union Film Festival in Eswatini. Hosted at the Mbabane Theatre Club, from the 13 – 16 May 2026, the festival invited locals and visitors across Eswatini to a curated selection of European and local Eswatini films.

The AEPC team spoke to the Belgian filmmaker and creative Jan Seynaeve about the process of creating the short film and his mobility experience in Eswatini.

“'Inkululeko' is one of the first words I learned when I arrived in Eswatini,” said Seynaeve. “And the word aligned with the writing and creating of the project.” The film follows a young man who chases the promise of creative freedom and finds his dreams twisting into a relentless nightmare. Trapped between ambition and dread, he must confront the fractured mirrors of his own choices.

‘Inkululeko’, which in the context of the project means ‘wake up’, is an experimental short film that represents collaboration, freedom and artistry. Shot in Mbabane City Centre, the film captures both the freedom and beauty of the environment and its people. The essence of the project lies in how it explores different creative disciplines, from the documentary style interviews in the intro to the rap music and animated elements that place the audience in a playful, conscious and subconscious state, while addressing important issues.

“It is a personal film that also speaks to the communal shared experiences because it explores feelings that everyone goes through” said Seynaeve. “And it was nice to get these feelings confirmed when I spoke to other artists and creatives in Eswatini.”

The film was workshopped in creation, where Seynaeve wanted the input and contribution of creatives in Eswatini. “I had a basic outline of what I wanted the film to explore, and through conversations it became what it is,” he said. Brainstorming turned into storylines, storylines into scenes and shots, and shots into a movie. It was an organic and fluid process of creation.

“I’m a huge fan of facilitating creatives from zero. I kept the concept broad because I wanted to keep an open interpretation of what ‘Inkululeko’ or freedom means to other artists. I did not want to influence their thinking.”

“Creating this film required trust because the creative space is already a vulnerable place,” he added.

Seynaeve worked with Yini Loku, a collaborative project space founded and curated by Yebo Art Gallery, Yebo ArtReach, Antidote Music and Antidote Culture Foundation.

“It was an organic meet up with the founder of Yini Loku, Dan Armstrong,” Seynaeve explained. “I was introduced to a creative hub that had no limits, a space for all creative disciplines. It is rare to find a space that caters for all.”

“There is so much art in Eswatini, people are creating without permission, and that was inspiring because it allowed me to get out of my own head, to go back and learn from them.” Seynaeve worked with four creatives in creating ‘Inkululeko’: Michelle Mashabane, Samuel Thwala, Ntsika Ngcamphalala, Sibusiso Malambe.

For Seynaeve, the creation of this film was a combination of talent, timing and luck.

Seynaeve had travelled to South Africa in 2015, but he was only introduced to Eswatini much later. “After driving in Eswatini with my partner for three days, I was back in just two months. I fell in love with the people, the culture, the environment, the country and the mountains.”

Through conversation with the EU Delegation in Eswatini, he found out about the AEPC: Sub-Saharan Africa Mobility grant. “It was a matter of everything coming together at the right time.”
Though Seynaeve was not able to attend the festival, his cast reported that the film was well received.

Watch short film, Inkhululeko here