MUNEERA SALLIES
MEDIA BIOGRAPHIES
Updated 26 October 2026

SHORT BIOGRAPHY
Muneera Sallies is an award-winning South African director, writer, producer and creative executive. Raised in a Cape Town filmmaking family, she brings more than 20 years of experience to stories about family, identity and belonging. She directed Old Righteous Blues, South Africa’s official submission to the 97th Academy Awards, and creates training and mentorship that helps filmmakers take their stories through to delivery.

PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY
Muneera Sallies grew up in Cape Town in a home where stories became productions. Her mother, Zulfah Otto-Sallies, worked across writing, theatre and film; her father, Shahied Sallies, was a painter and cameraman. That creative inheritance runs through a career spanning more than 20 years of directing, writing, producing and leading screen work. She directed Old Righteous Blues, South Africa’s official submission to the 97th Academy Awards, and received Best Director at the 2024 Romford Film Festival. The film went on to receive Best African Film at the 2025 Septimius Awards and the Outstanding Film Fiction Award at South Africa’s 2025 National Arts and Culture Awards. Her directing work includes Melody, Twisted Christmas and selected episodes of David Klatzow: Looking Into Darkness. Her wider executive portfolio includes Skemergrond as Content Supervisor and Executive Producer, and Reënboogrant, Die Oord, Dark Side of Glory and False Glory as Executive Producer and Story Supervisor. Her work on #OppiPlaas, Ataman, Speel Aan and Lubinda combines executive production, story supervision and production mentorship. Alongside filmmaking, she creates training and mentors emerging talent, including Namibia’s Ombura project. She currently serves as Commissioning Editor for Premium Scripted Content at MultiChoice / CANAL+.

HOST INTRODUCTION
Our guest is Muneera Sallies, an award-winning South African director, writer, producer and creative executive. She directed Old Righteous Blues, South Africa’s official submission to the 97th Academy Awards, and won Best Director at the Romford Film Festival. Her work spans feature films, television, factual storytelling and animation in development. She also creates training and mentors filmmakers from the first work on a story through to final delivery. Please welcome Muneera Sallies.

ENQUIRIES
hello@muneerasallies.com