Julia Jansch navigates Azile Arosi’s inspiring journey in ‘The Academy’

SAILING TOWARDS CHANGE

- DEBASHINE THANGEVELO

WHILE Mandela Month is a time for reflection, kindness and generosity, it is also a reminder to help combat poverty and inequality.

And The Academy on Disney+ reveals how some of the issues are being championed in pioneering ways.

As part of the streaming platform’s People & Places: Shorts collection, it celebrates individuals who have made giant strides in their profession despite facing numerous socioeconomic obstacles.

Under the direction of award-winning filmmaker Julia Jansch, the short feature spotlights Azile Arosi. This young woman from Khayelitsha discovers healing and purpose through sailing at The Academy, a transformative training programme offered by the Royal Cape Yacht Club.

In a chat with Jansch, she shed light on how the project came about.

“I made a movie called My Father the Mover, which won at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2020. And a guy called Mandilakhe Yengo was my producing partner on it. When it won at the festival, there was a big grab to acquire it. Disney was one of the companies. I spoke with Marjon Javadi, the head of documentary film and series, there.

“She said to me, ‘Do you know other movers like, you know, the film was about a gqom dancer called Stoan Move Galela teaching kids how to kind of find their superpowers through gqom dance.

“Because