Cindy, nominated for an Oscar at The Academy Awards 2025 for her short film, The Last Ranger, started her career as a copywriter at TBWA Hunt Lascaris and, almost 18 years ago, decided to try her hand at directing. She has never looked back. Cindy, represented by Star Films for her commercial work, is responsible for some of our best-loved South African ads and continues to tell 30-second stories that move us.
With storytelling in her blood, Cindy wrote her first screenplay, Horn, in 2014, about the horrors of rhino poaching that won at the New York Picture Start Film Festival. In 2017, she was nominated for a SAFTA (South African Film and Television Award) for her television directing debut for Sober Companion drama series. In 2018, she directed three episodes of Showmax's highly acclaimed original drama, The Girl From St. Agnes, followed by her first solo series, Desert Rose, for M-Net.
In 2023, Cindy shot The Morning After as lead director. The series has been selected for screening at the Berlin International Film Festival 2025.
Cindy was nominated for a SAFTA 2023 in the Best Achievement in Directing for Desert Rose. More recently, The Morning After was nominated for Best Direction at the Venice TV Awards 2024.
Television
The Morning After (2023)
Desert Rose (2021)
The Girl From St Agnes (2018)
Sober Companion (2017)
Film
The Last Ranger (2021)
Screenwriting
Horn (2014)
Showreel is available on cindyleedirector.com
