Durban – Samira Vera-Cruz of Cabo Verde has won six awards at Durban FilmMart 2025 for her documentary project “Plastic Atlantis”.
The list of awards won by Vera-Cruz at Durban FilmMart 2025 includes:
- Climate Story Labs Award (supporting impact campaign development)
- Women Make Movies Award for Best Pitch by a Woman Filmmaker
- Sheffield DocFest Award (including festival access and industry mentorship)
- Doc-A Award (funding and consultancy for impact strategy)
- Sundance Documentary Fund New Voices Award
- OIF – ACP – EU Award (supporting African, Caribbean, and Pacific filmmakers)
Vera-Cruz’s film-in-development, “Plastic Atlantis”, explores the ecological and ancestral connections between Senegal, Cabo Verde, and Brazil by tracing the ocean currents that carry both plastic pollution and the memory of the transatlantic slave trade.
Deeply poetic, the film reflects her signature approach, storytelling rooted in identity, ecology, and justice.
“Samira’s [Vera-Cruz] creative vision reflects everything we believe in at Nature, Environment & Wildlife Filmmakers (NEWF), authentic storytelling, environmental justice, and African leadership in global conversations,” said Pragna Parsotam-Kok, Executive Director and Co-Founder of NEWF.
“We are so proud of her journey, and thrilled to see Plastic Atlantis being recognised on the international stage.”
At the heart of Plastic Atlantis is a striking parallel: the same Atlantic currents that once carried enslaved African peoples now transport the plastic waste of today’s world, linking the Global South through shared histories of extraction, exploitation, and environmental burden.
By following the migration of plastic from the shores of Senegal to Cabo Verde and Brazil, the film draws a powerful line between historical violence and modern ecological injustice, positioning plastic pollution not only as an environmental crisis, but also as a human one.
Vera-Cruz joined the NEWF community in 2019 as a Fellow, producing Sumara Maré, a documentary on sand mining in Cabo Verde.
At the time, Vera-Cruz had no intention of diving.
But that changed after attending an underwater filmmaking workshop during the 2022 Fellows Summit in Durban.
Today, Vera-Cruz is a certified PADI Instructor with over 100 dives under her belt, transforming her relationship with the ocean and expanding her capacity to tell its stories.
Earlier this year, Vera-Cruz was selected as the inaugural recipient of the Takalani Mulaudzi Development Grant, a NEWF Story Labs initiative honouring the legacy of the late South African filmmaker.
The ZAR 250 000 (About USD 15 000) grant supports the development of Plastic Atlantis and production of a teaser ahead of full production in 2026.
“To come back to South Africa and win six major awards for a project we’ve worked on for over two years, it almost feels like coming home,” said Vera-Cruz.
“We are excited, grateful, and ready to start producing by the end of this year.”
Established in 2020, Durban FilmMart Institute is a non-profit company dedicated to facilitating local and international trade and investment in African film content.
It has grown into a vital launchpad for African filmmakers seeking access to global markets, co-production opportunities, and international recognition.
Vera-Cruz’s success at Durban FilmMart not only reflects the strength of her project but also affirms the growing influence of African women filmmakers who are leading the charge in reshaping environmental storytelling from the Global South.
“At NEWF, our mission has always been to create the space, resources, and community that enable African storytellers to thrive,” said Noel Kok, Co-Founder and Executive Director of NEWF.
“Samira’s [Vera-Cruz] journey is a powerful reflection of what becomes possible when filmmakers are supported to lead with their own voice, vision, and truth, and we are committed to building more pathways like this across the continent,” he concluded.
