Films, writing, strategic communications, academic work.
A selection across thirty years of practice. Each item links to the work itself, the publication, or the source. Earliest first within each section.
Thirty years of documentary producing.
Selected titles from independent and broadcast production, including the Ikon South Africa series, international co-productions, and recent archive recovery work. Full filmography on request.
Thina Sizwe Film and Archive Project (2022)
Audiovisual archive recovery project preserving historic community video material from Cradock, Eastern Cape, documenting the activist heritage of the Cradock Four and the ongoing struggle for transitional justice. National Arts Festival funded.
Community Eyes
Documentary on the emergence of community broadcasting in South Africa at the point of new licensing legislation, exploring democratic media ownership and citizen participation. Directed by Lance Gewer.
New Era, New Rights
SABC’s first educational documentary series, produced with five first-time Black directors from Cape Flats townships, examining new democratic legislation including the Labour Relations Act, Land Restitution Act, and Termination of Pregnancy Act.
Deafening Echoes
Tracing the life of Anton Fransch of the Bonteheuwel Military Wing, killed in a police shootout in 1989. Selected for Gothenburg Film Festival, Tri-Continents, Sithengi, Encounters.
Mr Devious: My Life
Biographical documentary of hip-hop activist Mario ‘Mr. Devious’ van Rooy, exploring community cultural activism, violence, and legacy in Mitchell’s Plain. Best Documentary, Encounters Film Festival; Tri-Continents Film Festival.
We the People
Documentary telling the story of South Africa’s first three democratic parliaments. Commissioned by the Parliamentary Communication Services.
James Mange: The Man Who Shook Pretoria
The story of an MK soldier sentenced to death for treason, imprisoned on Robben Island, and his continued activism and music after release in 1992.
Biko’s Children
Documentary celebrating the legacy of Steve Biko and Black Consciousness through the lives of young South Africans engaging with his intellectual inheritance. Best Short Documentary, Tri-Continents Film Festival.
Unfinished Business
A personal journey to Cradock in which the filmmaker seeks permission from his mother and the other widows of the Cradock Four to find their killers. An exploration of intergenerational trauma, institutional accountability, and the unfinished work of the TRC.
Forgotten Gold
International co-production with Belgium and the DRC. The story of Congolese football legend Ndaye Mulamba, tracing political displacement, exile, and the consequences of state failure across southern Africa. Best Feature Documentary, Italian Africa Film Festival 2011.
Commentary, reportage, and commissioned editorial.
Public-facing writing in newspapers, podcasts, lecture series, and edited reports. Selected items below.
Putting the People First in the People’s Parliament
Opinion piece reflecting on public participation as a constitutional commitment of the South African Parliament, written from inside experience of how the institution does and does not meet that commitment.
Eastern Cape Provincial Growth and Development Plan Report
Commissioned report for the United Nations Development Programme on provincial development planning in the Eastern Cape.
South Africa’s Fourth Democratic Parliament 2009–2014
Edited legacy publication of the Fourth Parliament documenting its work, milestones, and reflections at the end of its term.
Strategic Communication: The Key to Legislatures
Podcast conversation on the role of strategic communication in legislative bodies and democratic accountability.
Activism and Disinformation
Public lecture on the relationship between activist communication and the contemporary information environment.
Commissioned advisory and programme leadership.
Strategy design, programme leadership, and editorial work for democratic institutions, civil society, and public-interest organisations.
National Communications Manager, 2024 General Elections
Head of National Communications for the 2024 national and provincial elections campaign and the establishment of the Government of National Unity. Managed cross-functional teams across campaign strategy, digital engagement, content development, broadcast and livestreaming, events management, rapid response, and media management.
Multimedia Productions Manager and Public Participation Programme
Established the first Parliamentary Multimedia Unit. Managed a team of fourteen multimedia specialists. Set up Parliament’s official social media platforms and managed all external communications platforms including the parliamentary website at 200,000+ monthly hits and @ParliamentofRSA at 310,000+ followers.
Democracy Works Foundation: EU proposal and climate change curriculum
EU proposal and concept note for Lesotho Civil Society Interventions (2022) and Climate Change Communications and Negotiation workshop curriculum development and facilitation (ongoing).
Northern Cape Provincial Legislature: Public participation strategy
Communication strategy design for the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature’s public participation programme.
Tshisimani Centre for Activist Education: Annual Report
Annual report writing and editorial work for the Tshisimani Centre for Activist Education.
Fort Calata Foundation: Fundraising and film production
Fundraising and producing for the Foundation’s National Arts Festival film and archive project. (See also: Thina Sizwe under Films.)
Westminster Foundation for Democracy
Current advisory engagement with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy.
Peer-reviewed research and scholarly work.
Harvard referencing throughout. Doctoral thesis and monograph in preparation.
Della Togna, M. (Convenor and Lead Writer) (2025) ‘Chapter 4: Communication’
Convenor and lead writer of the Communication chapter across both editions of the national research report on South Africa’s response to Covid-19. Managed a research team comprising professors, postdoctoral researchers, and PhD scholars across multiple institutions.
Della Togna, M. (2011) ‘Towards a Film Producer’s Authenticity Barometer’
Practitioner-research essay examining how independent producers deploy genre conventions and sociological analysis as editorial tools, using the Afrikaans teen horror feature Lyfstraf (2010) as case study.
Della Togna, M. and Dullart, G. (2011) ‘Building Sustainable Community Television in South Africa’
Case study of Cape Town Community Television examining democratic participation mandates, financial sustainability, and regulatory constraints in South Africa’s community broadcasting sector.
Della Togna, M. (2013) Community Television Broadcasters: A Study of Challenges and Opportunities
MDDA-commissioned research examining the viability, local content production capacity, and regulatory constraints facing community television broadcasters in South Africa.
Della Togna, M., Garman, A. et al. (2022) ‘Chapter 4: Communication’
First edition of the Communication chapter of the national research report on South Africa’s Covid-19 response.
Doctoral thesis (in preparation): Public Participation and Organisational Listening in the South African Parliament
Doctoral research contributing an original theoretical framework that offers diagnostic tools for identifying how democratic institutions can themselves become sources of information disorder. Monograph in preparation.