NIKKI COMNINOS
 Director - Editor - Story Consultant

 Hi, I'm Nikki - a South African director and editor with twenty years of experience crafting complex narratives into compelling visual storytelling.  I believe that editing and directing are not separate disciplines but part of the same creative conversation - and that doing both is what makes me sharper at both. ​​​​

My work has screened at IDFA, Berlinale, Locarno, DOK Leipzig, Annecy, and numerous local and international festivals, and has featured on global platforms including Netflix and Showmax. Highlights of my career include a win at the Vienna Shorts Film Festival (Oscar-qualifying) and a win for Best Editor at the Beirut Short Film Festival , both for the experimental short I edited, Cause of Death.​

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​I choose work that engages and surprises (both me and the audience!). Filmmaking is a complex alchemy and I enjoy collaborating with people who also share curiosity, integrity, and a commitment to the craft. I believe the best narratives come from creative problem-solving (limitations can be your biggest creative spark!) and a willingness to follow the story where it wants you to go, rather than resisting that path because of a "plan". Stories must be felt in your body to be understood and remembered, and I love the pursuit of finding the best way to build a story world that stays with an audience. ​​

                          Director's Showreel​

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Directing​

As a director, my recent work includes Showmax's audience record-breaking true crime series, 2025 SAFTA-nominated Tracking Thabo Bester and the 2024 SAFTA-nominated Convict Conman. In 2025, I directed Unspoken War, a five-part historical documentary series that explores the conflicts in South Africa, Angola, and Namibia from the 1960s to 1990s and the legacy that lingers today. And in 2026, I directed an episode of Shape Shifters on M-Net focussing on Ray McCauley.​

Editing​​

​As an editor, I hold two SAFTA wins for editing - for drama series End Game and documentary Fish Out of Water, alongside SAFTA nominations for Steinheist seasons 1 and 2, Devilsdorp, Murder in Paris, and Indians Can't Fly. I also won Best Editor award at the Beirut Short Film Festival (Cause of Death). In 2022 I was recognised by the American Cinema Editors (ACE) in their International Partnership, and have held the South African Guild of Editors (SAGE) acronym for distinguished editors since 2013. 

Nikki Comninos S.A.G.E., A.C.E. International partner​

Whether directing or editing, I'm a story strategist at heart. I work across all production phases - from early conceptualisation and research through to final delivery - with particular expertise in long-form and multi-episode series. During my career, I have earned the nickname Comrade Supercuts :) ​