1. Can you please tell us more about your business?
Sunshine Cinema is Africa’s first solar-powered mobile cinema network. We train youth in rural and township communities across multiple countries (South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Eswatini) to become Impact Facilitators, entrepreneurial changemakers who use solar cinema kits to screen African films that spark dialogue, drive awareness, and connect audiences to local opportunities and support systems. Through storytelling and grassroots entrepreneurship, we create jobs while advancing social justice, environmental consciousness, and active citizenship.
2. When, how, and why did you start your business?
The idea began around 2013, when my husband and I were making films with people in diverse communities and realised how rarely the finished work ever made its way back to the people and places that inspired it. By 2017, we formalised Sunshine Cinema as a way to reclaim mobile cinema from its colonial legacy and use it as a tool for active citizenship, connection, and economic empowerment.
3. What is your role in the business?
I’m the co-founder and Executive Director. My role includes strategic visioning, partnerships, fundraising, overseeing our creative direction, and mentoring our team. I’m also deeply involved in our impact campaigns and storytelling, ensuring that we remain grounded in community voice and purpose.
4. Where did you study, and what did you study?
I completed a BSc in Video Production and Social Anthropology at the University of Cape Town, followed by an Honours degree in Anthropology, also at UCT. I then went on to complete an MSc in African Studies at the University of Oxford.
5. How did you finance your business?
We started with small grants and project-based partnerships, building from pilot screenings and collaborations with filmmakers and NGOs. Over time, we’ve received support from donors who believe in innovation, youth development, and environmental sustainability. It’s been a careful dance of resilience, creativity, and trust-building.
6. Describe your average workday, if such a thing exists.
There’s no such thing as average, which is part of what I love. One day I’m on the ground at a screening, the next I’m in meetings with global partners or working with our Cape Town team at our head office in Muizenberg Cape Town. It’s a mix of strategic planning, listening deeply, responding to realities on the ground, and keeping our purpose at the center.
5. How do you balance your home life and your work life?
Honestly, I’m still learning. But walking at sunset, switching off devices in the evenings, and holding boundaries around weekends have helped. I try to stay present with whatever I’m doing, whether I’m hosting a screening or cooking dinner with my partner. Which is a delicate balance as we work together.
6. What drives you and inspires you?
I’m driven by justice and imagination. I believe storytelling has the power to reshape how we see ourselves and others. I’m constantly inspired by our Impact Facilitators, their commitment, creativity, and resilience show me what real leadership looks like.
7. Where and when do you have your best ideas?
Usually while walking or running. There’s something about movement and rhythm that opens up space for new thinking. I also love voice-noting myself, often ideas land when I least expect them.
8. Where and how do you market/advertise your business for sales leads?
We rely on impact storytelling, partnerships, and community presence. Word-of-mouth is powerful in our sector, and we often connect through networks of filmmakers, educators, NGOs, and funders. Social media and public-facing campaigns also help amplify our work.
9. What is next for your business?
We’re gearing up to launch our Sunbox program in the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation region in partnership with regional bodies. We’re also expanding our facilitator network and building out a digital platform that tracks impact, facilitates bookings, and links young people to gig work and training opportunities. Our goal is to grow our reach while staying deeply rooted in the values that started it all.
10. What advice would you give to female entrepreneurs hoping to start their own business?
Start with your why. Trust your instincts, but be open to learning. Find people who challenge and champion you. Be clear on your values; they’ll anchor you through the chaos. And know that being bold doesn’t mean being loud, it means showing up, again and again, with humility and grace, even when it’s uncomfortable.
Biography
Sydelle Willow Smith is a storyteller, impact producer, and co-founder of Sunshine Cinema, Africa’s first solar-powered mobile cinema network. A 2025 Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Award finalist, Sydelle’s work bridges storytelling and activism, empowering youth in under-resourced communities to become media entrepreneurs and drive dialogue through film.
With a background in African Studies and documentary filmmaking, she is passionate about reclaiming narrative spaces and amplifying voices from the margins. A filmmaker by training, Sydelle uses visual media as a tool for education, advocacy, and economic opportunity.
What are your hopes for the future of women in business?
“I hope we move beyond representation toward real transformation, where women don’t have to shrink or overperform to be seen as worthy. I want to see women thriving on their own terms, shaping regenerative economies, and building work cultures that prioritise sustainability, joy, and justice”.
