Nominations
Best Cinematography, Rapid Lion 2019 (‘The Last Victims’ dir: Maynaard Kraak)
Notable Festival Selections
ARFF Berlin 2023 (‘MoveMe’ dir Briana Evigan)
Cannes Film Festival 2022 (‘Nobunto’ dir: Sihle-isipho Nontshokweni)
Chattanooga Film Festival 2021 (‘Exo Sapien’ dir: James Craig Williamson)
Durban International Film Festival 2019 (‘The Last Victims’ dir: Maynard Kraak)
Awards
Best Documentary 2023, Las Vegas Movie Awards (‘MoveMe’ dir Briana Evigan)
Best Online Content, 2023, SAFTAs (‘Politically Aweh dir Stephen Horn)
Special Recognition 2022, Silicon Valley African Film Festival (‘Nobunto’ dir: Sihle-isipho Nontshokweni)
Best International Feature Film, Uganda Film Festival 2019 (‘The Last Victims’ dir: Maynard Kraak)
Childhood trips to the local drive-in cemented a strong appreciation for cinema and the awe-inspiring power of motion-picture storytelling that underpins Meekaaeel’s striking visual work.
While still a student at the University of Cape Town studying toward a triple-major in Film and Media Studies, Meekaaeel worked on countless professional productions to learn everything he could about his craft.
His debut feature as DOP for the South African political thriller, THE LAST VICTIMS (2019), picked up over 20 awards at festivals around the world and earned him a RapidLion nod for Best Cinematography.
To date, Meekaaeel has filmed numerous documentaries, TV movies, and feature films broadcast on Mnet, Kyknet, SABC, ShowMax, Amazon Prime, and Netflix.
His story-centric approach and commitment to visual storytelling allow him to easily transition between directing and cinematography roles on recent projects such as Netflix’s STORIES OF A GENERATION WITH POPE FRANCIS (2022).
Meekaaeel has also played a crucial role as DOP in shaping the visual style of both THE ULTIMATE BOOK SHOW (2022) and the on-going SAFTA-winning infotainment YouTube show, POLITICALLY AWEH.
He recently took up dual roles as both DOP and director in the upcoming horror-western, THE TREK (2023), which will see its worldwide premiere later this year.
Born in KwaZulu Natal, and presently based in Cape Town, he continues to work at home in South Africa and abroad filming in Central Africa, USA , and the UAE.
Meekaaeel has a U.S. B1/B2 visa.