INFORMATION

BIOGRAPHY

Dillon M. Banda is a film director. His most recent short film ‘Hummingbird’ premiered online in August 2023 with Beyond The Short, was shortlisted for Best Direction at The One Club for Creativity's 101st ADC Awards, was a Finalist at the 2022 Ciclope Asia and Ciclope Africa Awards, was an Official Selection at the 2022 Berlin Commercial Awards, was nominated for Best International Film at the 2022 Oregon Short Film Festival and was featured on Curation Hour. Dillon previously won the Merit Award for Best Documentary at The One Club for Creativity's 100th ADC Awards with his short documentary film 'Ashima', was a Finalist at the 2021 Ciclope Asia and Ciclope Africa Awards, was shortlisted for the Kinsale Shark Award for Best Cinematography, was shortlisted for 4 Berlin Commercial Awards and won the award for Best International Director at the 2020 Oregon Documentary Film Festival with the same film.

Born to a Zambian mother and a Zimbabwean father, and with his childhood and formative years spent across 3 continents - Europe, Africa and Asia - Dillon brings a unique sensibility and heightened cultural sensitivity to his work. A love for analogue photography continues to hone his eye and inform the keen attention to cinematography and composition that typifies his films. His films also often blur the line between narrative and documentary, albeit with a consistently cinematic aesthetic.

Dillon studied creative music technology with digital arts in Northern England, earning himself a B.A.(Hons). From 2014 to 2017 he served as the founder and lead director of Lekker, the filmmaking collective headquartered in Hong Kong, and he also co-founded SoundChips [2013 - 2020], the site that featured social, cultural and critical commentary inspired by music. Previously based in Asia, Dillon is now based in Cape Town, South Africa.

AWARDS / RECOGNITION

2022

The One Club for Creativity’s 101st ADC Awards - Shortlisted for Best Direction - ‘Hummingbird’

Ciclope Asia Awards - Finalist in the No Logo category - 'Hummingbird'

Ciclope Africa Awards - Finalist in the No Logo category - 'Hummingbird'

24th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival - Official Selection - 'Ashima'

Berlin Commercial Awards - Official Selection - 'Hummingbird'

Oregon Short Film Festival - Nominated for Best International Film - 'Hummingbird'

2021

The One Club for Creativity's 100th ADC Awards - Winner of Merit for Best Documentary - 'Ashima'

Ciclope Asia Awards - Finalist in the No Logo category - 'Ashima'

Ciclope Africa Awards - Finalist in the No Logo category - 'Ashima'

Kinsale Shark Awards - Shortlisted for Best Cinematography - 'Ashima'

Oregon Short Film Festival - Nominated for Best International Film - 'Ashima'

Johannesburg's 10th Jozi Film Festival - Official Selection - 'Ashima'

London's 3rd Papaya Rocks Film Festival - Official Selection - 'Belong'

2020

Oregon Documentary Film Festival - Winner of Best International Director - 'Ashima'

Berlin Commercial Awards - Shortlisted for the Cultural Impact, Cinematography, Unscripted and New Generation awards - 'Ashima'

Georgia Documentary Film Festival - Nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Documentary Film - 'Belong'

Summer in the South Film Festival - Nominated for Best Documentary - 'Spirit'

Georgia Shorts Film Festival - Nominated for Best International Film - 'Spirit'

Georgia Shorts Film Festival - Official Selection - 'Belong'

Buenos Aires International Documentary Film Festival (FIDBA) - Official Selection - 'Spirit'

Birmingham Southern College's Inaugural Hilltop Film Festival - Official Selection - 'Ashima'

Asian Film Festival, Los Angeles - Official Selection - 'Ashima'

2019

Oregon Documentary Film Festival - Winner of Best Cinematography - 'Belong'

Tokyo Genre Celebration Festival - Nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Horror Short - 'Disinter'

Sydney Lift-Off Film Festival - Official Selection - 'Disinter'

2018

FilmBath Festival - Official Selection - 'Spirit'

All Animals are Equal - Group Exhibition - 'Spirit'

Future Shorts Spring Season 2018 - Screening - 'Spirit'

For Lack of a Better World - Screening - 'Ghosts'