Simon Pienaar is a filmmaker, educator, and creative leader born and raised in Gqeberha. With both parents having served as university lecturers, education and creativity were embedded in his upbringing. After graduating from Nelson Mandela University, Simon spent over a decade working as a freelance visual artist and educator, co-founding a design agency and a private photography school, while earning national and international awards for his work in photographic and digital arts.
Simon joined AFDA Gqeberha in 2015 and has since spent ten years lecturing across the disciplines of Cinematography, VFX, Editing, Data and Grading, Producing, and Writing. For the past four years, he has served as the Programme Coordinator for the School of Motion Picture, developing curricula, shaping student outcomes, and supporting cross-disciplinary integration. In 2024, he completed his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) through AFDA Johannesburg, focusing on engagement and immersion theory through gamification and ludology.
Simon brings to the role of Dean a grounded, holistic understanding of the AFDA curriculum and a deep belief in collaborative, student-centered learning. His leadership is guided by two core principles: kaizen, the philosophy of continuous improvement through small, daily efforts; and ikigai, the alignment of purpose, skill, and meaningful contribution.
In his new role as Dean, Simon is committed to building a campus culture that celebrates creativity, embraces innovation, and serves as a catalyst for the Eastern Cape’s growing creative economy.
“A great film is never made alone. It’s built frame by frame, cut by cut, through collaboration, clarity of vision, and a willingness to fail forward. That’s how I see this campus: not as a finished product, but as a living edit. Every student, every staff member, every idea contributes to the unfolding story of AFDA Gqeberha and I’m here to help direct the next act.” says Simon.