Filmmaker, Author, Lecturer
Dayakar Padayachee is a Durban Based, South African director/ writer known for award-winning short film "Glances" during the 48 Hour Film Project 2014. Padayachee's "Shadow" was nominated for Best-Micro Budget Film at the 12th Annual SAFTA Awards, and awarded Best Original Song from a Short Film at the 7th Annual Durban Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, 2017.
He studied under acclaimed illustrator Nanda Sooben at the Centre for Fine art animation design and has seven years of experience in filmmaking.
His works include "Wide Eyed" (2018), nominated for Best Short Film at the Simon Sabela Awards, and the more recent "Saloon" (2019) which was a finalist at the Kosice Film Festival (Slovakia), Semi Finalist at Dumbo International Film Festival, and Winner at Rolling Ideas Festival in Transylvania and more.
Padayachee has already written his debut novel, "The Ancient Scrolls of Lukütona: The Bleeding Anchors" and is onto the sequel entitled: The Black Seed. Lukütona already has a short film/pilot episode which they are hoping to fundraise for a full web-series. s
Working as an independent filmmaker outside the machinery of traditional funding bodies is an exercise in pure creative resilience. In this "guerilla" space, low budgets are not a limitation, but a catalyst for innovation. The primary pro of this path is absolute creative sovereignty; there is no "committee" to dilute your vision or stall your production in development hell. You have the freedom to take risks that mainstream studios won't. However, the con is the relentless weight of financial risk and the "wearer of all hats" burnout that comes from managing everything from logistics to post-production yourself. The modern indie strategy centers on IP development. By treating short films or micro-budget features as Proof of Concepts (POCs), you create a tangible shop window for your storytelling capabilities. Building a diverse catalogue doesn't just showcase technical skill—it establishes a brand and proves you can deliver high production value regardless of the price tag. This portfolio becomes your most persuasive calling card, transforming you from an aspiring creator into a proven filmmaker with a library of assets ready for acquisition or expansion. It is about building a legacy, one frame at a time.
