Biography

François Verster (born 1969) is an independent South African film director and documentary maker.

He has a wide background in writing, music, academia and film. After completing an MA degree with distinction under literature Nobel Prize laureate JM Coetzee at the University of Cape Town, he worked with Barenholtz Productions in New York and as crew member on various independent features. Verster's acclaimed debut as documentary director/producer was Pavement Aristocrats: The Bergies of Cape Town.

He takes an observational approach to social issues in his films, which have won local and international awards. Verster has taught documentary directing and film studies, and was the lecturer of the film component of the Communicating the Humanities project, Centre for Humanities Research at the University of the Western Cape. His films are used in seminars on the intersection between creative documentary and social activism.

In 1998, Verster formed Undercurrent Film & Television, a Cape Town-based company that aims to produce quality documentary programmes for local as well as international markets.

In 2006, A Lion's Trail, which Verster directed and co-produced, received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Artistic and Cultural Programming.