Sara Blecher
One of South Africa's most prolific and celebrated female directors, much of her groundbreaking work has garnered awards both locally in South Africa, as well as internationally where her films have been selected to open multiple film festivals. Her work focuses on the authentic telling of unusual and surprising small stories that are splashed against larger social tableaus in an attempt to render the invisible visible. She also runs her own production company - Real Eyes Films, as well as Safe Sets, a company focused on providing assistance for intimate scenes across film, television and theatre.
Sara Blecher is an internationally award winning documentary and fiction film producer/director with extensive training and experience as an intimacy coordinator.
As the founder and former chairperson Sisters Working in Film and Television (SWIFT), the premier Southern African organization dedicated to the concerns and experiences of women working in the industry, she led the organization's mission to advocate for safety, gender parity, and intersectionality in front of and behind the camera. Additionally, she served on the South African Screen Federation council and was a member of committees advising the Ministry of Arts and Culture on transformation and policy in the industry.
Throughout her over twenty years of experience as a director and producer in South Africa, Sara gained a deep understanding of the challenges faced by both performers and producers of intimate content. These cross over skills give her a unique perspective in tackling particularly challenging intimate content in a creative way.
Sara has been working as an intimacy coordinator since 2019, making her one of the most experienced ICs in South Africa. She is certified with Safe Sets since October 2020, following an 18 month mentorship under Kate Lush to consolidate her level 1 & 2-3 training (2019-2020) under Ita O'Brien, Intimacy on Set (IOS).
She has also been involved in providing training to intimacy coordinators across both Europe and Africa under the auspices of SAFE SETS SAG AFTRA accredited training programs which have conducted training for ICs in: Spain, Italy, Poland, Johannesburg. Safe Sets are currently training its latest Cohorts in both London, UK and Cape Town, South Africa. Sara is also co-founder of IPSA (Intimacy Practitioners South Africa who were key contributors to the Protocols for Working with Intimate Content - South Africa)
IC credits include work for Netflix (Unseen, Ryeka, Umjolo, Soon Comes Night, Bare)Showmax (Adulting, ), HBO (Wheel of Time, Warrior) and other major channels, as well as feature films (Huntington, Alpha, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die, Retta Blom, City of Gold, Sabbatical, Love, Sex and 30 Candles), series (Softlife, Adulting, Red Ink, MTV Shuga Wyfie,) and Telenovelas (Nikiwe, The Estate and Isono).
Sara is one of the founding members of, Intimacy Practitioners South Africa, who have been instrumental in creating Protocols for Intimate Content in TV, Film and Associated Media - South Africa
Sara Blecher's CV
SARA BLECHER INTIMACY COORDINATION CREDITS
2024 - In Production/Post Production
Intimacy Coordinator - ALPHA - Moonlighting - Dir: Liam O'Donnell
Intimacy Coordinator - NIGHTSHIFT - Fifthfloor Films/Showmax - Dir: Jasyn Howes
Intimacy Coordinator - SOOS PYNAPPEL - Nagvlug Films - Dir: Morne Strydom
Intimacy Coordinator - UNSEEN - Gambit Films/Netflix - Dir: Brett Michael Innes - ep. 206
Intimacy Coordinator - SOFTLIFE - Urban Brew/ Showmax - Dir: Nozipho Nkelemba Eps. 5,6,8 & 10
Intimacy Coordinator - GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON'T DIE - Moonlighting/Constatin Film - Dir: Gore Verbinski
Intimacy Coordinator - SABBATICAL - Diprente – Dir: Karabo Lediga
Intimacy Coordinator - HUNTINGTON - Blue print Picture/Blue Ice - Dir: Tom Patton Ford
Intimacy Coordinator - EMPININI - Clive Moris Productions/Showmax - Dir: Eric Mogale - Eps 1 & 5
Intimacy Coordinator - RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER - Both Worlds/Showmax - Dir: Joshua Malherbe - Ep. 5
Intimacy Coordinator - WHEEL OF TIME (s3) - South Africa - SonyPictures/Film Africa - Dir: Ciaran Donnely - Ep 308, Dir: Thomas Napper - Ep. 303
Intimacy Coordinator - UHLANJULULO - Kude Media/Akkas Films - Dir: Zama Mkwanazi
Intimacy Coordinator - WYFIE - Home Brew/Showmax - Dir:Johan Cronje - Ep 38
Intimacy Coordinator - FOREVAWNA - Romance Films Ad - Dir: Jabu Nadia Newman
Intimacy Coordinator - ONS - Idea Candy / Silwerskerm Short Film - Dir:
Intimacy Coordinator - KING OF AFRICA - Fertile Ground Studios - Dir: Nonhlanhla Dlamini
Intimacy Coordinator - BARE - Netflix - Dir: Samad Davis
2023 - Post Production
Intimacy Coordinator - UMJOLO - Stained Glass Productions / Netflix - Dir: Fikile Magodi
Intimacy Coordinator - RETTA BLOM - Tiom Productions - Dir: Pieter Grobbler
Intimacy Coordinator - ADULTING S2 - Thsedza Pictures - Dir: Menga Nhlabathi & Thembela Mfebe
Intimacy Coordinator - BARE - Netflix - Dir: Samad Davis
Intimacy Coordinator - SMOKE AND MIRRORS - eTV & Final Chapter Productions - Dir: Sibongiseni Zond
Intimacy Coordinator - NIKIWE - Parental Advisory Productions - Dir: Sibusiso Phakathi
Intimacy Coordinator - UBETINA WETU - SABC1 - Dir: Twiggy Matiwane
Intimacy Coordinator - LADY JUSTICE - Milton Empire - Dir: Ntabi Tau
Intimacy Coordinator - RED INK - Bomb Productions / Showmax - Dir: Zeno Petersen
Intimacy Coordinator - ENTANGLED - Burnt Onion/Mzansi Magic - Dir: Twiggy Matiwane
Intimacy Coordinator - CITY OF GOLD - Netflix - Dir: Fabien Martorell
Intimacy Coordinator - PHOENIX - The Milton Empire/eVOD - Dir: Tshepo Matlanyane
Intimacy Coordinator - 1802 - LOVE DEFIES - Hela Media/1Magic - Dir: Tebogo Malope - Eps: 43 & 44
Intimacy Coordinator - MTV SHUGA - MTV/Burnt Onion Productions - Dir: Nomawonga Khumalo
Intimacy Coordinator - BECOMING - Azania Productions - Dir: Kay Kgaitsedi
Intimacy Coordinator - SOON COMES NIGHT - Ochre Media/Netflix - Dir: Thabang Moleya Sanele Zulu - Eps: 1, 2, 5, 6, & 7
Intimacy Coordinator - REYKA S2 - HBO/Quizzical - Dir: Catherine Cooke & Rea Ranaka
Intimacy Coordinator - EXPATS - DIPRENTE - Dir: Kagiso Lediga & Karabo Lediga - Eps: 101, 107, 108, 109
Intimacy Coordinator - THE WIFE - Showmax/Stained Glass - Dir: Fikile Mogodi - Eps: 305 & 308
Intimacy Coordinator - ADULTING - Showmax/Tshedza - Dir: Menga Nlabathi - Eps: 10 & 105
Intimacy Coordinator - 1923 - Paramount/101 Studios/Moonlighting - Dir. Ben Richardson - Eps: 104 (Kenya)
Intimacy Coordinator - DULAS (Film) - Pula Bakgaga Media - Dir: Kganki Mphahlele
Intimacy Coordinator - WARRIOR S3 - HBO/Moonlighting - Dir: Deni Gordon - Eps: 308
Intimacy Coordinator - LOVE SEX AND 30 CANLDES (Film) - Sorele Media - Dir: Stephina Zwane
2022
Intimacy Coordinator - DO YOUR WORST (Film) - Netflix - Dir: Samantha Nel
Intimacy Coordinator - LOLLY PILOT - HBO - Dir: Shalto Copley
Intimacy Coordinator - UMBUSO - Mzansi Magic/Quizzical/WC Enterprise - Dir: Kgatontle Mdleleni & Siyabong Mkhize - Eps: 9
2021
Intimacy Coordinator - THE ESTATE - Clive Morris Productions - Dir: Dom Gumede
Intimacy Coordinator - ISONO S1 - Clive Morris Productions - Dir: John Baker & Zuko Nodada
2020
Intimacy Coordinator - POU (Film) - The Ergo Company - Dir: Jaco Minnaar