MambaOnline is proud to present the exclusive online premiere of Before They Named Me, a powerful new short film by acclaimed South African filmmaker, author and creative strategist Renaldo Schwarp.
The 10-minute film offers an intimate and deeply personal exploration of queer identity, memory and self-definition through the voices and experiences of four remarkable South African changemakers.
Featuring Phoenix St Anna Winx, Armand Joubert, Kim Windvogel and Welcome Lishivha, Before They Named Me places its subjects in direct confrontation with their own visual histories. Surrounded by projected imagery, personal archives and the language that has shaped their lives, they reflect on belonging, visibility and the journey towards naming themselves on their own terms.
At the heart of Before They Named Me is a moving meditation on how language can both wound and liberate. Through a series of thoughtful and vulnerable conversations, Schwarp examines how identity is shaped through memory, representation and the words we inherit, reject and reclaim.
The film continues Schwarp’s decade-long exploration of queer identity and representation, following acclaimed projects including his 2025 film Young, Gifted & Queer and the book SKEEF.
Before They Named Me first premiered as the opening work of the Goethe-Institut Johannesburg’s landmark IDAHOBIT 2026 exhibition, curated by Schwarp.
Now, MambaOnline readers can experience this compelling and visually striking work online for the very first time.
Watch Before They Named Me below.
