Eleanor, the production company headed by president Sophie Gold, has added director Zee Ntuli to its roster for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content.
Ntuli’s work ranges from his sultry feature Hard to Get to the critically acclaimed South African crime thriller TV series Reyka, to a portfolio of award-winning commercials. And his work in one discipline informs another. “The precision of commercial work sharpens my storytelling in longform–it teaches economy, clarity, rhythm,” related Ntuli. “And in turn, my longform work brings emotional depth and psychological complexity into my commercial projects.”
His “Epic Worlds” for Samsung exemplifies such filmic dexterity. Ntuli’s razor-sharp gift for timing electrifies the pacing of this visual journey while his background in the feature world instills depth into each story’s world. Ntuli said, “We treated it like a mini feature–each vignette with its own mood, lighting rules, framing language. We referenced sci-fi, fantasy, Westerns… but always kept the camera human.”
That camera–on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra–captured the “Epic Worlds” short in its entirety.
Meanwhile Ntuli’s film “Reset” for Woolworths is an epic visual poem that weaves together microscopic and celestial snapshots of live, reflecting the director’s talent for delivering profound meaning with a poetic and elevated visual language. Ntuli explained, “This piece is a visceral, surreal ode to detail–how much it matters, and how deeply it’s felt. The goal was to heighten the everyday–using scale, rhythm, and atmosphere to make detail emotional.“
Ntuli–who prior to joining Eleanor had most recently been repped in the U.S. by Sanctuary Content–defines storytelling as “how we process being alive. It’s how we make sense of chaos. In a world this noisy, stories that cut through need to feel honest.
Bridging the gap between abstract visual storytelling and raw, human emotion, Ntuli’s lyrical visual worlds depict the complexities of the human condition. “For me, surrealism isn’t just about visuals–it’s about emotional truth,” said Ntuli. “When real life feels too blunt, abstraction lets you express the things that are harder to say out loud.”
Explaining what drew him to Eleanor, Ntuli shared, “There’s real passion here–an energy that’s both bold and refined. It’s rare to find a company that backs visionary work with this much heart, taste, and precision. There’s a confidence in how Eleanor moves–a sense that the work matters, and it’s being built to last.“
Eleanor’s Gold said, “Watching Zee’s portfolio, his true passion for his work resonates in the poetry of every frame. At Eleanor, we champion directors whose voice is entirely their own, who are singular in their vision. Zee’s works are crafted with brilliant visual languages yet unspoken. I know that we will create magic together.”
Internationally, Ntuli is repped in South Africa by Darling Films, in the U.K. by Moirai, and in South America by Boiler Filmes.
