Lefa
The Boys we left behind
A documentary about the epidemic of gender-based violence in South Africa,
and one community’s journey to heal the boys – and men – left behind.
44% of sexually abused children
in South Africa are boys
Boys report childhood sexual abuse at rates nearly equal to girls, yet fewer than 1% of GBV services in the country support them.
This invisible epidemic of gender-based violence (GBV) against boys hurts the entire community.
Because they grow into men who continue the cycle of violence.
We’re raising funds to create a documentary that will shed light on these important and unheard stories, and to support the creation of an abuse recovery center especially for men and boys — to help the whole community.
When we tell our story, we can START to heal
A broken man
can't raise a
wholesome family.
the film
In a small kingdom in Mpumalanga, South Africa, a community touched by sexual violence is raising a men’s rehabilitation center from bare land. This film follows the tapestry of voices around its rise; mothers, healers, police, survivors, and everyday people, from King Mlambo II's royal court, to the street sweeper outside the gate.
While King Mlambo’s community is at the heart of the story, the film will interweave voices and stories from around South Africa: experts, survivors, healers, workers, and everyday people who seek closure and healing for themselves, and their country.
NARRATIVE ARC: One community’s journey from the pain of GBV towards healing, following the construction of a men’s abuse recovery center from open space to open doors.
GENRE: Documentary.
LANGUAGE: English and siSwati, with some other South African languages.
FORMAT:
Phase one (2027): short film (8–12 minutes), South African audience.
Phase two (2028-2029): feature documentary (75–90 minutes).
VISUAL STYLE: Observational documentary, natural light, no narrator. Each person speaks in their own language, with their own voice.
If we healed the boys & men
that were left behind….
Our communities would experience less emotional, physical, sexual, and substance abuse
A Documentary That Refuses to Look Away
A film about one community’s courage to face the pain, break the silence, and build healing from the ground up.
This is a story of hope in action.
The film follows the journey of building a men’s rehabilitation centre on royal land. It is told through a tapestry of raw, honest voices in the community: parents, children, survivors, healers, perpetrators, leaders, and elders.
No narrator.
No outsiders speaking over them.
South Africans sharing their truth, in their own language(s), to make a better future...
We begin with a powerful short film (8-12 minutes) shot in South Africa - late 2026.
This short film will open doors on an international scale, including collaborating production houses, film festivals, and unlock major funding for the full feature film, and the physical Recovery Centre.
WHY THIS MATTERS NOW
South Africa’s intimate-partner femicide rate nearly halved over two decades of society-wide intervention … and then increased by 30% since 2021 when those interventions were defunded (SAMRC).
The evidence is clear: When communities confront trauma together, violence drops dramatically.
Our film crew has been granted exclusive, unprecedented access to document this community’s healing process. As the centre is rapidly approaching construction phases, we urgently need support to connect with the community, and to share their important stories with the world.
MEET THE TEAM
Director: Ansley Sawyer
Award-winning, Emmy-nominated filmmaker with a proven track record of intimate, impactful documentaries.
Ansley is a semi-nomadic film director and producer. A speaker, advocate, and entrepreneur, her docu-vérité work and contributions have been featured on Vimeo Staff Picks, BBC, National Geographic, and TEDx, across a wide slate of premium white label agency campaigns, and have screened or placed in dozens of film festivals worldwide.
As a producer, her commissioned docu-series include features on The Olympics Channel, as well as contributing to large-format broadcast segments for some of the world's biggest brands and channels.
She is currently developing a global docu-series and a feature film for worldwide broadcast and theatrical distribution. She specializes in run-and-gun filmmaking, producing difficult-to-access human stories around the world.
Ansley integrates her sensitivity for documentary production within the world of commercial videography for "worthy work" organizations as Founder and Creative Director of her company Freehand Films.
Producer: Lumka Stone
Lumka Stone is a Creative Industries Executive, Producer, and Strategic Operations Leader with over 15 years of experience across film, television, digital media, and live experiences.
A graduate in Dramatic Arts and Motion Picture from the Tshwane University of Technology, Lumka Lulubelle Stone works at the intersection of creative vision and operational excellence.
She has facilitated and contributed to major international productions for global studios and streaming platforms. (see below)
Her extensive production credits feature high-profile projects such as Mission: Impossible, The Woman King, The Wheel of Time, The Witcher, Outlander, Black Sails, Children of Blood & Bone, and Long Walk to Freedom.
As a production facilitator, Lumka specialises in project development, financial oversight, stakeholder engagement, and the execution of complex international standard operations.
Beyond physical production, she is a dedicated advocate for Africa’s creative economy, focusing on capacity building, emerging talent mentorship, and creating strategic bridges between African talent and global opportunities. Driven by the vision "Made in Africa. Seen by the World,"
Lumka remains committed to producing culturally authentic, socially relevant, and globally competitive content that drives sustainable industry growth.
Producer: Shanei Born
Creator & Visionary behind the project.
Secured royal land partnership, strategise & implement the digital impact and distribution campaigns. Helped to bring the core team together.
Shanei is a #1 International Bestselling Author, Speaker and Marketing Coach
There's a version of you still waiting to be seen. The one with a story worth telling, a business worth building, and a life worth designing on your own terms.
For Shanei, this isn't a job. It's a movement called I Am Worthy to Share My Story, giving people permission to own their story out loud and turn it into a platform for the business and life they've been dreaming about.
Shanei is the founder of Born Intelligence Marketing Agency, where she's helped generate over $35 million USD for clients and students, scaling companies to 7 and 8 figures through strategies that include social media marketing, digital launches, branding, apps, brand activations and more.
Born Intelligence builds results for International and local brands.
Her #1 bestselling book, Designer, teaches people to build a life around purpose, so the money fuels the calling instead of competing with it.
As a GBV survivor herself, Shanei invests deeply in her community, helping people affected by GBVF prove to themselves that surviving was never the finish line. Thriving is.
WILL YOU
STAND WITH US?
An investment of $80,000 is needed to produce a world-class documentary short film.
Every dollar goes toward professional filming, ethical community engagement, and telling this story with the dignity and power it deserves.
With this film funded, we have the opportunity to create a global movement — to spread the story in global film festivals and screenings, as well as leveraging global partnerships to build the Recovery Centre.
This is more than a film.
This is the beginning of healing for thousands of boys and men who have been invisible for too long.
Be part of breaking the cycle.
Imagine a South Africa where all people who have survived sexual trauma have a safe place to heal.
Where boys and men learn to process pain, instead of passing it on.
Where they become better sons, brothers, boyfriends, husbands, and fathers.
Healed men raise stronger families.
Stronger families build healthier communities.
And a healed people can lift an entire nation.
That future begins with one rural community and a 3-hectare gift of land from King Mlambo II.
We are building South Africa’s first dedicated Health & Wellness Abuse Recovery Centre for Boys and Men.
But first, we must make the world see why it matters.
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