Andrina Randeleen – or Leen, as she’s known to her family and friends – is a 90’s baby. Born and bred in Port Elizabeth, she currently lives in Helenvale. Andrina’s major for this year is screenwriting, with a minor in producing.
STUDYING AT AFDA
The moment Andrina read about AFDA, she just knew it was where she wanted to be. ‘The motivation behind my decision was AFDA’s screenwriting program, which has always been my area of interest,’ Andrina tells me. ‘It was a bonus that AFDA is situated so close to home.’
Andrina’s dream job is to be her own boss one day. ‘I would like to write and produce my films and have my own production company in the beautiful city that I’ve grown up in.’
LOVING RESEARCH
Research is normally something Andrina hates to do, but now that it’s a big part of her Honours year, she has surprised herself by starting to love it. ‘Honours is teaching me the value of delivering quality work.’
Andrina’s research question for this year is as follows:
How can we approach the representation of coloured characters that embody the multi-dimensional aspect of the coloured community?
The reason why she chose this question? ‘As a screenwriter, representation starts with me and the characters I choose to portray on screen,’ Andrina explains. ‘Coloured people have always been exposed to negative representation in the media and on screen. I believe this study is important that’s why I chose this topic, because of the narrative surrounding the Coloured people of SA.’
What’s the primary objective of her study? ‘To explore the responses of coloured people to the way they are portrayed on screen. In so doing, I hope to challenge and critique the predominantly negative tropes of portraying South African Coloureds, emphasizing the need for more accurate representation and greater inclusion of coloured people in film.’
DEEPER QUESTIONS
I ask Andrina, ‘If you could change anything about your life immediately, what would it be and why?’ She gives me a simple answer: ‘I wouldn’t change anything. I believe that I am exactly where God needs me to be right now.’
When I ask her if there is a big life lesson she learned the hard way, she says: ‘Yes, life has taught me a few hard lessons. I’ve learned and grown from them.’
When we talk about happiness, she gives me a little more insight into her life: ‘ Happiness to me means family. Life is short, and being able to spend time with loved ones is a gift from God. Happiness for me is not just fulfilling my dreams and having a career; it’s the little moments and creating lasting memories with the people I love. Things can be replaced, but not people.’
What is the one thing that makes her the happiest? ‘Writing. Writing is my happy place. I enjoy creating, and writing allows me to create worlds and things that didn’t exist before. For me, that is happiness. It also allows me to spend quiet, quality time with myself.’
LIGHTER QUESTIONS
On a lighter side, I notice that Andrina chooses not to tell me her exact age. So when I ask her if she feels younger or older than her age, she replies, ‘Sometimes it’s a mixture of both.’
Andrina’s motto for her life is the Bible verse from Philippians 4:13, ‘I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.’
And her favourite meal? Curry and rice. ‘It’s a simple meal, but I love rice. If food has rice or pap with gravy, I’m happy.’
I have come to notice that Andrina lives a life of simplicity; she doesn’t need much to be happy. Andrina has a quiet confidence about her, and she is a peacemaker. When she does speak, it’s because she has something to say that adds value to the conversation. There is wisdom in Andrina’s words and she carries herself with quiet grace.
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Andrina’s favourite movies are ‘A Walk to Remember’ and ‘Diary of a Mad Black Woman.’ She explains why she likes those films: ‘In my opinion, a good movie is one that you can learn from, and for me, these movies did just that.’
Watch scenes from both films here:
