John Trengove

EARLY LIFE

John Trengove was born on 21 March 1978 in Johannesburg, South Africa. He is the son of prominent South African advocate Wim Trengove (and grandson of former judge John James Trengove). He grew up in Johannesburg and later lived in Cape Town and New York. He originally trained as an actor and graduated from the University of Cape Town Drama School in 1999, where he appeared in student productions including Chris Weare’s East and Cum, Guns & Instant Coffee. He later earned a Master of Fine Arts in filmmaking at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. He has also been associated with the art collective Against Jealousy.

CAREER

Trengove’s career spans theatre, television, documentary, commercials, short film, and feature films. Early television work includes directing episodes of Hard Copy, The Lab, Bay of Plenty, Intersexions, Shuga, and later Swartwater (for which he received SAFTA Best Director recognition and an honorary award from the South African Academy of Arts and Sciences) and White Lies (2024, starring Natalie Dormer). His breakthrough television project was the miniseries Hopeville (2009–2010), which he directed. It won the Rose d’Or for drama and received an International Emmy nomination; it was also released as a 92-minute feature. In theatre he directed the cult hit The Epicene Butcher (and Other Stories for Consenting Adults), which played at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and later the opera Nkoli (based on the life of queer activist Simon Nkoli). He has also directed fringe theatre and been involved in development work (including with Urucu Media). His short film The Goat (iBhokhwe, 2014) premiered at the Berlinale and screened at more than 40 international festivals. His debut feature, The Wound (Inxeba, 2017), premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and Berlinale. The film explores a closeted same-sex relationship set against the backdrop of Xhosa male initiation rites in the Eastern Cape. It won numerous awards, including the Sutherland Trophy for Best First Feature at the BFI London Film Festival, Grand Jury Award for Outstanding International Feature at Outfest, and best feature prizes at Frameline, Sarasota, Valencia, and Taipei festivals. It received 28 international awards in total, was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and was widely described as a landmark LGBT film (e.g., called “the most important LGBT film you will see in 2018” by i-D). It generated significant controversy and debate in South Africa over its portrayal of tradition and sexuality. His second feature, Manodrome (2023), which he wrote and directed, stars Jesse Eisenberg, Adrien Brody, and Odessa Young. It continues his exploration of masculinity, repression, and violence and premiered in competition at the Berlinale. His third feature, The Smell of Apples (Die Reuk van Appels), is in post-production. He has received two SAFTA Best Director awards and an honorary award from the South African Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Trengove divides his time primarily between Cape Town (or Johannesburg) and São Paulo, Brazil, with his husband, Brazilian filmmaker and composer Marco Dutra (known for films such as Hard Labor, Good Manners, and Bury Your Dead).

Trengove’s work is noted for its bold engagement with themes of masculinity, sexuality, cultural tradition, and repression, often within South African contexts. The Wound in particular is regarded as a major contribution to both South African and international queer cinema. He has been recognized as one of the Mail & Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans earlier in his career and continues to work across film, television, and theatre.