“Partying is my passion. Which made it very easy to make this. I did not have to force the stories or search for the moments, they were already there. I love that feeling of being in an Uber heading home, passing Nelson Mandela Bridge when it is red. The Smoking Kills bathroom, where most of the interactions that inspired this script took place, is also red. This story feels red to me. It is confusing, a little chaotic, but fun, just like our real red party world.” — Cebo Mtshemla, Writer

“These Things Happen (in a Club Bathroom at 2AM)” is a short film set entirely within a club bathroom. It is a study of public privacy, intimacy, and the emotional theatre that unfolds in an often overlooked and hyper-specific third place. The film explores how a small transitional space becomes a quiet, messy, and often profound site of connection. It is a love letter to, and admiration of, Johannesburg party culture.

This is a passion project and a documentation of youth culture. It is meant to be silly and possibly confusing, much like walking in and out of a bathroom and only catching half of a conversation. It mirrors a TRUE PEOPLE WATCHING EXPERIENCE. Imagined and made real by a group of emerging South African creatives, the film marks a first for many of those involved. Writer and art director Cebo Mtshemla, aged 23, does not work in film or claim to know much about screenwriting, but admits to being mildly jealous of 23-year-old Lena Dunham writing Girls for HBO. This is also the directorial debut of Retang Sebeka.

“On my right, someone was throwing up while being comforted. Normally I am afraid of vomit, but she was going to be okay. To my left, people were kissing. In front of me, a queue was growing and conversations were starting. These moments were happening all at once. It was weird. It is public. Anyone can enter, anyone can hear you. But it is also a bathroom. A moment to yourself. A room of her own. A room of their own. A room of everyone’s.” — Cebo Mtshemla, Writer

The film treats the club bathroom as a third place. The main character, who might be easy to forget is the main character, acts as a kind of people-watching glue. She listens in on interactions that the audience is invited to question. Are they real or imagined? That is the strange beauty of a loud night out. Half the time, you are not entirely sure what you just overheard.

The VISUAL and SONIC language reflects this layered journey of a night out. Feeling ENERGISED, EXCITED, WANTING TO BOOGIE, stepping aside to catch your breath, having a second to yourself, stepping away to gossip or actually hear your friends in a quieter space. Director Retang Sebeka approached the work as a visual emulation of a long, inebriated night out.

“There is so much to be said about how we all experience a night out with friends,” Sebeka says. “And under further investigation, the concept kept revealing new layers. That was when the fire was lit for me. The four-by-three aspect ratio creates a feeling of closeness and claustrophobia. You are inside the space with the characters. You cannot really escape. That was intentional.”

Every element was crafted to support the emotional tone, from Jason’s immersive cinematography and Obakeng’s textural lighting to the lived-in set design shaped by the creative team. Wardrobe played a critical role in supporting world-building. Liso Ceza, who built the look of the characters, approached styling as a form of emotional storytelling.

“I wanted the costume design to be an extension of each character’s identity and state of mind, as it possesses a communicative component that helps viewers understand who these characters are and why they are dressed the way they are,” says Ceza.

The team spent time developing the film’s aesthetic direction, referencing the actual environments and bathrooms they find themselves in. Working with a minimal budget, the team turned limitation into creativity. They sourced items from their own wardrobes and collaborated with Stylist’sOwn to build layered and intentional looks. Once the cast was selected, actors were asked to bring clothes inspired by their characters, and the team experimented during fittings.

“That was when the looks came to life,” Ceza explains. “Some were visually striking, others more subtle. It became about contrast. Who stands out, who disappears, and why.” The result is a collection of outfits that reflect real club culture in Johannesburg while adding texture to the film’s visual rhythm. It was also important that they felt like people with lives.

Some dressed up to be out, others looked like they had come straight from a lecture or work, convinced by friends to join for just a bit. It was important to both Liso and Cebo that these characters felt like real people, especially within the layered context of a city as diverse as Johannesburg.

Sound and music were equally central to the film’s construction. Given how rooted the story is in Johannesburg’s party culture, the soundscape had to reflect the full sensory world of a night out. The team collaborated with Ammo Moses and Yoshi Yuki from TigerFight to produce an original soundtrack that blends hyperpop with South African inflections through gqom. The track Xanax, featuring vocals by Q2K, was created specifically for the film, alongside an extended soundscape that captures the full journey, including the peaks and valleys of being out.

“We wanted the music to feel synthetic and emotional, glossy and grounded,” Mtshemla explains. “We were referencing global hyperpop projects like Brat but making something still deeply rooted in Johannesburg. We are very grateful to our friends at TigerFight for making our hyperpop gqom fantasy come to life.”

These Things Happen in a Club Bathroom at 2AM is the first short film by this creative team, written by Cebo Mtshemla, directed by Retang Sebeka, and styled by Liso Ceza, with a wider cast and crew who helped shape every texture of the world onscreen. From the lighting and music to the fittings and fittings-room conversations, the project is a product of layered collaboration, joyful improvisation, and deep investment in the culture it portrays.

CREDITS

Directed by: Retang Sebeka
Written and Art Directed by: Cebo Mtshemla Cinematography by: Jason Haji-Joannou

Costume Design by: Liso Ceza
First Assistant Camera: Naledy Selepe
Second Assistant Camera: Kelebogile Zibi
Gaffer: Obakeng Selapisa
Sound Operator: Richard Mohlari
DIT and VT: Siyanda Madlingozi
Runner and Additional Crew: Clifford
Acting Coordination: Mandisa Yende
Assistant Director and BTS: Fezeka Ncongwane
Makeup Artist: Aimee Lokota
Makeup Assistant: Bontle Mphahlele
Spark: Larry and Clifford
Cast performances by: Mondi Ntutu, Palesa Mothopi, Lufezo Bovungana, Anita Mihlali Matwa, Mandisa Yende, Monwabisi Rodolo, Masego Matiko, Tshegofatso Molaolwa, Unathi-Chikondi Kainja, Madison Day, Lesego Sefuthi, Luke Ness and Onanji Nyasulu
Unit and Security: Alex Zulu
Location: Club AM, Newtown, Johannesburg, South Africa (special thanks to Ncebo)
Executive Produced by: Tidimalo Motlhamme through WithinLimitations

Post Production
Offline Editor: Jamie Taylor from House On Fire
Grade: Kyle Stroebel from The Refinery
Soundtrack: Ammo Moses and Yoshi Yuki from TigerFight Vocal Performances by: Q2K