Anthems new ad showcases power with purpose

For many filmmakers, stories about renewable energy can risk falling into the realm of sleek technology and glossy optimism. But for director Nelis Botha, the challenge was different: to make it human.

His new film for Anthem, part of their Power with Purpose campaign, reframes the narrative around clean energy in Africa, not as a sterile future, but as a living, breathing movement powered by people.

“It started quite naturally,” Botha explains. “A friend I’d worked with at an agency later helped develop the Anthem brand voice. When they reached out, it just felt right, there was already a shared creative language, a trust, and a sense of what we wanted to say.”

The brief, he says, was “refreshingly open.” Anthem wanted something inspiring, cinematic, and forward-looking, a film that could help define its evolving identity as a brand.
“What drew me in was the freedom to build that visual world from scratch,” says Botha. “It wasn’t about clean energy in the abstract, but about people building a more sustainable Africa. The connection between human ambition and the beauty of engineering really resonated with me.”

The resulting film traverses wind and solar farms, rural communities, and sweeping South African landscapes, all tied together by a deep sense of authenticity. “We wanted to show that renewable energy is, ultimately, a human story,” he continues. “It’s not about turbines or panels, it’s about the hands that build them, the communities they empower, and the collective belief that progress can be cleaner and more inclusive.”

Shot across multiple active sites, the production was anything but simple. Harsh weather, remote access, and safety constraints made every day a test of adaptability, something Botha and the team at Robot embraced wholeheartedly. “The key was trust and instinct,” he says. “We’d move fast, let nature perform for the camera, and stay open to whatever the landscape offered.”

Visually, the film finds poetry in precision. “We kept it grounded: natural light, texture, simplicity,” Botha says. “We paired all the toys with vintage glass to keep the image soft, imperfect. The palette came straight from the South African landscape, golden dawns, earthy neutrals, soft blues. It feels real and proud of its natural light.”

As a photographer turned filmmaker, Botha’s sensibility owes much to visual masters like Edward Burtynsky. “I love how he captures the relationship between humanity and scale,” he explains. “I wanted Anthem to live in that same emotional space, progress that feels powerful, but deeply human. Something that sits between photography and cinema.”

Authenticity extends to casting, too. “We didn’t use actors,” he says. “We filmed the real people working on these sites. There’s a truth in how someone moves when they’re in their own world, you can’t replicate that.”

Among the many challenges and moments of magic, Botha remembers the road trips as much as the shoot days: “Long drives between farms, music blasting, staying in strange little guesthouses, changing tyres in the middle of nowhere, watching a Springbok game in a dusty bar in De Aar. That’s the stuff that stays with you. You realise how lucky you are that this is your job."