Soho Mentorship Documentary - by Nenyasha Matapuri

Nenyasha (Nesh) Matapuri came to the Routes In mentorship programme with a clear goal but an unclear path. Originally from Zimbabwe, he'd started out studying finance before switching his major to marketing and adding a minor in international advertising, chasing a growing pull toward creative work. Alongside internships and freelance projects, he'd been teaching himself video and filmmaking through YouTube, courses, and hands-on experimenting with friends. What he lacked wasn't drive, it was access: connections in the film and advertising world, and a clearer sense of how the industry actually works.

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Nesh was matched with his mentor Sebastiaan Visser-Paz, and what followed was months of conversations, brainstorms, and hands-on learning together. For his final showcase project, he didn't just want to present what he'd learned, he wanted to create something. So he set his sights on a full documentary: interviewing fellow mentees and mentors at the start and end of their journeys, and speaking with programme leads from both Routes In and Soho House.

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The result is a beautiful, honest look inside the mentorship experience, and proof of just how far Nesh has grown as a filmmaker, editor, and creative in the process.

When we asked Nesh about the biggest lesson from his mentorship, his answer says it all: