From Benoni, Gauteng, Rea Rangaka has made a name for himself not only locally but internationally as well. Rea has been in several local and international productions for film and television such as Mzansi Love 3, Those Who Can’t, Saints & Sinners, Ashes to Ashes, SHADOW (Netflix), Madiba (BET), The Looming Tower (Hulu), TROY: Fall of a City(Netflix) and Tremors: Bloodline (Universal Pictures). Rea has also featured in numerous commercials for Vuzu Amp, Standard Bank, Grants Whiskey, 1Life Insurance and Nando’s. Rea has been the series director for the Netflix show Savage Beauty which was in the top 10 US of most viewed shows in May 2022. In 2023, Do Your Worst came out where Rea plays the role of Jerry. 

Rea studied his MFA in directing in Los Angeles, completing the program with a Cecil B. DeMille award for “Best Director” within his year. His film Ode In Blood which he wrote and directed, has gone on to earn accolades that include an “Honourable Mention” at the 38th Cleveland International Film Festival; a Golden Circle Award through the CAUCUS Foundation of Writers, Producers and Directors; the Leo Freedman Grant and has played at Director’s Guild of America both in LA and New York. Rea had the privilege of being mentored by the likes of John Badham, David Ward, Betty Thomas,Harry Ufland and Ron Yerxa. His film The Prophetess, the story of a young boy who heals her mother, shot in Burkina Faso, showcased at FESPACO in 2014.