From taxi driver to opera star — a transformation

Coming from Durban, South Africa, Menzi Mngoma was a taxi driver who entertained his passengers with his sweet singing voice. After a former rider captured and shared a video of Menzi’s incredible talents online, his life took a sharp and unexpected turn. Suddenly his phone was ringing off the hook with offers for performances, castings and sponsorship deals. But despite his newfound fame, Menzi’s passion and talent don’t pay the bills. With a family to support, his big dream is to break into the international music industry.

Can internet hype pave the way to a promising career? This is the story filmmaker Adrian Kriesch sets out to explore in the documentary Third Person. From Menzi’s humble beginnings to his meteoric rise in popularity through the power of social media, Third Person takes viewers on a journey into the life of a man caught between his passion and his responsibilities, and the unpredictable nature of fame in the age of the internet.