Tori Ichikowitz proves South African talent can shine on Hollywood screens.
Image: Supplied
Tori Ichikowitz, of Johannesburg, has been nominated for the Television Academy Foundation’s 45th College Television Awards.
The annual awards show recognises and rewards excellence in student-produced programmes from colleges and universities.
Winners in the competition will be announced by television stars at the red carpet awards ceremony on March 28, 2026, at the Television Academy in North Hollywood, California.
Ichikowitz, along with two classmates at the American Film Institute, received a nomination in the Comedy Series category for a project she produced titled Dandelion. The project is eligible for the Chance Perdomo Legacy Scholarship, a $10 000 (R160 000) award for the winning college team in the Comedy Series category. Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios created the scholarship as a tribute to the late Gen V actor Chance Perdomo who passed away in a motorcycle accident in 2024.
Dandelion centers on its main character, Margaret, who is a distrustful, queer teenager who gets kicked out of a foster home and placed in the care of Joyce, a mysterious social worker, tasked with finding her a new placement before dawn. As Joyce brings Margaret to visit her network of connections, she realises the task will be much harder than anticipated. When Margaret sabotages a potential placement, Joyce is forced to take Margaret back to her place, and she makes a discovery: Joyce is a gay activist with the Youth Advocates - an organisation dedicated to saving queer kids from the foster system by placing them in queer households.
Image from 'Dandelion', nominated in the Comedy Series category.
Image: Supplied
Ichikowitz is a 2024 graduate of the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, California, where she obtained a Master of Fine Arts degree. Originally from Johannesburg, she attended King David High School Victory Park in Randburg, South Africa.
“At AFI, every student has the opportunity to make a thesis film,” said Ichikowitz. “I knew that I wanted to be a part of a project with a story that could start dialogues and make a difference. I knew that this was a film that would do exactly that. I immediately fell in love with the characters and the greater world the film was a part of.
“It still hasn't hit me that this is real yet,” said Ichikowitz. “I can't believe that this girl from Johannesburg, who started making stop-motion videos with her Legos at 9 years old, is now being recognised by members of the Television Academy. It's more than a dream come true, and I hope it can inspire more film-makers from back home to chase their dreams.”
Open to undergraduate and graduate students, the annual College Television Awards are regarded as one of the most distinguished and high-profile steppingstones for careers in television and media. Emulating the Emmy Awards selection process, College Television Award entries are judged by Television Academy members. Criteria for the awards reflect industry standards of excellence, imagination and innovation. Nominees were selected from over 185 entries from colleges nationwide by Television Academy members.
Nominees will also participate in two days of professional-development events with media and industry leaders and a special screening of their projects for Television Academy members prior to the awards show on March 28.