'Playing Dad' a film redefining fatherhood through play

In many societies, fatherhood is often narrowly defined as providing financial support and enforcing discipline. For some men, the idea of playing with their children feels foreign, or even daunting, as play is typically seen as the mother’s domain.

"Playing Dad", however a new film by the social behavior change NPO Heartlines, challenges this limited view by highlighting the crucial role of fathers in their children’s early learning and development.

The film shows how active, engaged play not only benefits young minds but also strengthens the father-child bond.

“Can I be playful with my child and still earn his respect?” This is the central question faced by Vincent Mahlape’s character, Mpendulo, in "Playing Dad".

It’s a dilemma familiar to many fathers raised to believe that their main purpose is to provide and discipline not to connect or nurture.

Through Mpendulo, a strict, traditional carpenter, the film gently plants the idea that fathers can and should, embrace play as part of their parenting journey. When his wife is called away unexpectedly for a family emergency, Mpendulo is left to care for their young son, Ndumiso (played by 6-year-old Siyamthanda Nxumalo).

What begins as a reluctant duty soon becomes an eye-opening experience that challenges everything he thought he knew about being a father.

The story also unpacks deeper societal issues that discourage men from fully engaging with their children. In South Africa, the shadow of gender-based violence (GBV) has created an atmosphere of suspicion around men’s involvement with young children.

When Mpendulo is called to address a crisis at Ndumiso’s early childhood development (ECD) centre, he realises just how unwelcome fathers can feel in spaces designed for young kids, an exclusion that reflects broader cultural attitudes.

"Playing Dad" seeks to shift these perceptions. It encourages fathers to take a more active, playful role in their children's lives and calls on ECD centres to make space for dads in their programmes. At its core, the film promotes a vision of fatherhood that is nurturing, hands-on, and essential to a child’s healthy development.

“Five years ago, we published research showing that one of the biggest barriers to fathers’ involvement is simply a lack of parenting skills,” says Lereko Mfono, Fathers Matter Project Coordinator and a “playing dad” himself.

“Because of deeply ingrained societal expectations, many men don’t know how to be positive, practical, and emotionally present fathers.”

Both research and real-life stories affirm that when fathers or positive male role models are actively involved in a child’s upbringing, the risks of boys becoming perpetrators and girls becoming victims of violence, including GBV, are significantly reduced.

Yet harmful stereotypes continue to shame or sideline men who want to engage fully with their children, especially during the critical years of early childhood. Playing Dad challenges these norms, offering a hopeful message: that fatherhood can and should include joy, play, and presence.

The cast of "Playing Dad" also includes Luyanda Mzazi, Neo Ntlatleng, Dimakatso Lebeoana and Pheello Sehlolo.

The film (the seventh in the Fathers Matter anthology) will launch on the Fathers Matter website and the HeartlinesZA YouTube channel on Friday, June 13, ahead of Father’s Day on June 15.

IOL Entertainment