Founded in 2000, Isango Ensemble creates performances with a distinctly South African flavour, either by re-imagining Western theatre classics or by creating new work reflecting their South African heritage. 

U-Carmen eKhayelitsha is Isango Ensemble's filmed stage adaptation of Bizet’s Carmen, which won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. Set in the modern-day South African township of Khayelitsha, with the libretto translated into the Xhosa regional language, the film was created by Mark Dornford-May, Pauline Malefane and other members of the ensemble.