Death in the Heartlands up for Sports Documentary of the Year in London

Showmax already has the most nominees by far at the 2024 SAFTAs, but there are more on the way this month. By the SAFTAs on 25 and 26 October 2024, content on Showmax will be competing for a whopping 141 SAFTAs – reaffirming Showmax’s positioning as the best place to stream local content. 

The African streamer has also been on a run at international awards, most recently with nominations at the Venice TV Awards in September and the Broadcast Sports Awards in London in November. 

Here are some awards contenders to stream now on Showmax, where every month is Heritage Month. 

Documentaries 

Death in the Heartlands up for Sports Documentary of the Year in London

Death in the Heartlands is shortlisted as Sports Documentary of the Year – Over 60 Minutes at the Broadcast Sports Awards, which will be held in London on 14 November 2024. The Showmax Original is competing against documentaries with the likes of England striker Michael Owen, England’s first foreign football coach Sven-Göran Eriksson, and snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan. The second episode of true-crime sports documentary series Dark Side of Glory, Death in the Heartlands investigates the murder of three female runners in Kenya in 2021: Edith Muthoni, a day later Agnes Tirop, and six months later Damaris Muthee Mutua. All had allegedly been killed by the men closest to them – their partners or coaches. 

Two of the murders happened in the elite running community of Iten, known as the Home of Champions. Tirop, an Olympian and two-time World Athletic Championship medalist, was found stabbed to death in her home there – soon after clinching a 10 000m world record in Germany. 

Dark Side of Glory is directed by Arianna Perretta and produced by CMG Productions. “The nomination of Death in the Heartlands for Best Documentary at the prestigious Broadcast Sport Awards is a testament to the powerful stories of Agnes Tirop, Damaris Mutua and Edith Muthoni, the courage of their families, and the injustice of their deaths,” says Claire McArdle, co-CEO of CMG Productions. “The tragic killing of another female athlete – Rebecca Cheptegei – mere weeks after this documentary aired highlights how it is our responsibility as filmmakers to continue to tell these stories and push to affect change.”

Watch the trailer for Death in the Heartlands

Original Sin up for Best Documentary at Venice TV Awards

In September 2024, Original Sin: My Son The Killer was nominated for a Venice TV Award: Documentary, losing out to The Hitman: Ricky Hatton, which premieres on Showmax on Wednesday, 16 October 2024. 

Original Sin: My Son The Killer follows Thea Pretorius, the mother of Gerhard Jansen van Vuuren, who murdered his 25-year-old girlfriend Andrea Venter in front of her neighbours, security guards and CCTV cameras. He then escaped authorities in South Africa and Brazil for years, assuming three different identities and starting families with multiple women. After initially helping him escape, Thea slowly had to come to terms with her son being a killer. 

Global trade C21 named the Showmax Original one of their Hot Properties for April 2024, while locally the documentary was hailed as “absolutely gripping viewing” by Cape Talk, with Rapport adding, “No fiction writer could conjure up these events.” 

Original Sin: My Son the Killer is directed by John Gutierrez, whose debut feature Sons of the Sea was named Best South African Film at the Durban International Film Festival. The documentary feature is a co-production between Showmax, Rogan Productions (BAFTA winner Uprising), and The Electric Shadow Company (BAFTA nominee McQueen, Hot Docs Jury winner Name Me Lawand), in association with Combined Artists (Strangers You Know, Carte Blanche) and Red Earth (Narcoworld: Dope Stories). 

Watch the trailer for Original Sin: My Son The Killer

Drama Series 

Youngins S1 up for Feather Award

Youngins is up for Media Award of the Year at The Feather Awards, Africa’s biggest queer award ceremony, to be held on 7 November 2024 in Johannesburg.

In the boarding school telenovela, Lebohang Lephatsoana (Tumelo) and Tabile Tau (Sefako) raised the rainbow flag high as the most adorable queer couple at Olifantsfontein High. Tumelo is an overly confident, flamboyant, proudly and loudly gay grade 10 learner, who falls for the charms of closeted head boy Sefako. When Sefako asks Tumelo to be his little secret, he gladly accepts. Tumelo loves Sefako after all but what he’ll quickly learn is that love cannot live in the dark. The more Sefako asks of him, the more Tumelo’s light dims.

Sowetan described their onscreen romance as “the most daring love story, capturing TV viewers and changing the world for the better.”

Produced by Tshedza Pictures (Adulting, Outlaws), the Showmax Original is also up for Best South African Streaming Series at the Behind The Scenes Awards and Best Newcomer (Kealebogo Masango) at the National Film & TV Awards South Africa, which are both scheduled for 9 November 2024 in Johannesburg. 

BBC hails Youngins as “a wild ride full of fun, danger, sex and violence.”

Watch the trailer for Youngins

Lioness S2 up for nine SAFTAs, including Best TV Drama

Available to binge on Showmax from Monday, 21 October 2024, Season 2 of Lioness is up for nine awards at this year’s SAFTAs, including Best TV Drama. 

Shannon Esra is nominated for Best Actress again as Sam, a fiercely protective mother who lost her children after being framed for her husband’s fraud. 

Following the first season’s cliffhanger finale, Season 2 picks up with Bianca (Carla Classen) desperately searching for her missing husband, and Sam forced to shield her son Liam (Joshua Eady) at any cost.

At the SAFTAs, Frank Rautenbach is up for Best Actor and Natasha Sutherland for Best Supporting Actress, while the show also cracked nominations for its Cinematography, Art Direction, Make-Up And Hairstyling, Sound, and Original Music/Score. 

At the National Film & TV Awards South Africa in November, Sutherland is again up for Best Supporting Actress. 

The hit M-Net series is produced by multi-award-winners Ochre Moving Pictures (Housekeepers, Spoorloos, Fatal Seduction). Look out for the likes of Carl Beukes (The Shakedown) and Vinette Ebrahim (Koek) joining the cast this season.

Watch the trailer for Lioness

How To Manifest A Man up for Wardrobe SAFTA

Available to binge on Showmax from Friday, 25 October 2024, How to Manifest a Man follows Dudu (Africa Movie Academy Awards nominee Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa), who is in an unhappy marriage. When her husband Simphiwe (Mnqobi Kunene from Outlaws) suffers memory loss, Dudu decides to take fate into her own hands and reshape her spouse into the ideal partner.

Produced by Barkers Media, How To Manifest a Man is nominated for Best Achievement in Wardrobe – TV Drama at the 2024 SAFTAs. 

Look out for Gaisang Noge (Naledi in The Wife) as Simphiwe’s lover, Ntombi, as well as Lucia Mthiyane and Peter Sephuma (both from Rhythm City).

Watch the trailer for How To Manifest A Man

Telenovelas

My Brother’s Keeper up for four SAFTAs, including Best Actor for Lindani Nkosi

My Brother’s Keeper is nominated for four SAFTAs this year, including Most Popular TV Soap or Telenovela, Best Actor (Lindani Nkosi) and Supporting Actress (Hlengiwe Lushaba-Madlala).

At the National Film & TV Awards South Africa in November, My Brother’s Keeper is also up for Best TV Drama Series, while Nkosi is nominated for Outstanding Performance and Sdumo Mtshali for Best Actor in a TV Series.  

Available to binge on Showmax from Tuesday, 22 October 2024, the Mzansi Magic telenovela tells the story of a family thrown into a deadly succession battle, as Nqubeko, the headstrong and overambitious son of a mistress, breaks the rules of “ukungena” by going after his brother’s widow, Fakazile.

The star-studded cast also includes SAFTA winners Wiseman Mncube (Shaka iLembe, The Wife) and Zola Nombona (Lockdown), as well as rising star Mnqobi Kunene (How to Manifest a Man, Outlaws). 

My Brother’s Keeper is produced by Rhythm World Productions, who are also behind massive hits like Sibongile & the Dlaminis and Umkhokha the Curse. 

Watch the trailer for My Brother’s Keeper

Diepe Waters S2 up for 4 SAFTAs, including Best Directing

A new season brimming with intrigue awaits the Swartmarlyne in Diepe Waters. Who will sink and who will swim?

In Season 2, Zelda and Gys’ war continues; there’s new love on the horizon for Sanet; and everyone is left reeling following a sudden death. 

Season 1 of the popular kykNET telenovela won a SAFTA for its editing, and this year it’s up for Most Popular TV Soap or Telenovela (as voted for by the public) as well as Best Directing, Cinematography, and Sound.

At the National Film & TV Awards South Africa in November, Diepe Waters is also up for Best TV Drama Series, Scripted Series, Afrikaans Series and Director (Gert van Niekerk). 

At the 2024 Silwerskerm Festival Awards, Nadia Valvekens was nominated for Best Actress in a Telenovela or Soap as Sanet Swarts, with Justin Strydom up for Best Actor as Gys, Werner Coetser for Best Supporting Actor as Jacques, and Diandra Slabbert for Best Newcomer as Mari.

Look out for two-time SAFTA nominee Vinette Ebrahim (Koek) joining the cast this season. 

Season 3 is currently screening on kykNET. 

Watch the trailer for Diepe Waters

Comedy

Magaeng up for two SAFTAs, including Supporting Actress for Tinah Mnumzana

Now available to binge on Showmax, Magaeng stars SAFTA winner Khabonina Qubeka (Shaka iLembe) as Zama Ndaba, the glamorous wife of a vengeful crime boss, who is forced to go into witness protection in a small rural town, with her estranged teenage kids in tow. 

Produced by Burnt Onion Productions (How to Ruin Christmas), the Mzansi Magic series co-stars SAFTA winner Themba Ndaba (Brutus Khoza in The Queen) as Zama’s manipulative husband Bheki; Thato Molamu (Losing Lerato, The Queen) as Thabang, the local police captain; and Tinah Mnumzana (Flora on The River), who is up for Best Supporting Actress in a TV Comedy at this year’s SAFTAs as Koko. 

Kagiso Malefane is also nominated for Art Direction at the SAFTAs. 

Also look out for SAFTA winner Sdumo Mtshali, former Generations star Kagiso Rakosa, and guest appearances from Lethabo LeJoy Mathatho (The Real Housewives franchise) and fashion icon Phupho Gumede. 

Watch the trailer for Magaeng

Roomies up for two SAFTAs

Nominated at the 2024 SAFTAs for both Best Wardrobe and Best Make-up and Hairstyling in a TV Comedy, Roomies follows housemates Naledi, Tsholo, Ntsika, Abza and Them, five millennials trying to navigate adulthood and the challenges that come with it.

Nomalanga Shozi (Botle in Adulting), Ishmauel Songo (Mpande in The Wife), Unathi Mkhize (Nkanyiso in The River), Mbasa Msongelo (Zola in Grootboom & Sons) and newcomer Felicia Mlangeni star as the housemates. Also look out for SAFTA winner Zola Nombona (Monde in Lockdown), Siphiwe Mtshali (Entangled), and Zama Ngcobo (The Real Housewives of Durban). 

Available to binge on Showmax from Thursday, 17 October 2024, Roomies is created by Sihle Mthembu (The Queen), who also heads up the writing team and co-directs. 

Watch the trailer for Roomies  

Showmax up for Best TV / Streaming Network at NFTA

At the National Film & TV Awards South Africa in November, Showmax is up for Best Television / Streaming Network. Showmax Originals feature prominently among the scripted nominees, led by:

• Wyfie is up for five awards: Best Scripted Series, Afrikaans Series, Newcomer (Mienke Ehlers, who won the category at Silwerskerm), Actress (Beáta Bena Green, also nominated at Silwerskerm), and Supporting Actress (Marguerite van Eeden, who won the category at Silwerskerm).
• Adulting is up for four awards: Outstanding Performance (Thembinkosi Mthembu) and Best Actor in a TV Series (Thembinkosi Mthembu), Supporting Actor (Nhlanhla Kunene), and Supporting Actress (Nandi Nyembe).
• Empini is up for four awards: Best Actress and Actress in a TV Series (Nambitha Ben-Mazwi), as well as Best Actor and Actor in a TV Series (Siyabonga Thwala). • The Butcher’s Soul is up for four awards: Best Feature Film, Actor (Melusi Mbele), Supporting Actor (Vuyo Dabula) and Supporting Actress (Bokang Phelane).
• Koek is up for three awards: Best Afrikaans Series, Actress (Cindy Swanepoel), and Supporting Actor (Dawid Minnaar).
• Red Ink is up for three awards: Best Actor (Bonko Khoza), Actress (Nqobile Khumalo), and Supporting Actress (Lorcia Cooper).
• Spinners is up for three awards: Best Actress (Katlego Lebogang) and Newcomer (Cantona James and Katlego Lebogang).

Other scripted Showmax Originals nominated include DAM, Ekhaya Backpackers, Eksie Perfeksie, Lindelwa and Youngins. Other scripted nominees on Showmax include Arendsvlei, Binnelanders, DiepCity, Diepe Waters, Gomora, Gqeberha – The Empire, Hartklop, Lioness, My Brother’s Keeper, Shaka iLembe, Suidooster, The River, and Umkhokha: The Curse. 

Public voting is open on Telephonos.com until 26 October 2024.

More to watch every day 

The African streamer adds new episodes of scripted Showmax Originals almost every day, including:
• Acclaimed sitcom One Weeks on Mondays until 14 October 2024
• AMVCA-nominated Nigerian telenovela Wura on Mondays
• Kenyan crime drama Jiji on Mondays and Tuesdays
• Multi-award-winning university telenovela Wyfie on Tuesdays
• Hit legal drama Law, Love and Betrayal on Thursdays
• Bodyguard telenovela Empini on Thursdays