Showmax takes an early lead at the SAFTAs

Showmax is the best place to stream this year’s SAFTA nominees, announced this morning. Content on Showmax has 118 nominations – the most of any streamer – with more nominees launching on the African streamer over the next few months. 

Showmax is the streaming home of Shaka iLembe, the most nominated title overall, as well as Outlaws and The River, the most nominated telenovelas, and Binnelanders, the most nominated soapie. 

Awards favourites to stream include: 

Mzansi Magic’s Shaka iLembe – the most nominated content overall

Set in the 1700s, Shaka Ilembe tells the story of the heroic rise of the iconic Zulu king, played as an adult by Lemogang Tsipa and a boy by newcomer Ntando Zondi. 

At the SAFTAs, the Mzansi Magic series is the most nominated content overall, with 17 nominations. These include Best TV Drama, Best Actor (Thembinkosi Mthembu as King Dingiswayo), Best Actress (Nomzamo Mbatha as Queen Nandi), and Best Supporting Actor (Senzo Radebe and Wiseman Mncube), not to mention craft nominations for:

• Directing (Angus Gibson, Zeno Petersen and Adze Ugah)
• Writing (Thishiwe Ziqubu, Paul Grootboom, Catherine Stewart, Andrew Peterson and Daniel Zimbler)
• Cinematography (Zeno Petersen)
• Editing (Sibongeleni Mabuyakhulu, Llewellyn Rice and Megan Gill)
• Original Music/Score (Philip Miller)
• Original Song (Mbuso Khoza)
• Sound (Athanasios Koundouris, Vaughan Phillips & Andries Scholtz)
• Art direction (Dylan Lloyd)
• Wardrobe (Shirley Masondo) Art direction (Dylan Lloyd)
• VFX (Eugine Olsen and Gerhard Painter)
• SFX in Hair and Makeup, and Makeup and Hairstyling (Queen Motlatle)

The epic premiere set a DStv record of more than four million views on Mzansi Magic, with the series going on to become the most Googled TV series in South Africa last year. 

The Bomb Shelter Film Company is already at work on Season 2. 

Watch the Shaka iLembe trailer

More drama SAFTA nominees to stream on Showmax

Picture Tree’s twisty and twisted Showmax Original DAM S2, which is up for six SAFTAs: Directing (Alex Yazbek), Cinematography (Tom Marais), Original Music/Score (Brendan Jury), Sound (David Oosthuizen), Art Direction (Sue Steele), and VFX (Mushroom Media).

Watch the trailer For DAM

Empreinte Digitale’s extreme motorsports drama Spinners, which is up for three SAFTAs: Directing (Jaco Bouwer), Scripting (Matthew Jankes and Sean Steinberg) and Editing (Matthew Swanepoel and Andrea Shaw). Showmax is in development on Season 2.

Watch the trailer for Spinners

Tshedza’s bromance Adulting, which is nominated for three SAFTAs. As Bonga, Thembinkosi Mthembu is up for Best Actor against his co-star Nhlanhle Kunene as Tsiki Tsiki (aka Eric) – and against his own performance in Shaka iLembe. Nandi Nyembe is also nominated for Best Supporting Actress as MaGetty. Showmax has confirmed a third and final season is on the way. 

Watch the trailer for Adulting

Quizzical Pictures’ medical drama Hartklop, which is up for three SAFTAS for kykNET: Supporting Actress (Renate Stuurman), Wardrobe (Lehasa Molloyi) and SFX in hair and make-up (Ronwen Jarrett).

Watch the trailer for Hartklop

Homebrew Films’ cheerleader drama Trompoppie, which is up for two SAFTAs for Showmax: Best Screenplay (Etienne Fourie) and SFX in hair and make-up (Jolene Cilliers).

Watch the trailer for Trompoppie

Nagvlug Films’ church market drama series for kykNET, Mooiweer en Warm, which is up for Best Cinematography (Pieter Bezuidenhout).

Watch the trailer for Mooiweer en Warm

Showmax Original Outlaws – the joint most-nominated telenovela with The River

Set in the lush but lawless land on the border between Lesotho and KwaZulu-Natal, Outlaws is the story of two families at war with each other: the Zulu, cattle-farming Biyela clan and the Basotho, cattle-raiding Ts’eoles.

At the SAFTAs, the Showmax Original has 11 nominations – the joint most-nominated telenovela with The River. 

Outlaws’ nominations include Best Telenovela, Most Popular Telenovela or Soap, and Best Actor (Thembinkosi Mthembu), as well as craft nominations for:

• Directing (Tebogo Malope, Thembalethu Mfebe, Nthabi Tau and Menga Nhlabathi)
• Scriptwriting (Gwydion Beynon and Phathutshedzo Makwarela)
• Cinematography (Ntobeko Dlamini)
• Editing (Natalie Varoy, Ebenhaezer Smal, Bongi Malefo, Siwelile Mbanjwa and Nandi Mehlomakulu)
• Art Direction (Waldemar Coetsee)
• Music/Score (Brendan Jury)
• Wardrobe (Maria Hofmeyr)
• Sound (Geoff Kock and Clark Fivaz)

Showmax has already ordered a second season of Outlaws, which was one of the 10 most-streamed local shows on the African streamer last year. 

Watch the trailer for Outlaws

More telenovela SAFTA nominees to stream on Showmax

Tshedza Pictures’ The River, which is also up for 11 SAFTAs, including Best Telenovela, Most Popular Telenovela or Soap, Best Actress (Sindi Dlathu) and Actor (Presley Chweneyagae), and DIrecting (Anne Mashiloane, Sandile Mdluli, Ferry Jele, Zolani Phakade, and Krijay Govender).

Watch the trailer for The River

Stark Films’ medical soapie for kykNET, Binnelanders, which is up for nine SAFTAs, including Most Popular Telenovela or Soap, Best Actor (Hykie Berg and Germandt Geldenhuys), Actress (Je-ani Swiegelaar), Supporting Actress (Bianca Amato and Marlee van der Merwe), and Scriptwriting (Mitzi Booysen, Marthinus van Antwerp, Anton Swanepoel, Tarina Marais, Monique Nortje, Lorraine Burger, Ethel Elizabeth Pretorius [Ferreira], Elanie Rupping, and Louis Roux) 

Suidooster Films’ Suidooster, which is up for six SAFTA for kykNET: Best TV Soap, Most Popular Telenovela or Soap, Directing (Romano Gorlei, Ella Catharina Niemand, Shirley Ellis and Richard September), Make-Up and Hairstyling (Islyn Salie), Sound (Lloyd O’Connor), and Art Direction (Pieter Britz)

Hela Media’s 1802 – Love Defies Time, which is up for five SAFTAs: Most Popular Telenovela or Soap, Supporting Actress (Lunathi Mampofu), Original Music/Score (Modiakgotla Kubu Katile Shole), Wardrobe (Shirley Masondo) and Make-Up and Hairstyling (Lungelwa Mildred Hela).

Watch the trailer for 1802 – Love Defies Time

Penguin Films’ Diepe Waters, which is up for four SAFTAs for kyKNET: Most Popular Telenovela or Soap, Directing (Gert van Niekerk and Heleni Handt), Cinematography (Darren Dressels and Kobus Van Wyk), and Sound (Stash Couvaras).

Watch the trailer for Diepe Waters

Seriti Films’ Gomora, which is up for two SAFTAs for Mzansi Magic: Most Popular Telenovela or Soap and Best Actress: Telenovela (Connie Chiume, who passed away in August)

Penguin Films’ kykNET soapie Arendsvlei, which is up for Most Popular Telenovela or Soap and Best Actor (Jody Abrahams)

Tshedza Pictures’ Gqeberha: The Empire, which is up for three SAFTAs for Mzansi Magic: Best Telenovela, Most Popular Telenovela or Soap, and Best Actress (Zikhona Sodlaka).

Watch the trailer for Gqeberha: The Empire

Rhythm World Productions’ Sibongile & The Dlaminis S1, which is up for Most Popular Telenovela or Soap for Mzansi Wethu.

Watch the trailer for Sibongile & The Dlaminis

Rhythm World Productions’ Umkhokha: The Curse S1, which is up for Most Popular Telenovela or Soap for Mzansi Magic.

Watch the trailer for Umkhokha: The Curse

Showmax Original Convict Conman | The joint most-nominated documentary

At the SAFTAs, Convict Conman is the joint most-nominated documentary, with Supersport’s Tribeca Audience Award winner Rise: The Siya Kolisi Story, which also aired on Showmax. Convict Conman is up for three SAFTAs: Best Made for TV Documentary or Documentary Series, Cinematography (Charl Fraser) and Sound (Schalk Joubert). 

In 2012, Carte Blanche journalist Sasha Wein receives a tip-off to investigate Dawie de Villiers, a Kempton Park photographer and founder of Modelling South Africa. Described in the first episode as “a sophisticated predator” and “the Kempton Park Hugh Hefner”, de Villiers is accused of fraud and of being sexually inappropriate with aspiring models, some below the age of 16. 

Nine years later, in 2021, with de Villiers sentenced to life in jail, investigative journalist Jana Marx (Devilsdorp) receives a tip-off to look into Michael O’Connor. He runs a photography publication and is looking to start business and fashion magazines too. It’s during the Covid pandemic, so his staff have never met him – or even seen his face. 

O’Connor claims de Villiers is a “good friend” but what else do they have in common? 

A two-part Showmax Original true-crime series, Convict Conman is produced by IdeaCandy (Tracking Thabo Bester, Devilsdorp, Rosemary’s Hitlist, Steinheist). 

Watch the trailer for Convict Conman

More documentary SAFTA nominees to stream on Showmax

IdeaCandy’s Rosemary’s Hitlist, which is up for two SAFTAs for Showmax: Best Made for TV Documentary or Documentary Series and Cinematography (Sims Phakisi).

Watch the trailer for Rosemary’s Hitlist

Fifth Floor Films and Stage 5 Films’ Boetie Boer, which is up for two SAFTAs for Showmax: Best Made for TV Documentary and Editing (Izette Mostert, Hilton Henstock, Skye Barrow, Jaco Laubscher, Jenine Lindeque & Amelia Cohen)

Watch the trailer for Boetie Boer

Yes Girl Productions’ That’s What She Said – A Social Inquiry, which is up for Best Documentary Feature

Watch the trailer for That’s What She Said

IdeaCandy’s Showmax docu-series Sex and Pleasure, which is up for Best Structured or Docu-Reality Show.

Watch the age-restricted trailer for Sex and Pleasure here.

Bonanza Films’ Elders: Frankryk, which is up for Best Lifestyle Show for kykNET.

Khaki Productions’ Formidabele Mense: Mangosuthu Buthelezi, which is up for Best Cinematography (Theodor Crouse)

Straatkatmedia’s kykNET series Net Mens, which is up for Best Cinematography (Christian Botha)

Showmax Original Twende S1 | Best Animation nominee

The first Showmax Original 2D animated series, Twende follows a pangolin of the same name, the slowest moving animal in the savannah. Twende’s belief that, “Life is about the journey, not the destination” is constantly at odds with his job as a motorbike taxi driver. 

Rated 7-9 PGV, Twende is produced by London-based Braintrust and Johannesburg-based Mind’s Eye Creative, with Greig Cameron (Seal Team, Supa Strikas) as the showrunner and an all-star writing team that includes the likes of Supa Team 4 creator Malenga Mulendema and Kizazi Moto’s Vanessa Kanu. Junior Nyong’o voices Twende. 

Twende’s pilot screened in competition at Annecy, the world’s premier animation festival. 2023 has lifted the bar for African animation but as 702 entertainment commentator Yalezo Njuguna says on his All That Yazz podcast, “Twende is genuinely my highlight of things I’ve watched within African animation. It is so funny.” 

Watch the trailer for Twende

More scripted SAFTA nominees to stream on Showmax

Luma Animation’s Headspace, which is up for Best Animation. The most-watched local film at South African cinemas last year, it’s available to stream on Showmax from Thursday, 19 September.

Watch the trailer for Headspace

Sonvelt Media’s ‘n Tyd van Waterpere, starring Deon Lotz, which is up for Best Made for TV Movie.

Watch the trailer for ‘n Tyd van Waterpere

Go2Content’s Ouma Olive, starring Antoinette Kellerman, which is up for Best Made for TV Movie.

Watch the trailer for Ouma Olive

IdeaCandy’s Thrift Tot Die Dood, which is up for Best Short Film

Red Pepper Pictures’ Grown Woman, which is up for Best Cinematography: TV Comedy (Nyembezi Ncaba).

Watch the trailer for Grown Woman