Pride Month starts early for Showmax with wins for Beaulah, Wyfie

At MIP Africa’s first Inclusive Lens awards, Showmax won Representation of LGBTQIA+ awards for both Wyfie (Scripted Series) and Beaulah: Queens van die Kaap (Non-Scripted Series).

Wyfie

Wyfie, a university telenovela by Homebrew Films, also won Best Newcomer (Mienke Ehlers as Mia) and Best Supporting Actor (Marguerite van Eeden as Wilmien) at the kykNET Silwerskerm Awards on Saturday and is up for Best International Series at The Seoul International Drama Awards on 25 September 2024.

As the Inclusive Lens citation says, “Wyfie masterfully portrays the complexities of university life for four young women. Balancing mischief and moral dilemmas, the characters' journeys highlight resilience and personal growth. Through its engaging narrative, Wyfie captures the essence of youthful rebellion and the journey to adulthood.”

Season 2 is currently streaming on Showmax, with new episodes on Tuesdays.

Beaulah: Queens van die Kaap

From The Mommy Club creators POP24, Beaulah: Queens van die Kaap is a reality TV show about Cape Town drag queens BB Vahlour, Emogan Moore, Kat Gilardi, Ina Propriette, Madison Scarr, Manila von Teez, and Maxine Wild.

As the Inclusive Lens citation says, “Beaulah: Queens van die Kaap is recognised for its authentic and vibrant portrayal of Cape Town's drag queen scene, providing an eye-opening introduction to this colourful community while offering an insider's look into the world of extreme transformations, fashion, and sisterhood.”

The first seven episodes are available on Showmax, with new episodes on Thursdays until the finale on 19 September 2024.

This follows on from Jacques Bessenger winning Best Actor (Drama) at Saturday’s kykNET Silwerskerm Awards for Film and TV. Bessenger won for his role in the Showmax Original Koek as Ryno, a strip club choreographer in love with his boss’s boyfriend, Pitbull (Clayton Evertson). Koek also won Best Actress (Cindy Swanepoel), Supporting Actress (Sandra Prinsloo) and Supporting Actor (Dawid Minnaar).

To celebrate, Showmax is starting Pride Month early with two global queer hits this September.

Bros

Nominated for Best Comedy Movie at the 2023 Critics Choice Awards, Bros follows two gay men maybe, possibly, probably, stumbling towards love. Maybe. They're both very busy.

Emmy nominee Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane from Brothers & Sisters co-star, with an entirely LGBTQIA+ principal cast.

Empire Magazine praised Bros as “hilarious from start to finish” and Newsday as “a gay cinematic landmark that also happens to be a very smart and funny rom-com.”

Directed by BAFTA nominee Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and produced by Emmy winner Judd Apatow, Bros is available to stream on Showmax now.

It’s A Sin

It’s a Sin follows a group of friends in 1980s London during the Aids epidemic.

The Daily Beast declared It’s a Sin “the year’s best show”, with “some of the best acting on TV,” saying, “Yes, it is the most devastating piece of television I watched this year… But [also] perhaps the most joyous.”

It’s a Sin was Channel 4’s biggest drama launch, with 18.9 million viewers, and prompted a record-breaking three-fold rise in HIV tests in the UK.

The series holds a 97% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was named the #1 show of the year by Empire Magazine, The Guardian, and Radio Times. The mini-series was also the most nominated show at the BAFTAs, winning Best Director for Peter Hoar (The Last of Us), among other accolades.

Creator and writer Russell T Davies (Queer as Folk, A Very English Scandal, Years and Years, Nolly) was named TV’s most influential person of the year by The Radio Times, with the show’s star, Years & Years lead singer Olly Alexander, taking second place on the TV Top 100 and co-star Lydia West at #7. Also look out for appearances from the likes of Stephen Fry, Keeley Hawes, and Neil Patrick Harris.

It’s a Sin is available to binge from 11 September on Showmax.