SABC2's 7de Laan is slamming the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), organisers of the 6th South African Film and Television Awards, and their decision to exclude the popular soap from the Best Soap category for which soaps can't enter and the winner of which is decided through a popular vote by viewers.
TV with Thinus broke the news Wednesday that 7de Laan will not be appearing on the list. The nominees for the 6th Saftas, set to take place on 9 and 10 March were announced Thursday evening.
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''Danie Odendaal Productions is disappointed to hear that 7de Laan has been excluded for consideration as Best Soap for the 2012 Saftas,'' the production says in a strongly-worded press statement that was sent to me after the news broke.
''We were unaware that it was the NFVF's policy to exclude productions from this category if they elected not to submit entries for consideration in the performance categories. We find this policy surprising, given the fact that the title of Best Soap is awarded by a public vote, and we would have thought all soaps broadcast in South Africa should be eligible regardless of their participation in the other categories.''
''The exclusion of 7de Laan from the Best Soap Award confirms our reservations with the Saftas selection process for soaps,'' says the SABC2 production.
''Most soaps produce 260 episodes a year and consist of strong ensemble casts and carry four to five storylines per episode. To insist that performance awards should be judged on a maximum of three episodes makes no sense for the soaps.''
''No single episode could effectively showcase the work of any single cast member – especially when many on the judging panel do not necessarily watch the programme regularly,'' says 7de Laan.
''We feel our technical and creative crew members do outstanding work for television,'' says the soap. ''The volume of work done by these individuals, let alone the quality, should motivate categories for technical and artistic crew.''
