by Thinus Ferreira
MultiChoice has released some further new provocative images - what in the film biz is called "stills" - of the fantasy drama series Blood Psalms that has been shifted to a February 2022 release on its Showmax video streaming service.
In the fantasy drama series mostly filmed in the Eastern Cape, Zolisa Xaluva plays soldier Toka with Zikhona Sodlaka who plays Sithenjwa and with the two characters who end up marrying each other.
Thando Tabethe plays Heka, a god manifesting as a physical being, with Faith Baloyi as Queen Assilli and the court's advisor with access to magic, while Bokang Pehalane is cast in the role of the teenage Princess Zazi trying to save her people from a world-ending prophecy.
With MultiChoice and Showmax that organised no group media set visits during the filming of Blood Psalms - something that is very unusual for an expensive production of this size - the only imagery for the show will be the set of stills that the show itself took while it filmed on location.
Blood Psalms, written, produced and directed by Jahmil X.T. Qubeka and Layla Swart Najaar from Yellowbone Entertainment, was supposed to start in October on Showmax but was delayed due to an ongoing scandal with South Africa's department of trade, industry and competition.
The department abruptly cancelled its payments of millions of rand that were approved for the making of Blood Psalms in the country's shambolic film rebate scheme that is also impacting on other film productions in the country.
Almost half of the R85 million production cost of Blood Psalms is funded through the film rebate scheme of the department of trade, industry and competition.
R8 million earmarked to pay for just post-production work on the MultiChoice and Canal+ co-production that has over 300 visual effects artists working on the show, was for instance abruptly cancelled in September.
Besides this there is still another R16 million payment to be made in a rebate payment by the DTIC once Blood Psalms is fully completed.
The government's film rebates are paid out at specific production milestones with producers getting financial support while they're completing their content: At the start of principal photography, when filming wraps, the start of post-production, and then delivery of the completed video production.
After Yellowbone Entertainment took the government department to court, the DTIC agreed to make requisition for payment within three days but failed to respond to the deadline of the court order.
The DTIC in a statement said that "It would be inappropriate to continue these discussions in the media as the discussions have not yet been concluded and both parties have undertaken to work diligently to conclude outstanding matters. The Yellowbone matter is sub-judice and it would be unlawful to comment."
Jahmil X.T. Qubeka says it was "an embarrassment" to be in Dubai in October with MultiChoice, inviting the world to do business in South Africa and to film productions in the country "when we have not put the mechanisms in place for that to happen".
The multi-million rand series that has been in production for almost 2 years as the largest and most expensive series ever filmed in Africa and produced on South African soil, has already been delayed.
Candice Fangueiro, Showmax head of content, said the Showmax Original would start in October 2021, although the date came and went.
MultiChoice then announced to the media flown to Dubai for the media junket that Blood Psalms has now been pushed to February 2022 although it's unclear if this target date for release on Showmax will be met with, the future of the R85 million production that hangs in the balance.
