by Thinus Ferreira
Flummoxed South Africa media are whispering about the National Film and Video Foundation's (NFVF) bizarre decision for the 2022's 16th South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) which will once again be an audience-less, pre-recorded, virtual, press-play-and-pray production with a limited budget and no physical event.
Rankled media are also wondering about the NFVF and SAFTAs' lack of proper media engagement around the upcoming awards show this year, and their lack of basic media briefings which are not even happening virtually.
The NFVF waited until this week - just days before the broadcast of the 16th SAFTAs - to finally tell the media wondering about media accreditation and having to lock down coverage plans and assign entertainment reporters for the weekend, that there won't be any physical awards show where Golden Horn trophies are handed out.
The Instinctif PR company repping the SAFTAs confirmed to TVwithThinus that "the awards are held virtually again this year and there won't be any physical attendance".
Neither the NFVF nor its publicists have set up any in-person or virtual media briefing for media to collectively ask questions either before the 16th SAFTAs of this weekend, nor any press conference afterwards.
On Tuesday evening, MultiChoice held its own 16th SAFTAS industry party to celebrate SAFTA-nominated shows, actors and crew since, according to an insider "the NFVF and SAFTAs decided to do nothing".
The 16th SAFTAs, which hasn't bothered with doing barely any media engagement as in previous years and also axed the in-person nominee announcement event that took place as an in-person event before Covid, is channelling its craft awards on Friday 2 September on the SAFTAs YouTube channel from 19:00.
That will be followed the next day with the so-called main show on 3 September which will be simulcast on MultiChoice and M-Net's Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) channel, as well as the public broadcaster's SABC3 channel at 19:00.
A "red carpet special" - also without any of the country's media present as in years prior - will be shown at 18:30 on SABC3 and Mzansi Magic with Palesa Tembe and Lasizwe as presenters, serving as a lead-in to the playout of the 16th SAFTAs main awards show on Saturday evening.
Smash Afrika and Candice Modiselle will host Friday's 16th SAFTAs craft awards, while Ryle De Morny, Mpho Popps and Khutso Theledi will host Saturday's main awards show simulcast with the theme of "Frame the future".
The NFVF's bizarre and unaltered decision to make and keep the 16th SAFTAs as a virtual broadcast, comes as other awards shows internationally as well as locally in South Africa like MultiChoice and Mzansi Magic's DStv Mzansi Viewers Choice Awards, returned to in-person events months ago.
Anneke de Ridder, SAFTAs executive producer says in a statement the decision to do the 16th SAFTAs as a virtual production is because the NFVF made the decision and didn't change or update it to do a virtual awards show at the time the bid for tender as put out to production companies.
"At the time, SA was still
under lockdown and the bid criteria was per 15th SAFTAs guidelines – no public
event."
"Similarly, by the time the service provider Don't Look Down was
appointed, the country was still under lockdown. Given the restrictions with
government institutions when it comes to changing the merits of a tender bid,
we had to continue hosting the ceremony virtually."
"While we do acknowledge that
it would have been ideal to celebrate with the industry in-person, our
production company have worked exceptionally hard to give industry
practitioners the honour they deserve."
"Our motif ‘Frame the
Future’ speaks to this as we hope to build on the reimagined execution, we
delivered last year. Plans for the 17th SAFTAs though are already underway and we
definitely will resume with an in-person celebration of the industry’s best."
