Meg Rickards-directed South African film Snake wins 2 awards at Florence International Film Festival

by Thinus Ferreira

The South African film Snake, directed by Meg Rickards, has won two awards at the Florence International Film Festival in Italy, scooping Best feature film as well as the Best actress award from the youth jury for its young star Lamiyah Barnard in the role of Stella.

Snake is based on the novel by Tracey Farren.

Snake has been a labour of love for everyone involved. The Best Film award from the Youth Jury at Florence is a wonderful recognition of the hard work and heart that went into making it," says Meg Rickards.

"Lamiyah was just nine years old when we filmed, and her ability to bring such emotional depth to the lead role as Stella is extraordinary. I am delighted that she has received the Best Actress award. I couldn't be prouder of her and the entire team."

Tshepiso Chikapa-Phiri, producer, says "These two awards are a wonderful recognition of the film, affirming the power of storytelling and the importance of sharing voices like Stella's with the world. We are thrilled that South African audiences will have the chance to experience Snake when it's released on eVOD in April this year."

Snake has been selected by two prestigious festivals taking place in February 2025. 

First, the film will compete at the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles. Additionally, Snake has been nominated for awards at the Barcelona Indie Awards which will be hosted as a live-screening event in February 2025.

Snake was produced by Known Associates Entertainment and Boondogle Films and is currently available on Amazon Prime Video in Africa, and is distributed by Known Associates Distribution.

Snake also stars Neels van Jaarsveld, Keenan Arison, Tarryn Wyngaard, Rika Sennett, Carel Nel, and Jennifer Steyn.

TV CRITIC's NOTEBOOK. The not-so-pretty side of Ugly Betty and how bad and non-existent PR is once again damaging local productions - this time 'uBethina Wethu' on SABC1 and VIU.

by Thinus Ferreira

After all of the effort, casting during Covid, money spent, and making a local adaptation of the Colombian telenovela Betty La Fea, known as Ugly Betty, for South Africa as a co-production between SABC1 and VIU, yet another new local show got damaged and destroyed right at the 99%-mark in the race by badly done and non-existent PR.

I've honestly lost count of how many South African TV shows - that all cost money to make - end up having their feet cut off before they're even out of the racing blocks.

This is often done by production companies and TV channels who either don't know better, don't know how to publicise a show properly, don't have adequate PR and PR plans in place, or just simply don't care.

Why go to all of the effort and expense of spending millions of rand to make a series, and when it's time to show it, you drop the ball in properly getting it under the media's attention?

Why do so many South African TV shows fail so spectacularly when it comes to giving the journalists and TV critics covering a series or a new series, all of the necessary information, publicity photos, press packs and pro-actively offering interviews with the cast and crew?

There is a reason why publications and journalists covering television in South Africa often rather cover overseas TV: Ironically the information, photos and press material are much more readily available on the internet or through international publicists who are responsive, pro-active and who, well, exist.

After Known Associates Entertainment spent a lot of money making a South African version of Ugly Betty in a co-production deal between the SABC and VIU, both SABC1 and VIU apparently can't care less about even trying to make uBettina Wethu a success as far as media coverage is concerned.

SABC1 is so atrociously bad that it still lists uBettina Wethu as "uBethina Wethu" on its schedule.

As of the publication of this opinion article, SABC1 couldn't even bother to get the show's title right days after it had started.

It makes you think that SABC1 channel boss Phumzile Zonke and SABC1 programme manager Sane Zondi must perhaps not be watching their own channel. Neither they not anyone else working at SABC1 or the SABC have picked up on it, or care, or are apparently able to fix it.

Hilariously badly as well, is that this SABC1 schedule is what was sent to other platforms, so naturally, since that is what is being ingested, MultiChoice's DStv in its electronic programme guide (EPG) and StarTimes's StarSat are listing "uBethina" on their DStv and StarSat channel grid as well. 

At least "uBethina Wethu" is better than Telkom's Telkom ONE video streaming service that simply went with a non-descript "N/A" in the timeslot on the grid, meaning that the title at 19:30 on SABC1 is "not available" (because SABC1 failed to supply it in time). 

This is because SABC1 likely couldn't bother to actually send Telkom ONE as its streaming partner any latest updated schedule, causing Telkom ONE to just ran with what it had - a blank.

While uBettina Wethu is scheduled to run from Mondays to Wednesdays, on Wednesday the SABC1 schedule shows Yilungelo Lakho scheduled at 19:30. 

Even viewers who set a PVR schedule record won't get the Wednesday episode because DStv decoders won't "see" it to capture it, and those viewers who scan through schedules and look for the uBettina episodes, won't find or see the Wednesday - unless they specifically know that Yilungelo Lakho on Wednesdays is and will actually be uBettina Wethu.

While VIU at least carries the correct uBettina Wethu name to correspond with what is shown on-screen, VIU is also not without shame and blame.

This is how many episodes SABC1 and VIU sent to TV critics and the media before "uBethina" started its broadcast, in order for the media to preview the series, for possible review purposes: Zero.

Several episodes clearly were available and ready since they are available on-demand on VIU, while SABC1 broadcast one per day.

This is how many media VIU invited beforehand to watch uBettina Wethu on its streaming platform: Zero.

And while Known Associates Entertainment literally paid for a stills photographer according to the end credits of the show - a stills photographer is someone who takes on-set photos per episode specifically for publicity purposes - this is how many of those photos have been used and have actually been sent to the media by publicists: Zero.

And take yet another guess: This is what VIU did in terms of basic PR, like emails, press releases and media outreach to promote uBettina Wethu for its streaming platform and to bring it under the media's attention before the show started: Nothing.

In fact, VIU doesn't even have a publicist or a PR company at the moment. That raises the question: How is the media supposed to know that uBettina Wethu is on VIU? It's anyone's guess.

How ironic that Nubia in-series is a brand management and brand awareness company, and that with the over 10 scriptwriters and 5 storyliners on the production team, at least the real-world people working on accurately scripting the world of the fictional company in uBettina Wethu, know more about how much proper brand promotion matters.

All of this means that all of the money spent on making a show like uBettina Wethu, hiring a stills photographer - and all of the rest - is completely wasted when the return on the possible investment (ROI) is devalued, eroded and squandered by not actually doing anything to get, hold of and to squeeze out the bit of available media attention while it's possible.

While SABC1 held a small physical media launch event in mid-March in Johannesburg, neither SABC1 nor VIU were bothered to make any plan to virtually show it to the national media in South Africa.

Neither SABC nor VIU afterwards bothered to supply any quotes of what was said or happened at the event, or bothered to reach out to ask which media might want to do what interviews or stories.

Yet another so-called "launch event" - with a yellow carpet - happened for uBettina Wethu at some or other place in South Africa. 

Where in Hammanskraal were the media for this spectacle? 

Why couldn't anyone beforehand tell the media covering television or invite them, or bother afterwards with issuing the photos taken there, or with the sending of a press release, or an email to say "dear media, do you want to know about this or do something about this?"

If you're wondering why you don't see episodic photos in the media, struggle to find uBettina Wethu episode synopses, and why you don't see both short and long-form articles about the show and its stars in various publications but continue to read about Kim Kardashian, you have your answer.

South African television keeps making local shows that it often doesn't bother to properly do public relations for, with productions and TV channels that often don't see the need, reason or actual value in having dedicated PR people for it.

Best of luck, SABC1 and VIU, with your "uBethina". And best of luck trying to get it to break through in a very crowded media TV space when nobody even seems to at least be trying.

ALSO READ: Farieda Metsileng cast as South Africa's Bettina in SABC1's local adaptation of Ugly Betty, Coconut Kelz to play the sassy friend.

Farieda Metsileng cast as South Africa's Bettina in SABC1's local adaptation of Ugly Betty, Coconut Kelz to play the sassy friend.

by Thinus Ferreira

SABC1 has announced that the former MTV VJ Farieda Metsileng will portray the title role of Bettina Sikhakane in the local adaptation of Ugly Betty that will be broadcast from April in South Africa as uBettina Wethu while Coconut Kelz will portray the role of Zaza Moloi.

The co-production between the SABC that will broadcast it on SABC1 and the video streaming VIU is produced by the South African production company Known Associates Entertainment, with Tshepiso Sello as producer, with the company that has been responsible for series like Keeping Score, Hustle and Emoyeni as Fireworx Media.

uBettina Wethu that will debut on Monday 5 April at 19:30 on SABC1 with three weekly episodes from Mondays to Wednesdays, will be the first in the world to feature a black Betty along with a majority-black cast with the South African version, an adaptation of Colombia's Yo Soy Bety La Fea.

The series will follow the journey of Bettina Sikhakane as "a wholesome, intelligent, but gawky, people-pleaser with a dated, unsophisticated sense of style, who finds her self-worth and image challenged when she is employed at Nubia - a brand management company, a place where at times people value image over substance".

Farieda Metsileng is best-known for her role as Kandy in the Mzansi Magic telenovela Isithembiso that she got in 2017, and she has also been working as a voice artist, MTV VJ and a production manager at Red Pepper Pictures.

Other TV roles so far have included appearances as Hlubi in SABC1's Ses' Top La and My Perfect Family, 4Play Sex Tips for Girls, and as Polite in the 5th season of Uzalo on SABC1.

"We are very proud to call uBettina Wethu our own as SABC1; the production value is astounding and is a great fit for our growing brand and spot-on in terms of our market domination strategy," says Phumzile Zonke, SABC1 channel head.

"This first-ever simulcast with VIU is breaking new ground and we are glad to be part of broadcast history in the making."

Besides Farieda Metsileng, Zweli Dube has been cast as Dingaan Jiyane who will be Bettina's love interest; while Tsholofelo Mashishi plays Dingaan's mother and the matriarch of the family. Linda Jiyane and Lesego Tlhabi known as Coconut Kelz will play the bubbly Zaza Moloi.

The uBettina Wethu supporting cast are Michael Potter as Brandon Thomas, Elliot Makhubo as Israel Sikhakhane, Mbasa Msongeli as Mpilo Hadebe, Brighton Ngoma as T-Bang Moeketsi, Ayanda Bandla as Lakhe Amon, Mhairi Fergusson as Amanda, Motshabi Tyelele as Ethel, Jason Willemse as Wendell and Alex Sono as Reggie.

Ayanda Sithebe, the show's casting director says "We are currently experiencing an outcry of young aspiring actors-through social media discussion vehicles as #OpenTheIndustry. Young talent often does not have accessibility to the industry and an opportunity to audition."

"Considering the above, the mandate from the producers was very clear to me to find balance in casting experienced actors and also young new/fresh talent."

ALSO READ: 'Are you the "before"?' Anyone can become the world's first black Betty in the open casting call for South Africa's uBettina Wethu series adaptation of Ugly Betty.

'Are you the "before"?' Anyone can become the world's first black Betty in the open casting call for South Africa's uBettina Wethu series adaptation of Ugly Betty.

by Thinus Ferreira

uBettina Wethu, South Africa's localised Ugly Betty adaptation, is looking for a black Betty and it could literally be any young black woman with the show that is doing an open casting call. 

A funny scene in the first episode of Ugly Betty is when Betty arrives on her first day at work at a magazine and the receptionist mistakenly assumes that she's the "before" - meaning the person who was specifically cast to look as bad as possible when makeover photoshoots are done to show the "before" and "after" transformation.

Now that "before" could be any young black woman in South Africa between the age of 22 and 26 who will get the role as Bettina Sikhakane.

uBettina Wethu, a co-production between the SABC that will broadcast it on SABC1 and the video streaming VIU.

The series is produced by the South African production company Known Associates Entertainment, with Tshepiso Sello as producer with the company that has been responsible for series like Keeping Score, Hustle and Emoyeni as Fireworx Media.

The uBettina Wethu project is also supported by South Africa's department of trade and industry and is a South African adaptation of Colombia's Yo Soy Bety La Fea, known as Ugly Betty.

The popular series holds the Guinness World Record for the most successful telenovela after it has been adapted in 19 territories, broadcast in 180 countries and dubbed into 15 languages with uBettina Wethu as the South African adaptation that will be the first in the world to feature a black Betty along with a majority-black cast.

In South Africa's version of uBettina Wethu the main premise follows the journey of a wholesome, intelligent, but gawky, people-pleaser with a dated, unsophisticated sense of style, who finds her self-worth and image challenged when she is employed at Nubia, a brand management company, a place where at times people value image over substance. 

Bettina Sikhakane is a kind-hearted, smart, career-focused woman, with a dream of running her own company but when she lands a job as the personal assistant to Nubia’s new boss, she has to contend with her colleagues' assumption that because of her quirky style and kindness, she must be stupid.

As part of an open casting call, people who want to enter can access the script at www.ubettinawethu.co.za, take a video of themselves doing an audition performing parts of the script and send it to the Whatsapp number of 087 240 5150. Entry is free and the closing date to submit an "audition tape" is 15 January 2021.

Besides auditioning for Bettina, the producers are also looking for Dingaan, a main character and a love interest of Bettina who must be a black actor between the age of 27 and 30 and who is the Nubia boss, as well Dingaan's black mother with the show looking for an actress between the ages of 52 and 56. 

After the initial selection process during which people will be able to get to vote as well to narrow down the search to the top 3 choices for each role, a closed audition process will take place to choose Bettina as well as Dingaan and his mother.

"These public auditions are an exciting and appropriate way for us to welcome uBettina Wethu into our lives and on our screens," says Ryan Solovei, VIU Africa country manager.

"This production is already capped with many firsts and for VIU, it echoes our commitment to developing local productions and unearthing local talent in South Africa."

"We’re excited to see the entries and the final outcome for the three main characters of the story, and we look forward to the public’s participation as they have their say into who gets to be the next big stars of Mzansi."

Producer Tshepiso Sello says "the social climate in which we find ourselves necessitates a coming-of-age story with a twist. It is meant to allow the audience the chance to see themselves in the characters of the story - to not only root for their success or downfall but see the characters as an extension of themselves."

"The road to achieving this starts with finding the right talent, by engaging the public we want our audiences to feel part and parcel of the show from the onset of our production process before it even hits their screens, after all its uBettina Wethu."

South Africa to possibly get a local version of Colombia's Ugly Betty as Known Associates Entertainment options the right to an adaptation.

South Africa could possibly get a local version of Colombia's Ugly Betty after the recently established production company Known Associates Entertainment acquired the option from Colombia's RCN to adapt Betty La Fea for South African viewers.

A South African version of Ugly Betty could land at M-Net (DStv 101), e.tv or even the cash-strapped public broadcaster SABC where it could become a drama series or longer telenovela like the original.

Known Associates Entertainment plans to make Ugly Betty in South African languages.

South African viewers watched the American version of Ugly Betty with America Ferrera created by Silvio Horta that started in 2006 and that was executive produced by Salma Hayek and Ben Silverman on VUZU, M-Net, SABC3 and The Sony Channel (DStv 127).