The National Film and Video Foundation and Netflix set up joint R28 million fund to create 6 South African micro-budget films.

by Thinus Ferreira

South Africa's National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) and the Netflix video streaming service are creating a joint R28 million film fund to help with financial support of local filmmakers in the creation of 6 South African micro-budget films.

The NFVF and Netflix South Africa will each contribute R14 million to the fund to commission 6 feature films that will debut exclusively on Netflix, although they will in time have further distribution windows on other platforms as well.

The R28 million fund will be used to help in the creation of 4 feature films with a budget of R4 million each, and 2 films with a budget of R6 million each - so-called "micro-budget" film productions.

"We are excited as the NFVF to be partnering with Netflix and appreciate their investment into local content," says Makhosazana Khanyile, NFVF CEO, in a statement.

"The incorporation of digital platforms into our traditional processes can only benefit the industry further. We hope this is simply the start in what will no doubt be a long and fruitful relationship."

Ben Amadasun, Netflix's director of content in Africa, says in the statement that "The past year has been incredibly difficult with the pandemic hitting so many industries around the world".

"The creative community, that we are a part of, has supported us through the good times so we want to help them continue to create the stories our members love through the $1 million Covid Relief Fund contribution we started last year in collaboration with SASFED and IPO to help below-the-line workers in South Africa’s creative industry."

"Now we’re excited to take this a step further with this joint fund with the NFVF for above-the-line talent."

Filmmakers will be able to apply for possible funding from 1 April 2021 at a submission portal.          

Entries open for 15th South African Film and Television Awards set for May 2021 with Anneke de Ridder as executive producer, new Best Online Content category introduced as SAFTAs publicly calls for jury members for the first time ever.

by Thinus Ferreira

Entries have opened for the 15th South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) that will be held in May 2021 and is introducing a new category in the Best Online Content award, with the organisers who are for the first time ever publicly calling on the country's TV and film industry to nominate and submit people to form part of the SAFTAs jury.

The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) under the new leadership of Makhosazana Khanyile as NFVF CEO earlier this year started to right many of the mistakes and problems plaguing the annually panned awards ceremony.

Shrouded in secrecy and with its mysterious judging process in the past often criticised as one of the big reasons by production companies and TV channels for not entering and boycotting the SAFTAs, the organisers are taking the first meaningful step to make the awards and judging process more transparent.

This includes a public call from the NFVF for people to become jury members - something the organisers are doing for the first time in the awards' history. 

The SAFTAs judging process behind closed doors and its secret judges have been dogged by accusations of bias and claims of partisanship and conflicts of interest for years, which every year in recent years - including 2020 - have seen some of the biggest shows in the country and prominent production companies deliberately refuse to enter their shows, crew and on-screen talent for awards.

South Africa's TV and film industry now have until 10 January 2021 to nominate or submit individuals who will form part of the SAFTAs jury with judging that will be taking place during February and March 2021. 

The SAFTAs jury will be tasked with the responsibility of ensuring the integrity of the judging process, will have to ensure that judging is strictly conducted according to the rules, and will need to be "fully engaged" in the judging process to ensure that it is a credible process.

The NFVF says that each SAFTAs jury panel will be balanced with respect to age, gender, experience, ethnicity, and industry skills. An invitation will also be sent out to previous SAFTA winners and key industry specialists with a minimum 8-years' experience and specialised skill set to form part of the 2021 SAFTAS jury. 

Meanwhile, Anneke de Ridder has been appointed as the 2021 15th SAFTAs executive producer.

New category but no TikTok videos

Because of the devastating impact of the global Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic on South Africa's TV and film industry, the 2021 SAFTAs organisers are changing some of the rules pertaining to feature films to help "production houses and individuals that were affected by circumstances beyond their control".

"We have amended our criteria to reflect the changing nature of how audiences consumed visual content," says Khosi Khanyile.

"We believe that extending our submissions to incorporate digital platforms and events is not only fair, but it also recognises the pace at which our own sector was able to evolve during this time. We are thrilled at the 2021 edition of the SAFTAs will incorporate such future-forward categories within our established format."

Documentary feature films and short films that have only been screened online at virtual film festivals are eligible to enter for the 15th SAFTAs, and films that have only had a subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) release, for instance on MultiChoice's DStv BoxOffice, Showmax or Netflix SA, are eligible to enter.

There is also a new category at the 15th SAFTAs in the Best Online Content award - but TikTok videos are specifically not eligible. 

For this category, the video content of between 5 and 90 minutes, must have been released on the internet or be part of a web TV or digital medium like YouTube, Facebook or Instagram but not any commercial or traditional platforms like Netflix SA or Showmax.

The award will be made to the director or producers for outstanding achievement "in the realisation, production and overall success of an online series or stand-alone content" which can be scripted or non-scripted.

15th SAFTAs to celebrate TV and film biz's perseverance

"After a challenging 2020, coloured by Covid-19 and a national lockdown, South Africa's film industry is ready to take on 2021 with renewed purpose and perspective," says the NFVF.

"This past year has been a tough one, with filmmakers, designers, actors and technicians suffering significant losses from halts in production and the postponement of events."

"In the midst of this, the SAFTAs are an opportunity to mark a moment unprecedented in history. It provides a platform to acknowledge with gratitude how the local film and television industry has stood together to continue to create stories that inspire viewers, amid a global pandemic".

Anneke de Ridder says "It is a tremendous honour to be tasked with bringing the industry and its supporters together to celebrate the great talent our country has to offer. South Africa's filmmakers best define what it means to keep it rolling despite the challenging delays that resulted from Covid-19"."

"The 15th SAFTAs will celebrate South Africa's golden talent, their perseverance and the sense of purpose that carried them through 2020 with such grace. We are ready to roll and determined to put on a spectacular show."

The deadline for entries for 2021's 15th SAFTAs is Friday 15 January 2021.

Coronavirus: Winners of the 14th South African Film and Television Awards announced on Twitter on 29 April 2020 after televised awards got scrapped over Covid-19.

by Thinus Ferreira

The winners of the 14th South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) will now be announced on 29 April 2020 as part of a "virtual awards ceremony" held on the Twitter social media platform after the televised awards show was scuppered in March because of the Covid-19 global pandemic.

Because of the growing Covid-19 pandemic and to stem the spread of the ovel coronavirus in South Africa, the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) like others in South Africa's TV and film industry was forced to scrap the televised awards show that was scheduled for 27 and 28 March.

On 16 March the NFVF announced the cancellation of the 14th SAFTAs, and then started the process of trying to figure out how to still hand out Golden Horn trophies this year.

Now Dineo Ranaka will do a Twitter awards show on 29 April 2020 at 17:00 to announce the winners in the various categories.

"It has been an incredibly difficult decision to make for all concerned with the running of these awards," says NFVF CEO, Makhosazana Khanyile.

"As the NFVF we extend our sincere gratitude to the nominees and creative industry at large for their understanding and patience as we sought to find solutions. Whilst the celebrations for all our winners will be muted this year, it does not take away from all our deserving winners."

"We consulted widely to find the best possible way of presenting the awards that would still adhear to the lockdown regulations and not put any lives in danger of contracting this deadly virus."

Nominees announced for 2020's 14th South African Film and Television Awards as NFVF looks to improve the credibility of the Saftas.

by Thinus Ferreira

The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) announced the nominees of the upcoming 14th South African Film and Television Awards (Saftas) on Friday morning at a media event held at The Mall of Africa, with M-Net's telenovela The River on 1Magic (DStv 103) that lead the nominations in the TV category with 15 nods, and the film Fiela se Kind that scored 11 nods as the feature film with the most nominations.

The SABC's soap Generations on SABC1, 7de Laan on SABC2, as well as Isidingo on SABC3 were all locked out of this year's Saftas after they failed to enter the South African awards show.

The production companies Word of Mouth Productions producing SABC2's Muvhango, as well as Ferguson Films producing The Queen and The Throne for M-Net's Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) dropped their Saftas boycott they've maintained for several years and entered their respective soaps and telenovelas again.

Besides having discussions with production companies who have been boycotting the awards show, the Safta organisers have also relooked and refined the judging guidelines for the awards show, with the various scriptwriting categories which are being returned to the main (and televised) award ceremony after they were abruptly dumped last year.

The various Saftas categories have also been relooked, adjusted and reduced to 70.

The 14th South African Film and Television Awards that is moving back from Sun City to Johannesburg, will take place at the Johannesburg’s Sandton Convention Centre over two-nights with the Craft Awards set for Friday 27 March and Main Awards taking place on Saturday 28 March and which will be broadcast live on South African television.

In television the telenovela The River scored 15 nominations, followed by Isibaya and the 4th season of Lockdown which all got 11 nods, and The Republic grabbing 10 nominations.

"I would like to congratulate all our 2020 SAFTAs nominees for telling authentic stories that resonate and connect with the people of South Africa," says Makhosazana Khanyile, NFVF CEO.

"As the NFVF we couldn’t be prouder of the immense contribution that these women and men make to the local film and television industry, not forgetting the broadcasters that provide the platforms for these stories to come alive".

"A key priority for us this year was to bring credibility back to the SAFTAs judging process," she says.

"It is no secret that many production companies have voiced their frustration with our appraisal system, some going as far as to boycott the SAFTAs altogether."

"Having taken this feedback to heart, we’ve taken every measure possible to ensure that the judging process is fair, transparent and without bias. Today I’m proud to announce that as a result of these efforts we’ve received over 300 entries for the SAFTAs," says Khosi Khanyile.

Viewer votes will once again decide the categories of Best TV Presenter and the Most Popular Soap/Telenovela.

The 14th South African Film and Television Awards will be hosted at Johannesburg’s Sandton Convention Centre over two-nights: Craft Awards on Friday, 27 March 2020 and Main Awards on Saturday, 28 March 2020 – with the Saturday show broadcast live on television.

Full nominees list to be added here (updating)

The South African Film and Television Awards drops Sun City, shifts award show back to Johannesburg as NFVF makes changes and gets boycotting producers back onboard.

by Thinus Ferreira

The South African Film and Television Awards (Saftas) is dropping Sun City as award show venue with the far-away and expensive money-waste of the past few years that is being curbed under new leadership and with the awards show returning to Johannesburg for 2020.

Local production companies who have been boycotting the awards including Word of Mouth productions and Ferguson Films are once again entering their shows for possible Golden Horns following discussions with the organisers.

Under new National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) CEO, Makhosazana Khanyile, the 14th Saftas will once again be taking place in Johannesburg - this year at the Sandton Convention Centre on 27 and 28 March.

The NFVF inexplicably moved its annual award show to Sun City for 2017, 2018 and 2019 with critics and the TV and film industry who derided the decision and saw talent who had to drive there and often back afterwards late at night, also curtailing easy access and making it difficult for various media to try and cover the awards.

The NFVF wanted on-screen talent and producers to pay a "discount" price of between R3810 and R5566 to stay at Sun City in March 2019 for one night in order to attend the far-flung awards ceremony.

In late-2019 the NFVF decided to scupper Sun City and the huge additional expenses associated with mounting the days' long awards show at the holiday resort in the North West province and to return the awards show to Johannesburg.

The 14th Saftas will once again do a two-day awards show - on 27 March for the various crafts honouring technical categories, as well as on 28 March as the main awards show which will be televised on SABC2 from 19:00.

The NFVF has not yet said whether the important writers' categories will be returned after all writing awards were abruptly dumped without any prior warning from 2019's main show, angering the scriptwriting community and the larger TV and film industry.

"We are cognisant of the criticism that has been levelled towards the Saftas in past instalments and we are keen to show the industry our commitment to benchmarking against best practise," says Makhosazana Khanyile.

"To that end, the NFVF team met and consulted with the Baftas team to see what learnings could be incorporated into making these awards better and as a result, some categories were revised, and we feel we are inching closer to having an award show with proper and continued industry buy-in".

"Ensuring the credibility of the awards within the industry meant reaching out to some production companies that had previously boycotted the Saftas and we are pleased to announce that both Word of Mouth productions doing Muvhango on SABC2 and Ferguson Films producing The Queen on M-Net's Mzansi Magic have once again entered their work for consideration into the awards".

"We continuously aim to improve the prestige of the Golden Horn," she says.

The NFVF belatedly hands a win to the Someone to Blame documentary as the 13th Saftas Best Documentary Short prize; says it will try to improve its vetting and submission processes.

South Africa's embattled National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) on Thursday evening belatedly awarded Someone to Blame - The Ahmed Timol Inquest and producer Enver Michael Samuel's EMS Productions a Golden Horn trophy for 2019's 13th South African Film and Television Awards, with the organisation trying to fix the shambles, saying that it will try to improve its vetting and submission processes.

The NFVF's highly embarrassing and shambolic 13th Saftas once again had many problems, including the abrupt dumping of the Best Documentary Short category that wasn't awarded on the night in March 2019 - with no prior notification to the media or South Africa's film and TV industry.

The NFVF, Saftas organisers and its Instinctif PR agency paid to liaise and communicate to the media, took days to respond about the category's unexplained absence from the 13th Saftas.

In February the NFVF announced the three nominees in the Best Documentary short category as "Follow the Guns" from Combined Artistic Productions producing Carte Blanche on M-Net (DStv 101) and that broadcast it on Carte Blanche, Someone to Blame - the Ahmed Timol Inquest from EMS Productions CC that was seen on SABC3, and Scenes from a Dry City from SaltPeter Productions CC.

Then a content ownership fight started with the NFVF, funded by the department of arts and culture - without alerting the public - decided to withdraw the category from the 13th Saftas after it failed to do proper vetting of content entered into its Saftas competition.

Last week the NFVF said that M-Net's Carte Blanche entry in the Best Documentary Short category for the 13th Saftas has now been disqualified and removed and that the NFVF will now choose a winner from the remaining two nominees.

On Wednesday, giving the media only a day's notice, the NFVF's Instinctif PR agency invited the media to a belated prize-giving dinner at the Maslow Hotel in Sandton for the 13th Saftas in Johannesburg where Someone to Blame - the Ahmed Timol Inquest from EMS Productions CC was announced as the winner.

Makhosazana Khanyile, the new NFVF CEO, said that the NFVF will try to improve its vetting processes and submission criteria for the Saftas.

It's not clear why the NFVF, Saftas organisers, and the Saftas overall judging chairpersons, the producer Firdoze Bulbulia and actress and playwright Thembi Mtshali-Jones haven't been doing proper vetting of Saftas entries.

Meanwhile scandals like what happened with this year's Best Documentary Short category, continue to negatively impact the already-low credibility of the amateur-looking South African Film and Television Awards.

For the 13th Saftas producers and production companies once again kept to their boycott of the awards with more joining, with things like the botched Best Documentary Short process lending credence to upset producers who say that the organising, standards, and judging processes are simply not up to scratch.

"We are committed to relooking our processes, including our vetting and submission criteria to ensure that local filmmakers are provided with firm protection of their intellectual property right rights," said Makhosazana Khanyile.

Makhosazana Khanyile said the NFVF is "glad to have awarded this award to a very deserving winner" and that "Someone to Blame is an exceptional documentary, telling the important story of one of South Africa's liberation heroes".

BREAKING. Makhosazana Khanyile appointed as new NFVF boss, former FOX Africa marketing boss tasked to stabilise SA's struggling film and video foundation.

Makhosazana Khanyile has been appointed as the new permanent CEO of the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) where she will be tasked to bring organisational stability to South Africa's film and video foundation that has been rocked by scandal and corruption the past few years, and a possible sweeping overhaul of its criticised and overwrought South African Film and Television Awards.

Makhosazana Khanyile, known as Khosi in TV industry circles, has been the marketing director for Fox Networks Group Africa (FNG Africa) where she recently oversaw the hugely successful exposure blitz of Taraji P. Henson's second South African week-long visit in December 2018 as part of the American drama series Empire on FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131 / Cell C black 201).

Prior to that the well-liked and accomplished executive with a solid background in the inner workings of the South African television industry worked at the SABC and M-Net.

Makhosazana Khanyile will take over as NFVF CEO from 1 April 2019, from Shadrack Bokaba who has been acting CEO since the abrupt resignation of Zama Mkosi in May 2018 under a cloud as investigations took place at the NFVF into allegations of corruption.

The Comperio Report into the rot and corruption at the National Film and Video Foundation in 2018 for instance found that staffers took family members on luxury trips to Sun City for the South African Film and Television Awards.

"The appointment follows a rigorous, independent assessment process that saw the commissioning of an independent board of experts constituted to assess and select the best possible candidates for the position," says the NFVF in a statement about Makhosazana Khanyile's appointment.

"The selection and appointment process was beyond reproach, and we are confident that Makhosazana Khanyile will take the NFVF to greater heights and position the South African film industry as a key player on the global stage," says Phil Molefe, NFVF chairperson.

Beyond rightsizing the NFVF on an organisational level, one of Makhosazana Khanyile's big tasks will be to "fix" the perpetually badly-done South African Film and Television Awards.

The 13th Saftas took place on Saturday, marred again by several mistakes and that saw it being boycotted by an an ever-growing number of production companies and producers who don't want to be part of it, and with the Writers' Guild of South Africa (WGSA) also planning to boycott it it after all writing categories have been removed from the main awards ceremony to the technical awards.