12th Silwerskerm Film Festival: Day 1 | M-Net commissions Namibian film My F*k, Marelize based on viral video.

by Thinus Ferreira

M-Net has commissioned My F*k, Marelize as a Namibian feature film based on the accident-prone Marelize Horn who went viral for her amateur video of riding a bike into a rugby pole.

My F*k, Marelize as a MultiChoice Namibia production will start shooting in Namibia in September.

Set in Windhoek and inspired by the true events that led up to the iconic rugby pole incident, the film follows the accident-prone Marelize Horn as she prepares to become an au pair in the Netherlands and her mother, Heidi Horn, as she handles a cancer diagnosis.

My F*k, Marelize is written by Safta-winning screenwriter Brett Michael Innes, the film marks the feature film debut of Zandré Coetzer, a television director on the South African hit series Dinge van ’n kind, based on a beloved young-adult novel by Marita van der Vyver. 

"The film is going to surprise everyone," says Brett Michael Innes.

"When people think of a movie based on the phrase ‘'my f*k, Marelize', they're probably expecting a slapstick comedy about a teenager who bumps into things all the time. The story of the Horn family has so much more depth than that, and we can't wait to surprise viewers with it."

Zandré Coetzer says "This story is a celebration of life - a showcase of how our people in Namibia and South Africa greet every challenge with a joke and face it with laughter".

"I was fortunate to spend time with the Horn family and witnessing their dynamic as a unit gave me such a clear vision for the film. As an Afrikaner, it is really special to be able to celebrate my language, culture and people in a story that speaks to our humour and way of doing life."

My F*k, Marelize is a Namibian and South African co-production and a collaboration with Windhoek-based producers Joel Haikali and Sophie Haikali from Joe Vision Productions and the Cape Town production companies Nagvlug Films and Nostalgia Productions.

Paulo Areal rounds out the producing team with financing from the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), kykNET Films and MultiChoice Namibia.

Waldimar Pelser, M-Net channel director for premium channels, says "kykNET is deeply rooted in Namibia, and we take great pride to be able to support not just any co-production with strong Namibian ties, but this one – a story full of pathos and humour with a unique local character".

Joel Haikali says "This lively Namibia-South Africa co-production is a love letter to Windhoek life".

"It celebrates our quirky Namibian charm and vibrant spirit with plenty of humour and our very own delicious flavour of Afrikaans. It’s a film for the entire family, and we are very excited to be a part of it."

Marelize Horn says "It's crazy how this keeps growing. When I got a random Facebook message from Brett last year about wanting to make a film about our family, I didn't know quite what to expect. Now they’re about to start filming, and I can’t wait to see how our experience is brought to life."

kykNET adapts award-winning stage play into new 13-episode Afrikaans drama series, Nêrens, Noord-Kaap produced by Nagvlug Films.

by Thinus Ferreira

A new 13-episode Afrikaans drama series with English subtitles, Nêrens, Noord-Kaap, produced by Nagvlug Films, will start on Tuesday 31 August on kykNET (DStv 144) at 20:00 with the script that is based on an award-winning play, revolving around 3 estranged brothers who find their way back to the family farm, Nêrens, where secrets, heartbreak, and the truth surrounding their mother's death threaten the path to redemption.

Nico Scheepers who wrote the play, adapted the text for television, with Saartjie Botha who assisted with text editing. Together they developed the play into a 13-episode family drama.

Nêrens, Noord-Kaap is directed by Nico and Johan Cronje.

The Nêrens, Noord-Kaap, cast includes, as in the original play, De Klerk Oelofse, Albert Pretorius and Geon Nel who portray the roles of the three Adendorff sons, Andries, Ronnie and Frans.

Frank Opperman portrays the role of their father.

Dean Balie appears as Jan-Jan (the foreman on the farm) and Ilse Klink portrays the role of Maggie, who plays an integral role in the raising of the three Adendorff boys.

Tinarie van Wyk-Loots, Marion Holm, Gideon Lombard, Ludwig Binge, Patricia Baadjies and Melissa Willering are also part of the cast.

Viewers will also be introduced to a few new faces: Johannes Jordaan, Lehan Swanepoel, and Thommi Swanepoel, who play the roles of the younger versions of Andries, Ronnie, and Frans. Arnold Swart also makes his TV debut as Lourens, Ronnie’s son from his failed marriage.

In Nêrens, Noord-Kaap, Lourens Adendorff, farmer and patriarch of this dry kingdom, barely leaves the house anymore – the curtains of his sandstone castle always drawn. His Dutch wife, Katja, has been dead nearly 20 years and all three of his sons have abandoned him,

Frans, the eldest, still runs the farm but barely speaks a word to his father.

Ronnie, the middle child, divorced in Cape Town and is trying to raise his son from a distance. Andries, the youngest, their father’s favourite, has shunned them all and has been backpacking around the world for the last couple of years.

The family is in pieces, and the farm is stuck, stagnating in time and place.

"When writing the stage play I wanted to tap into a specific Afrikaans vein, and to further explore that in the drama series – this familiar world of open skies, love and land that's written in our heritage," says Nico Scheepers. "In the end, I dedicate it to my own father."

Nagvlug Films is also responsible for the dramas and movies such as Hotel, Wonderlus, Posbus 1, Meisies wat Fluit, Barakat, and Skemerdans.

Mockumentary comedy series Hotel on kykNET to end with its upcoming 5th season currently being filmed.

by Thinus Ferreira

The Afrikaans comedy series Hotel on kykNET (DStv 144) produced by Nagvlug Films following the hapless workers at the fictional Fransen Hotel will end with its upcoming fifth season currently being filmed in Tshwane.

Hotel's 5th season is being filmed at the moment at the Kleinkaap Hotel in Tswane. The writing team is Bennie Fourie, Beer Adriaanse, and Ryan Metcalfe as well as newcomer Claudia van Zyl who joined the team. 

As with the previous season, Bennie Fourie who is also one of the creators of the series, is in the director's chair.

Bennie Fourie says the 5th season of Hotel will be the last. "This was a crazy adventure – the popularity of the series and characters surpassed our wildest expectations."

The 5th and final season of Hotel will be broadcast from January 2022 on kykNET with the main cast returning, including James Borthwick as Ferdie, who is no longer the manager of the hotel but a permanent guest after his emigration to New Zealand didn't go according to plan.

Jony (Simoné Pretorius) is the new manager of the Fransen Hotel and Thomas (Beer Adriaanse) has his hands full with an auditor who not only has her sights on the hotel but on Thomas as well. 

Brenda (Martelize Kolver) is struggling with nausea, terrible mood swings, and the constant need to hug everybody. 

The only thing that is as it always was, is the love between Danny (Schalk Bezuidenhout) and Malanie (Mila Guy) and that Jaap (De Klerk Oelofse) is still unlucky in love. Also returning is Ivan Botha as the hapless Manie and Bennie Fourie as Dodgy Mike.

Producer Scharl van der Merwe says the team has a couple of cards up their sleeves that they hope will make fans of the show curious about the new series. "We don't want to announce too soon who will make an appearance, but I am sure it will be a great surprise to viewers."

"We had to postpone the shooting of the new series for two years, so we are more than ready to start," says Bennie. "It is a joy to have all the characters together again and we are working very hard to bring viewers some well-deserved laughter."