Thinus Ferreira
Tina Kruger, executive producer and head writer of the Afrikaans series Appels en Tee starting on kykNET (DStv 144) on Tuesday 21 October at 20:00, says the new family drama is about "friendships, secrets, survival, reconciliation with a sprinkling of faith, hope and love".
Tina Kruger spoke at the media launch of Appels en Tee, a new 10-episode local series filmed on location in the Langkloof, along the Garden Route and Hoekwil and set in the fictional Paradysbos.
Starring Diaan Lawrenson as Lisa Rossouw, Tinarie van Wyk Loots as Henriette de Klerk as two 1998 high school friends who experience a tragedy and reunite 27 years later around several big secrets from their past, Appels en Tee was produced by Meerfout Films with Berdene Burger as director, producer and writer, and Sunel Haasbroek as cinematographer.
The rest of the Appels en Tee cast includes Ivan Zimmermann, Jacques Erasmus, Ivan Roberts, Neels van Jaarsveld, Rika Sennet, Bianca Langedyk, Moses Williams, Vilje Maritz, Julia Marone, Beata Bena, Sibongile Mlambo and Marlo Minnaar.
"It's a coming-of-age story spanning multiple generations," Tina Kruger said.
About the role, Diaan Lawrenson said "It's not often that you get the opportunity to play more mature, older female characters which are not stereotypical".
"I think both Lisa and Henriette are both complex characters. Neither are good or bad. Both have pasts - like all of us. Things have happened. There's pain and joy. It's enjoyable to be on a set where there is a safe space in which Sunel Haasbroek played a huge role in creating."
"Within that safe space you can play and emote complex women. It's a joy. It's nice to do a role where you're no longer arm candy alongside a complex male character. It's great to get the opportunity to play the woman who is layered."
Sunel Haasbroek explained that with lensing Appels en Tee the goal was "to make the kykNET viewer feel at home watching it".
Bianca Langedyk, who portrays Annie de Klerk, Henriette's daughter, isn't hearing-impaired in real life but plays her deaf daughter with aplomb and learnt sign language for the role.
"Initially, I didn't realise what I was taking on," she said. "I did a lot of research, I've also met a lot and have hearing-impaired friends. The mom of one of my friends is also a speech therapist and she works with hearing-impaired people and I also spoke with her and asked how I can play the character of Annie as authentically as possible."
"I'm not deaf but I spoke with a lot of people, did a lot of research, and Jana the sign language coach, also helped me a lot. I spent a lot of time learning sign language."
Actor Neels van Jaarsveld, who portrays the character of Wessel de Klerk, said "You can watch Appels en Tee and immediately bond with the various characters to such an extent that you instantly wonder how everything will end for each one of them".
"When I saw the cast and that it's Diaan and Tinarie and these fantastic young people, I knew we would create something fantastic for viewers to watch."
Film editor Canya Cruywagen said "In this situation, I was in the enviable position to actually be on set during filming. That helped me tremendously to start looking at the rushes and that was a big benefit in the editing process later".
"I read the script and then I take it from scene one to the last. I look through all the takes, then I read the script again and then I map how I would like to put it all together. Although that's not always how it works out. There are so many factors that influence the process."
"I cut it together, and then I move on, and then I watch it again the next day. Sometimes I think: 'Oh wow, what did I do?' and then, depending on how much time I have, I change some things."
Tina Kruger laughs. "Canya is always the first one who cries since she sees it first. She would send voicenotes saying 'I just cut this scene and it's wonderful'.
Actor Moses Williams said it's great that more series are being filmed along the Garden Route.
Recent Afrikaans drama series lensed here include Netflix's Tuiskoms and kykNET's Juffrou X.
"Hopefully, there will be many more," Moses Williams said. "Previously, people like me had to go to the big cities like Cape Town and Johannesburg to go and try and find opportunities and to become part of productions."
"To be able to wake up in your own bed in the morning and go to a set because it's filming where you live, and to be able to return to your own house in the evening to go and sleep is a blessing. I can definitely say it makes a big difference for these kind of productions like Appels en Tee to come to our towns."
"It doesn't mean that other locations wouldn't be as suited to film Appels en Tee but I really think the Garden Route has so much more to offer and we look forward to welcoming many, many more TV and film productions there."
TVwithThinus asked Tina Kruger about the multi-generational depiction and inclusion and whether it was part of the pitch from kykNET's side, or something the creatives decided to build into the story.
"It's important when you craft a family drama series to have something for every viewer within the mix of the compelling story."
"I think there are other family dramas with a bigger focus on the younger generations, but for us as Appels en Tee writers, it was very important, specifically for this series, to show moms and daughters, fathers and daughters, and older adults and their children, as well as the impact and effect we all have on each other."
"Early on it's the teenager who discovers a letter and it's from her grandmother and she realises that it's her grandmother who did something and nobody knows about this. And it's about how something a grandmother did that affects more than one generation and a teenager today."
"We spoke a lot about the show title of Appels en Tee (Apples and Tea) and the apples represent the bruisable, innocent youth within the 1998 timeline. Tea represents a healing medicine for the present."
