'Characters all carrying dark secrets': Skemergrond to replace Arendsvlei as new Afrikaans telenovela on kykNET&kie from July.

by Thinus Ferreira

A new telenovela Skemergrond, set in a small Western Cape town will replace the popular Arendsvlei from July on kykNET&kie (DStv 145) with the new Afrikaans show also produced by Penguin Films and filled with characters "all carrying dark secrets".

Once the cancelled Arendsvlei ends, Skemergrond will also broadcast four episodes weekly from Mondays to Thursdays in the 19:30 timeslot on kykNET&kie. Casting that will include veteran actors as well as new faces is still to be announced.

The new telenovela is set in Gemoedsdrif, a small town in the Western Cape where the Louw family has a flower farm. 

The Louw lives are thrown into tumult when guests arrive unexpectedly, threatening to divulge shocking family secrets.

Roxanne Blaise who starred in Sara se Geheim and M-Net's upcoming White Lies is the principal director and also worked as director on Arendsvlei.

"We're ecstatic over this fantastic opportunity," says Roxanne Blaise. "The fresh and exciting cast will bring an epic family saga to television. Skemergrond is set in the rural Western Cape and the flower markets of Cape Town, filled with interesting characters who are all carrying dark secrets".

The other director on Skemergrond is Marissa Drummond who starred in kykNET series like Suidooster and Spoorloos: Die eiland. Bobby Stuurman who did director training on Arendsvlei is the dialogue coach and apprentice director on the new show. 

The Skemergrond writers' room consists of Jo-Ann Scholtz, Johann Davis, Alyzzander Fourie, Margaret Goldsmid, Meesha Aboo, Kanya Viljoen, Lauren Scholtz, Henry Cloete and Tristam Atkins.

Skemergrond's creative producers are veteran producer Roberta Durrant and Andrea Frankson-Titus.

"We've brought together an exceptional cast and a brilliant crew behind the scenes to tell a multi-faceted story filled with secrets, love and revenge," says Roberta Durrant. "Viewers will be captivated and surprised by all of the emotional twists and turns."

Production has started 2 months ago on a second season of kykNET's Afrikaans Cape Flats-set Arendsvlei with Shaleen Surtie-Richards joining the cast for 2020; telenovela the latest show turned into an ongoing drama series.

Production started two months ago in Cape Town on a second season of kykNET's Afrikaans Cape Flats-set telenovela Arendsvlei which is being turned into a drama series with Shaleen Surtie-Richards joining the cast.

Head writer and co-producer, Theltom Masimila, once again serves as head writer and co-producer, with Penguin Films continuing the production largely filmed at Atlantic Studios in Cape Town.

Earlier TVwithThinus asked kykNET whether Arendsvlei was commissioned for a second season. kykNET didn't respond. 

On Wednesday morning kykNET issued a general press release to all media announcing that Arendsvlei has been commissioned for another season.

The renewal, actually done a while ago, effectively turns the kykNET telenovela into a series.

Filming of an additional 156 episodes for a second season of Arendsvlei on the kykNET & kie (DStv 145) channel for 2020 started about two months ago.

M-Net's Afrikaans channels division originally commissioned Arendsvlei as a closed-ended, once-off telenovela, but is being turned into an ongoing drama series, similar to what happened with Sara se Geheim that was renewed for a third season this year.

Subscribers of MultiChoice's DStv and its Showmax video-on-demand service have been wondering, without any answers, when they will be able to watch the full first season of Arendsvlei, as after a few weeks on Showmax, Arendsvlei was removed 

Arendsvlei, set at the fictional Arendsvlei high school in Cape Town's Cape Flats has been dealing with the dramatic lives of both pupils, their parents and teachers.

The second season of Arendsvlei will see the cast of Jolene Martin (Beatrice), Melanie Du Bois (Rolene), Rehane Abrahams (Wendy), Crystal Donna Roberts (Janice), Sherman Pharo (Thys), Ann Juries (Claudia), Jody Abrahams (Lionel), Celeste Matthews (Gertie), Craig Adriaanse (Wesley), Gerwen Simon (Valdonia) and Roberto Kyle (LeeRoy) all return.

New additions to the cast include Shaleen Surtie-Richards portraying the role of Lionel’s mother, as well as Danny Ross playing the role of David’s son. Maurice Carpede will play Chantel’s father.

In the second season of Arendsvlei Janice’s brother, Steve Mortlock is released from prison and he turns the Arendsvlei world upside down. David’s long-lost son, Nathan, will also make an appearance, all the while Chantel’s father unexpectedly knocks on their door.

Theltom Masimila in a provided quote in the press release says "In the first season of Arendsvlei we only explored one chapter in each character’s book".

"In season two, our first group of matriculants graduates from school and heads off to university. We also introduce the class of 2020 and some of our beloved characters are left with more skeletons in the cupboard than we could ever imagine."

Penguin Films' Roberta Durrant who serves as creative producer, says in the statement "With each school calendar year, you get to introduce new characters and storylines. But it’s also challenging to keep the stories exciting and to not become stagnant. It’s a wonderful thing that we can bring new characters in and still keep our core family".

M-Net acquires STROOP with the award-winning rhino-poaching documentary with Bonné de Bod that will be broadcast across the M-Net and kykNET channels during September.

M-Net has acquired the award-winning and hard-hitting rhino-poaching documentary, STROOP - Journey into the Rhino Horn War with Bonné de Bod with both the English and Afrikaans versions that will be broadcast across its M-Net (DStv 101), M-Net Movies Premiere (DStv 104), kykNET (DStv 144) and kykNET&kie (DStv 145) channels during September.

STROOP has won 23 awards at 30 international film festivals so far with Bonné de Bod as presenter and Susan Scott as director.

STROOP - Journey into the Rhino Horn War takes the viewer on a rollercoaster ride between Africa and Asia. These first-time filmmakers embed themselves on the front-lines of the rhino poaching crisis where they are given exclusive access to the war unfolding.

Carving out 6 months for the project, the two women quickly find themselves immersed in a world far larger and more dangerous than they had imagined, only emerging from their odyssey 4 years later.

"Seeing what I’ve seen in this species-war on the ground, the huge emotion from the men and women fighting with integrity and courage to protect rhinos for us - it's very hard to convey that adequately on screen and I've tried to get that across as best I could," says Bonné de Bod.

"All I want is for people to see what is happening so that no-one can say, 'they didn't know'".

The crowdfunded, independent film has been acquired by M-Net and the English version will be broadcast on M-Net (DStv 101) on Sunday, 22 September on World Rhino Day after the Sunday night movie.

STROOP will also be on M-Net Movies Premiere (DStv 104) the next evening, Monday, 23 September at 20:00. 

The Afrikaans version of STROOP, also narrated by Bonné de Bod, will be shown on kykNET (DStv 144) on Saturday, 28 September at 20:00 and on kykNET&kie (DStv 145) on Sunday, 29 September at 20:00.

"It’s an honour to bring STROOP home to South Africa," says Jan du Plessis, director of M-Net channels. "Even though it's a global phenomenon, it's a film about what is really going on here in South Africa and you simply have to watch it. It deserves prime spots on our schedules."