Two star-studded evenings, on Friday, 20 and Sunday, 22 March saw big names from film and television, celebrities, entertainment industry leaders and prominent officials come out to Gallagher Estate in Johannesburg to honour the winners of the 9th annual South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs).
The show was hosted by the talented SAFTAs winner and Emmy nominee Loyiso Gola, while his co-hosts, SABC2’s Ayanda Paine and well-known radio personality and socialite, Jen Su, featured the red carpet. Gola had the crowd in stitches with his comedy, while his glamorous co-hosts highlighted some of the fashion on display on the red carpet.
From the arrival to the red carpet and the talented entertainment and the celebration of the winners, the SAFTA’s honoured the ‘Coming of Age’ theme which celebrated the industry coming into its own and telling its own stories. Entertainment for both evenings was a mix of legends like Abigail Kubeka and Trompies and current stars like AKA, The Soil and DJ Fisherman.
Speaking of the two successful nights, SAFTA’s Committee chairperson and NFVF CEO Zama Mkosi said the industry has really come of age. "We experienced the best of South Africa’s content competing for the ultimate industry treasure, the Golden Horn. From emerging to advanced filmmakers, makeup artists to sound engineers, the quality and excellence displayed on the nights indeed attest to the fact that our industry has arrived. We are grateful for our legends and experienced producers, who continue to ensure that our new talent and entrants in the industry receive the correct guidance in their careers."
The excellence of local productions was made evident in the first instalment of #SAFTAs15 held on Friday, 20 March, setting the tone for the rest of the awards. Some of the highlights from the first night were Thierry Cassuto and Alex Fynn winning the Best Directing in TV Comedy for ZANews: Puppet Nation, and Picture Perfect Heist winning Best Short Film.
Four Corners won its first award on night one for Best Achievement in Cinematography for a Feature Film, and went on to win: Best Achievement in Original Score - Feature Film, Best Achievement in Sound - Feature Film, as well as the coveted Best Feature Film, which was awarded at the second night’s award ceremony. That does not include the talented work done by its actors with Jezriel Skei winning Best Actor in a Lead Role – Feature Film and Brendon Daniels winning the Best Supporting Actor - Feature Film awards. These were also awarded on night two.
The second night included the hotly contested Soapie awards with Isibaya winning the Best Soapie award and Masasa Mbangeni winning Best Actress in a Lead Role - TV Soap. The Best Actor in a Lead Role - TV Soap went to Jamie Bartlett for his role as David Genaro in Rhythm City.
This year’s Life Time Achiever Award went to Marius Weyers. Weyers is a well-known actor who has been in the industry for nearly 50 years and has appeared in over 35 feature films, numerous television productions and 115 theatre productions. Some of his appearances include Andrew Steyn in the Gods Must Be Crazy and Rudolf Van de Kaap in Blood Diamond.
The 9th annual SAFTAs has been yet another success story. From the industry response, the call for entry submissions, the participation of previous SAFTAs winners and nominees as this year’s judges, to the excitement that surrounded the announcement of nominees, it’s all been a journey well-travelled.
Special thanks go to all the partners that came on board to support the SAFTAs this year. Sustainability of the SAFTAs depends on the will of all to invest resources into the industry and to continue working together to ensure its further growth.
For a full list of winners and more information, visit their website.
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