Selinah scores again at Vuka! Awards

The team of director Kim Geldenhuys, creative directors Fran Luckin, Gerry Human and Bridget Johnson, copywriter Stephanie van Niekerk and art directors Robyn Bergmann and Videtse Kay from Egg Films and Ogilvy Johannesburg add this to their growing number of international and local honours.

The ad features a robust-looking woman being filmed in bed over 90 days and it is evident that her health is gradually deteriorating. It is only at the end, when a caregiver starts giving her ARVs that the viewer realises that the sequence has been shown backwards - with the clear message being that the effects of Aids can be reversed.

The winners in this category earn a place in the Hall of Fame, a permanent installation at M-Net's offices in Randburg.

Categories encourage local talent

After judges narrowed the 200 entries to the final 28, these were flighted on M-Net and the Vuka! website, where viewers were asked to vote for their favourite in a new category - Viewers' Choice Award.

Best Newcomer category - mainly for students and first-time filmmakers - was won by the team from the University of Pretoria for their innovative animated PSA for the Jesuit Refugee Service, with its stirring message of fighting xenophobia by beating ignorance. Directors Morné Venter, Amy van Vuuren, Karen Meyer and Micaela Reeves were honoured in this and several other categories for their ad.

Rising Star Award - a new M-Net Cares initiative - went to newcomers' producer Lehlohonolo Mokoena and director Sanele Makhubu of the Big Fish School of Digital Filmmaking, for their Mantlwane ad for People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA).

Contender Category - for young professionals under 28, to encourage upskilling and fast-track hidden talent into the mainstream - went to production company Bouffant and agency Metropolitan Republic for their three effective Drive Alive adverts. Director Dean Blumberg, and copywriters/art directors Philippa Heal, Tammy Retter, David Everson and the rest of the team, also won a further three awards on the night. Courtesy of M-Net and Cinemark, the winners in this category receive automatic entry to the Cannes Young Lions competition in 2011, including flights, accommodation and spending money.

A special mention in this category went to TBWA/Hunt Lascaris's trio of ads for the Apartheid Museum, featuring hip young things who were quizzed on popular culture and aced questions about Lady Gaga, Jay-Z and Oprah but floundered when it came to identifying struggle icons such as Albert Luthuli, Oliver Tambo and Joe Slovo. Kudos for this PSA went to director Chloe Coetsee, creative directors Nicholas Hulley and Amanda Horwitz, copywriter Ruby Obeng-Tuffoh, and art directors Marvin Zwambila and Nadja Lossgott.

Viewers' Choice Award went to the MIA ad for Missing Children SA, created by students at Vega: The Brand Communication School under director/creative director Andrea Ferreira.

Judges comment on uplifting messages

One of the judges, Festus Masekwameng, chief creative officer at MotherRussia, said that this year's entries addressed a broader range of social issues than before and that where mainstream issues such as HIV/Aids, road safety and homelessness were tackled, "This time the approaches were very different - more uplifting and less guilt-tripping."

The overall standard of entries was high, with simple and powerful executions like the Drive Alive campaign standing out from the pack. "I was especially impressed by the quality of thinking from the Newcomer category, even though some aspects of the crafts may have been wanting," he adds. "The animations were fresh and different and some of the ads were quite fun without trivialising the cause that they were highlighting. This curiosity and enthusiasm from this category is very encouraging in terms of the future of young creatives and the role of these awards to both upskilling talent in the industry and giving back to society."

The organisers of the M-Net Vuka! Awards announced plans for the future of the awards, which include expanding on the event throughout the year to offer mentorship and development opportunities to young creatives.

To view the winning PSAs, go to http://vuka.mnet.co.za.