In this year’s TV Telenovela and Soap nominations, The River and Legacy, from Tshedza Pictures, have each been nominated in 11 categories, respectively. Diepe Waters, a new Telenovela, received six nominations, while The Blackdoor, another new Telenovela, received five nominations.
In the TV Soap category, Uzalo and Generations: The Legacy have been nominated with Scandal for the Best Achievement in Scriptwriting category.
The Saftas team is thrilled by the overwhelming positive response of the South African (SA) film and television industry to the call for Saftas 17 entries, which opened on 3 February 2023 and closed on 20 March 2023. Of the expected 250 to 350 entries, the team received 389 project entries.
To ensure fairness and variety in the judging process, the NFVF once again joined forces with 200 industry experts who served as jury members for this year’s Saftas. After over two months of deliberating and rounding off this list of nominees who represent the best of the SA film and television industry, the jury came up with a list of three to five nominees per category.
The Saftas 16 winner for the Best Structured Soapie Reality Show category, Dj Zinhle, has been nominated once again in the same category, competing with the likes of Young Famous and African S1 and Uthando Nes’thembu, to mention just a few.
In the TV Comedy categories, How to Ruin Christmas S3 has been nominated for 12 of the 13 categories, including Best TV Comedy, Best Achievement in Scriptwriting and Directing.
The public will again get the opportunity to vote for the Best TV Presenter and The Most Popular Telenovela or Soap categories. Voting lines will be open from 10 August 2023 and the codes will be published on all Saftas social media platforms and the NFVF website.
Voting will close on 27 September 2023 at 23h59.
After three years of the disruptive, life-altering impact of Covid-19 which required the Saftas ceremonies to be held virtually, this year, the two-night awards ceremony will be held in person in Johannesburg, with the theme “Our stories flow together”.
Nearly 30 years into democracy, this theme speaks to the role local content has played in effortlessly uniting diverse audiences. Both the Craft and Main Awards ceremonies will be held in Johannesburg on the 29 and 30 September 2023. The Craft Awards will be broadcast live on the Saftas YouTube channel on 29 September 2023, with a rebroadcast later on SABC channels, while the Main Awards will be broadcast live on 30 September 2023 as a simulcast on DSTV channel 161 (Mzansi Magic) and S3 (SABC 3) from 19h00.
The NFVF acting CEO, Thobela Mayinje, says, “The NFVF is encouraged by the confidence the SA film and television industry is showing to the Saftas. The high number of entries speaks volumes about the growth of the SA film and television industry, with new productions making part of the nominees list as well. It is also exciting that this year, industry peers will again be able to interact and celebrate each other in person.”
