CaribPR Wire

CARIBPR WIRE, Johannesburg, June 02, 2023:

• MultiChoice Group, the largest producer of original content on the African continent, is set to debut SHAKA ILEMBE, its biggest ever primetime-drama series.
• Created by the award-winning South African Emmy and Oscar nominated team at Bomb Productions, with global star Nomzamo Mbatha taking on double billing as lead actress and Executive Producer.

The Johannesburg Stock Exchange listed MultiChoice Group is about to debut it’s biggest ever prime-time drama series, Shaka Ilembe, an epic 12-part tale that follows the origins story of the legendary African monarch and military strategist, King Shaka. Six years in the making, the highly anticipated series boasts the talents of some of South Africa’s biggest stars, including Coming 2 America lead actress Nomzamo Mbatha.

With the epic series launching across sub-Saharan Africa on MultiChoice’s video entertainment service DStv this June, Shaka Ilembe is already attracting significant interest outside of the continent. MultiChoice Studios, the busy sales and distribution arm of the sub-Saharan business, is hard at work introducing the title to international buyers at film markets from Cannes to Los Angeles, building on a growing MultiChoice slate of original production exports including the Emmy nominated Reyka and the Deon Meyer penned Trackers.

For Nomsa Philiso, CEO of MultiChoice General Entertainment, Shaka Ilembe offers audiences worldwide the opportunity to immerse into a rich dynastic African story, set in the 1700’s.

“We are confident that this series will travel. It speaks, not only the heritage of the Zulu Nation, but to the fascination that the world has always had with King Shaka. It speaks to Africans owning the stories that their ancestors lived. And it celebrates that, long before colonialism, beyond the pages of history, there was a majestic ancient era of African Kings and Queens, warriors, healers, and leaders who lived, loved, ruled, battled, and above all, entrenched a legacy and culture that endures even today. Further, the series was filmed in isiZulu so it carries a distinct language identity, but it will be sub-titled in multiple languages so audiences from across the globe can enjoy it.”

Central to the Shaka Ilembe story is actress Nomzamo Mbatha, who balances her Executive Producer responsibilities with fulfilling a life-long ambition to play King Shaka’s beloved mother, Queen Nandi.

Speaking to her dual roles on Shaka Ilembe, Mbatha says, “This series is rich in depth, and was shot in 4K on a tremendous scale that fuels the narrative. From the fierce battlefield choreography and the meticulous accuracy of the wardrobe to the resonance of the script, it’s remarkable. And while this is a fictional story, it’s inspired by real events, people, and places. Already, ahead of our domestic launch audiences at home are very supportive because, they know like I do, that TV series like Shaka Ilembe transcends entertainment, and delivers representation, diversity, and progress.”

Mbatha leads off a top-flight ensemble cast featuring some of the country’s most charismatic leading men – Lemogang Tsipa, Senzo Radebe, Wiseman Mncube, Thembinkosi Mthembu and Mondli Makhoba alongside powerful character actresses Khabonina Qubeka, Sthandiwe Kgoroge, Dawn Thandeka King and rising star Hope Mbhele. Meanwhile, playing the boy destined to be King, is gifted young newcomer Ntando Zondi whose prodigious talent was unearthed during the filming of the series.

Filmed in South Africa, SHAKA ILEMBE features much of the country’s magnificent wildlife and scenery, including the mountains, savanna, and coastline of the lushly beautiful province of KwaZulu Natal, home to the majority of South Africa’s Zulu people. Key filming locations here included the towns of Eshowe, Nkandla Forest, Port Edward, Drakensburg, Mooi River and Zulu Falls.

Meanwhile other parts of the series were shot on a purpose-built backlot near the UNESCO World Heritage Site “The Cradle of Humankind” where Emmy and Academy nominated showrunners Bomb Productions hosted the King of the Zulu Nation, His Excellency Misuzulu kaZwelithini, during a special visit to the set for the Royal to see first-hand the level of detail and care that was employed to ensure that the authenticity of the set.

For Mauro Black, MultiChoice Studios Content, Sales, and Distributions Director, it is this credibility of intention and execution that makes SHAKA ILEMBE a powerful cultural export.

“International buyers are discerning about what they will bring their local audiences from the global TV marketplace. So, from inception, SHAKA ILEMBE was crafted to weld an immense depth of oral, written and illustrated Zulu history into the framework of a highly watchable prime-time drama. The result is a deeply meaningful but profoundly enjoyable title that should win fans in markets as diverse as Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, and the Americas.”

With over 8000 people contributing their skills to create Shaka Ilembe, the series has already won the support of five of South Africa’s biggest brands (Telkom, LottoStar, Grant’s Whisky, Toyota SA and Santam) who all signed on as commercial partners within days of seeing an extended preview of the series.  In addition, it’s Academy Award and BAFTA nominated Creative Director Angus Gibson and Sundance winning Executive Producer Desiree Markgraaff have drawn from the best of South Africa’s talent, including acclaimed Zulu musician Mbuso Khoza whose skill and vision drives the series soundtrack.

ENDS

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• Shaka Ilembe

The Third CineFAM Co-Production Accelerator  aims to develop female-led Canada-South Africa content

For Immediate Release

CaribPR Wire, Durban, South Africa/Toronto, Canada, Thurs. Mar. 28, 2019: CaribbeanTales Media Group (CTMG) and the Durban FilmMart (DFM) are pleased to announce the renewal of their partnership to develop films and television content  by African women and women of colour from the global Diaspora. The 3rd CIneFAM-South Africa Co-Production Accelerator will be launched during the 10th Durban FilmMart (DFM) which takes place from 19 to 22 July 2019.

The 2019 CIneFAM Program  will take the form of a series of workshops, in Canada and South Africa, that aims to kickstart original co-productions led by experienced and seasoned female producers, writers and directors from both countries.

“We are excited to expand our program and our partnership with DIFF, with a focus on building a slate of compelling co-productions aimed at the global market. Our ultimate goal is to increase the pool of world-class female-driven content so as to build the audio visual capacity of both our countries.” said Frances-Anne Solomon, Founder and Executive Director of CineFAM, and CEO of the CaribbeanTales Media Group.

The program is  co-led by Solomon and experienced South African Producer Zikethiwe Ngcobo of  Johannesburg-based Fuzebox Entertainment who said: “I am delighted to join this successful initiative. There is undeniably a need for women to start working across borders with each other, and at the  helm of strong original international co-productions.”

Women of colour are woefully underrepresented and underpaid in the global industry, including in South Africa and in Canada, where statistics do not even exist. The CineFAM Accelerator is specifically geared to building capacity and creative leadership among women creatives and producers.

In 2017, CineFAM  and the Durban FilmMart joined forces  for the first time to host the inaugural  CineFAM – South Africa  Accelerator. The winning  producer — Mary Ann Mandishona  — attended the renowned CaribbeanTales Incubator program in Canada, where she won 3rd Prize for Best Pitch. Also in 2017, CIneFAM-SA  in association with South African Women in Film & Television (SWIFT) jointly held  a Short Film Challenge. The winning short  — The Walk — was screened at the 1st CineFAM Film Festival in Canada in September 2017.

In 2018, the second iteration of this hugely successful program focused on introducing South African producers to Canadian broadcasters in order to explore projects for co-production. From this intake, the original television series project, “Queen of the Rain” has received funding under the Canada-South Africa Co-Development Incentive, a collaboration between the Canada Media Fund (CMF ) and the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), with Canadian broadcaster AfroGlobal Television attached.

Toni Monty, Head of the Durban FilmMart said, “We have had an extremely productive partnership with CaribbeanTales through the CineFAM Program, and are delighted to renew our relationship with Ms Solomon and to welcome Ms Ngcobo on board who brings to the table her experience and proven talent as a successful producer in South Africa. The programme comprises carefully structured workshops to actively reimagine and strategise how to facilitate, encourage and promote co-productions between South Africa and Canada and to ensure that they are women led”

The overall goal of the 2019 program will be to identify and develop suitable scripts, within the terms of the South Africa-Canada co-production treaty. Selected  projects will participate in a  two-day intensive workshop during DFM where they will be supported by senior executives and mentors. In September, the best projects will attend and pitch their projects at the 2019 CineFAM/ CaribbeanTales Incubator (CTI),  held annually in Toronto, Canada, in partnership with the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).  It is intended that from these, a number will be go forward for development and production in 2020 / 2021.

About CineFAM Women of Colour Creators Worldwide.

CineFAM is a Haitian Creole word meaning “films by women”. Registered as a not-for-profit company in Canada, and founded by filmmaker and producer Frances-Anne Solomon, the company aims to support bold, original film stories by women of colour creators worldwide. Since 2016, their program includes: an annual 1-day film festival; a short film challenge for emerging filmmakers;  and a partnership with the Durban Filmmart to develop South Africa/Canada co-productions led by African women. In 2019, CineFAM launched its first Feature Film Incubator program for Canadian women of colour directors.

ABOUT THE DURBAN FILMMART

The Durban FilmMart (DFM) is a co-production and finance market and is a joint programme of the Durban Film Office (DFO) and the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF). DFM provides filmmakers from across Africa with a valuable opportunity to pitch projects to financiers, distributors, sales agents and potential co-producers, and to participate in meetings, project presentations and a series of master classes and workshops on the latest industry trends. www.durbanfilmmart.com

About Fuzebox Entertainment

Fuzebox is a black female-owned and managed media Company that develops and produces content. The women in Fuzebox have a focus on creative excellence and are recognised for their in-depth research, and drive for resonant and relevant stories.  CEO Kethiwe Ngcobo, a former SABC Head Of Drama, has since she left that post,  gone from strength to strength and four critically acclaimed series with mass audiences have been produced by the company: Thola (SABC2,  2 series ), Mfolozi Street (SABC1, 2 series) Mokapelo (SABC1, 3 series) and It’s Complicated (Mzansi DSTV, 2 series). Produced feature films together with sister company Fuze Films: Mrs Right Guy (2016) and Love Lives Here (2019).

ABOUT CARIBBEANTALES MEDIA GROUP

CaribbeanTales is a group of companies that produces, markets, and sells Caribbean-themed film and television content for global audiences. It includes CaribbeanTales Inc. a registered Charity based in Toronto, Canada; the Caribbean-Tales International Film Festival (CTFF) that produces events around the world; the renowned CaribbeanTales Incubator Program, a development and production hub for original Caribbean content; CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution (CTWD), the largest full-service distribution entity dedicated to the monetisation of Caribbean content; CaribbeanTalesFlix, our production arm, and CaribbeanTales-TV, a video on demand platform.