At the MultiChoice VUKA! Awards ceremony held at Johannesburg’s Bassline on 22 November, it was announced that MultiChoice’s sister company, pay-TV channel M-Net, will be taking over the awards as from 2008.
Initiated by MultiChoice in 1999 as its flagship CSI project, the VUKA! Awards encourage newcomer and professional filmmakers to make PSAs (Public Service Announcements) for worthwhile charities and causes. Each year VUKA! workshops on how to make PSAs are held to encourage aspiring filmmakers to enter the competition.
Said MultiChoice CEO Nolo Letele at the awards ceremony: “I believe that the hundreds of PSAs generated by the VUKA! Awards have made a big impact on South Africa, inspiring empathy and action. The VUKA! initiative is a also major contributor to the growth of skills in the local industry.
“M-Net is poised to take the Awards to the next level. Unlike MultiChoice, M-Net is a content provider and producer and will therefore be able to contribute much expertise to the VUKA! initiative.’
CEO of M-Net Glen Marques added: “We are very happy to take the VUKA! baton. M-Net is already involved in other initiatives for emerging filmmakers, namely the EDiT (Emerging Dynamics in Television) Awards and New Directions, wherein we partner with educational institutions to find talented newcomers. The successful newcomers have their work screened on M-Net.
“There are very valuable synergies between VUKA! and M-Net. I am particularly excited about the channel being involved in an initiative for short format filmmaking, especially in the era of the mobile phone, the web and IPTV.’
Since the VUKA! Awards began some 1 500 PSAs have been produced.
