The SABC1 drama series Intersexions became South Africans’ second-favourite programme across all genres only three weeks into its run. While it is primarily dramatic entertainment, Intersexions incorporates messaging about lifestyles and sexual health, with a particular focus on HIV/Aids. It features separate but interlinked stories that illustrate the human sexual network in which we live.
Intersexions is co-produced by Curious Pictures and Ants Multimedia, in partnership with Johns Hopkins Health and Education in South Africa (JHHESA) and SABC Education, with funding from USAID and PEPFAR.
According to SAFTA Award-winning series creative director and co-producer Rolie Nikiwe, Intersexions had been embraced by South Africans from all walks of life. “I think that Intersexions has shifted something in the way audiences look at local productions. This is testimony to the talent that resides in this country, be it the production crew, the cast or the new directors,’ he declares.
Nikiwe not only directed 10 of the 26 episodes himself, but fulfilled the role of coach and mentor to the other five directors – Catharine Cooke, John Trengove, Pheello PJ Makosho, Zuko Nodada and Nonny Malete – some of whom made their directorial debut with Intersexions. And he is “very proud’ of how they performed, saying: “Everybody brought their A-game.’
One of the secrets to their success, he says, was giving the directors their head.
“The stories are universal in their appeal, but what makes them uniquely South African lies in the detail,’ concludes Nikiwe.
