M-Net Press

A first-time novelist has scooped top honours in the fledgling film category of pay-TV broadcaster M-Net’s Literary Awards, announced in Cape Town on 18 June. The M-Net Literary Award in the film category is reserved for the novel, among all the entries in all the categories, that shows the most potential to be adapted into a commercially-viable feature film.

Debutant Cynthia Jele triumphed in this category and told the audience in her acceptance speech how Happiness is a Four Letter Word had been written in response to Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club. She decided to read every single novel recommended by the famous talk show host, but was so dampened by the “heaviness’ of so many of the stories, that she decided to write the book she, and many young women like her, would want to read.

Jele’s novel tells the story of sistas and fashionistas without shame who frequent the malls in the Northern suburbs of Johannesburg. According to the judges, Happiness is a Four Letter Word is a novel with an abundance of riches and dialogue that will set the screen alight.

 In the 20th commemorative year of this prestigious South African book prize, veteran authors swept the boards in the main language categories. The M-Net Literary Awards invites entries in all eleven official South African languages. This year, awards were presented in four different language categories: Afrikaans, English, Nguni and Sotho. 

In the English category, one of the country’s most prominent writers, Ivan Vladislavie received the award for Double Negative. This multi-faceted novel, which was written as a counter-piece to a book of photographs depicting Johannesburg by renowned photographer DavidGoldblatt, was singled out by the judges as “a stylistic delight with which little can compare’.

Double Negative was commended for its special significance in the current age of overlapping virtual realities and deep hunger for real visual surfaces rather than imagined depth.

Afrikaans author Ingrid Winterbach completed a hat trick with her innovate latest novel Die Benederyk. She nabbed her first M-Net Literary Award, written under the pseudonym Lettie Viljoen, in 1994 for Karolina Ferreira and continued her winning streak with Die boek van toeval en toeverlaat in 2007.

Both the Sotho and Nguni category winners have been familiar faces at literary awards ceremonies over the past decade.

It was a first win at the M-Net Literary Awards for K.J. Sekele, however, who have been on previous shortlist. His arresting novel about adoption and family roles in African families, Lehutšho, was also a strong contender in the film category.

In the Nguni category, popular Xhosa novelist, Ncedile Saule added another M-Net Literary Award to his collection with Inkululeko Isentambeni. This reverting political narrative impressed with the way it explored human tragedy with inventive stylistic structures.

The winners in each category received R50 000 as apposed to the R30 000 from previous years. All the winning novels are available on sale at Kalahari.net and at the gala event  M-Net confirmed its commitment to the South African book by announcing that it would support sales of the winning books with an extensive marketing campaign on the M-Net television channels.

The broadcaster also plans to extend the M-Net Naledi initiave which encourages a culture of reading from a young age by facilitating fun-filled reading programmes at rural and less privileged schools.

Channel24 reports that pay TV channel M-Net is now sporting a new on-air look, although they have retained the iconic blue ribbon device logo.

The updated look, developed by Clearwater over more than a year, features new music and multi-coloured translucent glass petals swirling and falling. It replaces the previous look that was introduced in June 2009, and will be used to introduce the channel before and after ad-breaks, as well as for channel idents, age advisory board, promo graphics and daily line-up boards.

According to TV with Thinus the new imagery went into use today (2 June) at 7am on M-Net and M-Net HD (DStv channel 170).

Following the Creative Workers Union of South Africa’s (CWUSA) press conference in Johannesburg on 31 March regarding its representation of an actor who they say was unfairly dismissed from pay-TV channel M-Net’s new soap, The Wild, M-Net has issued the following statement:

“M-Net is a responsible corporate citizen and is proudly South African. Since our inception 25 years ago, we have been committed to growing and developing the local television industry in unparalleled ways.

“M-Net prides itself on being at the forefront of technology and creative local concepts, and has invested heavily in upscaling South African television talent. Apart from producing local versions of top international formats, we have also brought many unique concepts in different genres to the South African arena. This has given us the opportunity to invest heavily in our own staff as well as in our ancillary suppliers. Furthermore, we have embarked on several projects – such as M-Net Vuka!, New Directions and EdiT –  to make a difference by giving up-and-coming South African television makers the platform to showcase their work.

“The Wild is one of the most innovative M-Net local productions in many years. This groundbreaking show, which is the country’s very first soap to be shot entirely on location, has created 120 new jobs. All the production staff and the cast are remunerated fairly according to industry standards, and some of the more established actors are paid well above the industry standard as we appreciate their value as drawcards to the series.

“Tony Kgoroge was presented with a very lucrative contract to play one of the leading characters – Tiro Lebone – but he declined the offer. Following extensive negotiations with Kgoroge, M-Net had no option but to recast the character, which will now be portrayed by Putla Sehlapelo.’

South African pay-TV broadcaster M-Net embarked on a series or road shows around the country during the week of 14 February to present a corporate overview and highlights of upcoming content to the media. In October this year M-Net will celebrate 25 years of existence.

The road shows coincided with M-Net’s announcement that the programme schedules on its terrestrial and DStv satellite platforms will change in April 2011. Two streamlined schedules, one for each platform, have been designed to prevent duplication of programmes on M-Net’s satellite channels, without inconveniencing the channel’s 150,000 terrestrial subscribers. (These changes are detailed in the Screen Africa website story, M-Net to cater for terrestrial and satellite viewers.)

At the Johannesburg road show M-Net Corporate Communications & Marketing director Koo Govender emphasised M-Net’s CSI (Corporate Social Initiative) projects, which operate under the M-Net Cares banner.

“Through our Naledi literacy initiative we educated 300 children in 2010 and this year the project will be expanded to KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Port Elizabeth. Another important initiative is our breast cancer project. We are on a drive to create awareness about the disease as one in 26 women will be diagnosed with, or affected by, breast cancer.”

M-Net’s other CSI initiatives include Gogo Magic, which saw 19,000 beanies knitted for underprivileged kids last winter, and the M-Net Vuka! Awards that promote the production of Public Service Announcements (PSAs) for worthy causes. In addition, the Carte Blanche Making a Difference CSI TV project has raised R75m to buy equipment for hospitals in need.

Head of M-Net Communications Lani Lombard reminded the media of how M-Net in 1986 became Africa’s first ever pay-TV broadcaster. “In those days there was only one M-Net channel. Today there are 29 channels in total and all are tailor made for specific audiences. Every day we produce and acquire the most compelling content for our viewers. Last year we produced 170 local productions, including series and special programmes.

“We have just started production on another season of Idols and this time we are giving aspiring singers in regions other than Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town a chance to be part of the competition. Polokwane is very excited about Idols auditions being held there, to the extent that the Mayor is getting involved in the proceedings.”

Lombard revealed that the new season of Survivor SA (which takes place in the Maldives) has already drawn a response from some subscribers, who have objected to the “Celebs vs Plebs” logline.

“It’s not who the contestants are but how they are treated that is the point in this Survivor series,” continued Lombard. “It’s very different to previous Survivor SA series because this time everyone – celebs and plebs – really wants to win the competition. And the plebs don’t like the celebs.”

M-Net’s Special Interest channels cater to two broad markets – the Afrikaans market and the black market. Lombard said that Mzansi Magic, which is targeted at black viewers, is the flagship channel on the DStv Compact bouquet. One of the biggest selling points of the channel is the ‘bubblegum movie’ strand, which consists of low budget films made especially for this market. M-Net plans to commission local ‘bubblegum movies’ this year.

“Our Afrikaans-language channel, kykNET continues to do well. Last year kykNET entered the realm of news programming and launched eNuus courtesy of e.tv. KykNET also initiated its own awards show, the Fiestas, which recognise achievements in Afrikaans film and theatre. In an exciting move, the channel has begun to produce feature films. Last year it produced Regardt van den Bergh’s Hanna Hoekom, which did very well at the box office and is also a school set work,” explained Lombard.

Explaining why M-Net has decided to dump its children’s programming block, KTV, Lombard said that children are changing and moving away from linear TV and towards interactivity.

In the meantime, M-Net is looking forward to broadcasting The Wild, its first ever soap shot on location. “It has a series look but with soapie plots,” concluded Lombard.

Well-known television stars Connie Ferguson and Shona Ferguson will play two of the leads in pay-TV channel M-Net’s brand new English language soap, The Wild.

The soap will hit the airwaves on Monday, 4 April this year and is set on a five-star game lodge. It will be shot entirely on location in HD and is produced in-house by M-Net.

More cast announcements will be made once artists sign their contracts.

M-Net’s Channel Head, Pierre Cloete describes the involvement of the Fergusons as a coup for the channel. “Connie and Shona Ferguson are TV – and soap – veterans. The South African public loves these two charismatic and talented personalities and their involvement in The Wild sets the tone for what will be an incredible and glamourous new series.”

Connie Ferguson is best known for her role as the gorgeous Karabo Moroka in the long-running soap Generations, in which she starred for 16 years. Aside from her substantial community and philanthropic work, Connie is also a successful business woman and she and Shona have repeatedly been nominated, and walked away with, the YOU Spectacular Couple of the Year award, cementing their combined popularity amongst South African viewers.

Botswanan-born Shona Ferguson has brought many leading men to life on the South African soap scene. Having also starred in Generations, Shona has graced the nation’s living rooms in series such as Muvhango, Isidingo and most recently, Scandal!

Shona Ferguson will play the role of Ithumileng Tladi, the charismatic oldest brother of the powerful Tladis, the protector of his community and heir-apparent to the chieftaincy – a character with dark complexities.

Connie Ferguson has signed on for the part of Marang Lebone – a wealthy mother figure from an affluent family who has an influential presence on all her family members. She’s definitely the one with her head screwed on properly.

The Fergusons comment: “The Wild is a series unlike anything that has been done in South Africa and we are thrilled that we will be part of making television history in this way. We are both ready for this new chapter in our lives, and the fact that we have the chance to work together onscreen again is something we are extremely excited about.”

As from 4 April 2011 South African pay-TV channel M-Net will broadcast a brand new English language daily soap, which will be shot entirely on location in a way similar to South American telenovellas.

Yet to be titled, the soap is set against the backdrop of a five-star game lodge and will be produced by M-Net’s in-house production arm Magic Factory. It will run Mondays to Thursdays in the 6pm slot on M-Net.

M-Net’s Director of General Entertainment, Theo Erasmus, says his team is planning to reinvent the soap genre, building on the incredible legacy of M-Net soaps. “For the first time, viewers will be able to experience modern, real-life stories in real-life weather conditions and surroundings. Viewers can look forward to a high-end production shot in HD, which will be filled with drama, passion, feisty characters, wild animals and magnificent South African scenery.’

The soap revolves around three families – the Lebones, the van Reenens and the Tladis – who, because of past conflicts, struggle to negotiate a cohesive future. Yet the families are bound together because of their relationship to a special piece of land on which is situated an exclusive lodge renowned for its fine dining, expensive champagne, pampering sessions, game drives at sunset and private chalets. It attracts staff and guests who are up to all kinds of shenanigans.