Mpho Rantao

The 17th annual South African Film and Television Awards (Saftas17) ceremony was held this past weekend to honour and celebrate the best of South African film and television.

After three years of the disruptive impact of the pandemic, which required the ceremonies to be held virtually, this year, the two-night awards ceremony was held in person at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, under the theme, “Our stories flow together”.

Over the past two days, the country’s favourite films, soapies, telenovelas, presenters, actors, and actresses were honoured for their hard work to produce educational and entertaining content for South African and global audiences.

“It’s an amazing livestream, celebrating all the individuals who are behind the scenes and, of course, the people who put these things together — the entertainment from South Africa,” said Carl Wastie, Expresso and KFM presenter at the craft awards held on Friday night. Wastie hosted alongside Expresso presenter Kuhle Adams.

The live audience was entertained by performances from acts Ntokozo Mbambo and Tuks Senganga, while current favourites like amapiano artists Murumba Pitch, Jesse Clegg, and Lwah Ndlunkulu also graced the stage.

One of the biggest winners of the night was the Netflix-created documentary Senzo: Murder of a Soccer Star, which won the coveted Golden Horn for Best Made for TV Documentary. Director Sara Blecher said she continued to hope that the documentary would serve justice to the slain footballer’s family and bring the main suspect to justice.

“Making Senzo was a real labour of love by everybody in the team and the whole country, because I think one of the things that’s really important about having made this series,” Blecher said.

“It’s important to show light on parts of our country that sometimes aren’t so nice to look at, and what we really hope in making this series is that it does bring justice to Senzo and his family, who honestly have been waiting for 10 years for someone to be responsible for his murder.”

NFVF acting CEO Thobela Mayinje congratulated the winners and said that the nominated films were being showcased at international festivals and markets.

“You represent the best of the South African film and television industry. Feature films like Sihle Hlophe’s Lobola, A Bride’s True Price?, an NFVF funded film which also won an award today, showcases the depth of the South African film and television discourse and has been a conversation starter across the continent and the world since its release,” Mayinje said.

At the Saturday ceremony, the MultiChoice Group scooped 45 awards, with its telenovela, Legacy, taking the award for Best Telenovela. It's rival, SABC, walked away with six including Best Documentary Feature. Hela Media took home two Golden Horns: Best TV Drama and Best Achievement in Wardrobe for Lavish.

The critically acclaimed feature film Gaia walked away with the coveted Best Feature Film and Best Achievement in Directing (Feature Film).

Tshegofatso Mosupye from YoMTV Raps Uncapped won the coveted Best Presenter award, as voted for by the public. This year's host, Lawrence Maleka, won his second Safta, Best Actor in a Telenovela, playing Zolani Dlamini in The River.

Showmax's Blood Psalms won the award for Best Achievement in Cinematography, while The Wife Season 3 walked away with Best Achievement in Directing.

Streaming platform Netflix received 19 awards for its comedy, How to Ruin Christmas, leading the TV Comedy category with five wins.

Veteran actress Nthati Moshesh, who won Best Actress in a Telenovela at Saftas16, won the Best Supporting Actress in a TV Drama for her role as Grace Bhengu in Savage Beauty on Netflix this year.

Leading in the Feature Film category was Pambilimedia with its film, Silverton Siege, which won six awards.

E.tv won 12 awards, taking the Best TV Soap and the public vote for the Most Popular TV Soap awards for Scandal!.

Koos Roets and the late Derek Watts were this year's Lifetime Achiever Award recipients. These two legends have contributed immensely to the South African film and television industry with their illustrious careers.

Following the WGA strike, the American film and television industry protested for better pay, working conditions, and protecting their rights in the age of AI-generated content.

Organisers and guests expressed the importance of supporting the industry and all of its workers. The local industry has already begun with support for actors to be protected by South African laws from similar fears faced overseas.

The Saftas are a celebration of the talent, creativity, and resilience of the South African film and television industry. The awards are a reminder of the power of storytelling.