This year’s edition, themed “Our Stories Flow Together,” will see a return to physical gatherings in Johannesburg for a two-night award ceremony.
By Helena Olori
Nominees for the 17th edition of the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) have been officially announced. This year’s nomination, which was earlier broadcasted live via SABS3’s Expresso Show on Tuesday morning, boasts over 350 nominees vying for recognition across 87 categories.
“Congratulations to all the nominees for the 17th Annual South African Film and Television Awards! These represent the best of what SA film and TV can offer. Individual nomination categories and voting lines will be shared soon,” the organiser announced on Instagram.
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Leading the nomination list is Hotel, a production by Nagvlug Films, with 13 nods in the TV comedy category, tailed by How to Ruin Christmas, from Burnt Onion Productions, with 12 nominations.
Tshedza Pictures‘ series The River and Legacy, dominated the TV Soap/Telenovela category, securing 11 nominations each, while Donkerbos, also by Nagvlug Films, takes the lead in the TV Drama category with 7 nominations.
For the Feature Film category, Pambilimedia’s Silverton Siege leads the pack with 11 nods, closely followed by Gaia, a production of Film Initiative Africa, garnering 9 nominations.
As with previous editions, these categories: Best TV Presenter and the Most Popular Telenovela or Soap, will be open for public voting, from August 10, 2023, to September 27, 2023.
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The SAFTAs is an annual event that celebrates exceptional talents and honours excellence in productions within the South African film industry, awarding the iconic ‘Golden Horn’ trophy to the recipients. The trophy, which has three heads, embodies the values of collaborative endeavour, and individual contributions to the success of each production.
The awards, established in 2006 by the South African Film and Television Industry and the National Film and Video Foundation of South Africa (NFVF), have remained instrumental in propelling the industry’s growth, spotlighting emerging talents, and fostering collaborations.
This year’s edition, themed “Our Stories Flow Together,” will see a return to physical gatherings in Johannesburg for a two-night award ceremony, a shift from the previous three editions which were held virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
See the full list of the nominees here.