STAFF REPORTER
IT WAS glitz and glamour at Gallagher Estate on Saturday, when the South African Film and Television Awards (Saftas) were handed to the country’s top actors, actresses and behind-the-scenes crews.
As television stars were honoured for their acting skills, it was the TV series Intersexions that stole the show, scooping 11 Golden Horns.
The series explores the stereotypes surrounding HIV/Aids and contracting the HI virus.
Among the stars who shone brightly was The Wild’s Tumisho Masha, who tweeted after his win: “Thank u thank u thank u! It feels so good to win best actor in a soap!”
Rolie Nikiwe, who won an award for his direction of Intersexions, said: “It felt great. It (the awards) was important on two levels.
“It’s important to say to everyone involved – well done. It’s the best performance in a long time in South Africa that came out of Intersexions. It’s not just an ordinary drama series but one that deals with the HIV pandemic in South Africa. It was important to have people dialogue it. It’s amazing to have the industry recognise us.”
The series deals with the concept of six degrees of separation and how we are all interlinked, making it easy for most people to contract the virus.
“As a creative director I was… not sure we had enough actors to fill all 26 episodes, but we made individually amazing episodes. We’ve got so much talent in terms of acting in South Africa that we didn’t have any problems,” Nikiwe said.
The team are already working on Intersexions Two, which is expected to hit the screens some time next year.
Below is a list of the big winners of the day:
BEST TV DRAMA SERIES:
Intersexions– Winning 11 Golden Horns after the much talked-about series, which had an HIV/Aids storyline, received 23 nominations.
BEST DIRECTOR OF A DRAMA SERIES:
Rolie Nikiwe – Intersexions
BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES:
Siyabonga Radebe
BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES:
Lungelo Dladla
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR AND ACTRESS:
Ronnie Nyakale and Harriet Manamela
BEST SOAPIE:
Isidingo
BEST ACTOR IN A SOAPIE:
Tumisho Masha – for his character Modise Tladi on the M-Net soapie The Wild
BEST ACTRESS IN A SOAPIE:
Karin van der Laag – for her character Maggie in Isidingo
Best director of a soapie:
Alex Yazbek – The Wild
BEST COMEDY:
Gauteng Maboneng(SABC1) with nine nominations
Best Actor in a TV Comedy:
Boiki Pholo – Ratau in Ga Re Dumele
Best Actress in a TV Comedy:
Meme Ditshego – Josephine in Ga Re Dumele
FEATURE FILM:
Black Butterflies with nine nominations – received R50 000
BEST ACTOR IN FEATURE FILM:
Deon Lotz for his role in the feature film Skoonheid
BEST DIRECTOR OF A FEATURE FILM:
Oliver Hermanus for Skoonheid
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS:
l Athol Fugard – for his contribution in the field of writing and development
l Humble Mhlongo for sound and design
l Roberta Durrant for her role in the production and development of local TV comedy
BEST DOCUMENTARY:
The Dawn of a New Day received two Golden Horns for a documentary which tells the complex story of access to healthcare in Africa.
BEST NEWS AND ACTUALITY PROGRAMME:
Speak Out(SABC2)
CREATIVE DIRECTOR:
Intersexions – Rolie Nikiwe