MZANSI MAGIC COMMISSIONING BRIEFS

Following the success of its first telenovela Inkaba, M-Net’s authentic South African channel Mzansi Magic issued commissioning briefs for a new telenovela and bubblegum movies.

Mzansi Magic’s Channel Head, Lebone Maema, says the overwhelming response to Inkaba confirmed a viewer demand for more original, long-running home-grown stories: “There was an incredible buzz about the show from the very first episode with varied comments and suggestions on our social media platforms. We’re proud to say that Inkabahas quickly become the most-watched local programme on Mzansi Magic and we know this is just the beginning of a memorable new wave of local story-telling, which will include telenovelas, bubblegum movies as well as series, and consolidate Mzansi Magic's position as a local television leader.”

Mzansi Magic’s new telenovela will span over 208 half-hour episodes in prime-time. The channel is looking for an authentic story that world audiences can relate to – a programme that can make us laugh and cry, cheer and jeer with tales of love, betrayal, coming of age and personal relationship struggles.

The themes for the bubblegum movies should reflect contemporary South Africa from any region or background and can be told in English as well as indigenous languages. The most important prerequisite is that the film is firmly rooted within South African cultures and traditions and suitable for the entire family.

"Creating a highly entertaining telenovela that will grasp audiences for many months is a challenging yet exciting exercise and we look forward to seeing how great story-tellers will take the genre to a new level," says Maema "and the bubblegum features provide the ideal opportunity for young, talented filmmakers as well as industry veterans to explore their creativity with the assurance of getting valuable exposure. It is Mzansi Magic's mission to boost our industry and we will continue to deliver on this promise."

The closing date for submissions for both the telenovela and bubblegum movies is June 28.

Mzansi Magic is an M-Net General Entertainment Channel and is broadcast on both DStv Compact and Premium on channel 107. The channel has already produced programmes in a variety of genres – from talk shows to magazine programmes and talent shows.