What does a chilling drama about the
heartache of a missing sister and a light-hearted comedy about a fake fiancée
have in common? They are both movies created for Mzansi Magic (DStv channel
161) and are the direct result of M-Net’s Magic in Motion Academy started in
2014.
The well-established CSI initiative, which
empowers young film and television graduates through an intensive 12-month work
readiness programme, is starting 2018 on a high with the release of two new
movies created by current and former Academy interns proving that the company’s
investment in young homegrown TV talent is delivering fresh new local
programming for local audiences.
First up on February 3 at 19h30 is Umhlanga, one of four movies created by
the Academy Class of 2017. Set in rural KZN, the movie tells the story of two
sisters, Buhle and Ntombi, whose excitement over the upcoming Reed Dance first
turns to disappointment when Ntombi decides that she won’t attend the
traditional ceremony, a decision that upsets her Gogo. But events take a turn
for the worse when word reaches the village that Buhle who travelled alone to
attend the event has now disappeared. What follows is a web of betrayal and
lies as a shattered family fight to be reunited. Notably the movie boasts a
multi-generational cast including Nomsa Xaba, Dawn Tandeka King, Lihle Dlomo
and Busi Mtshali.
Then on February 10 at 19h30, Mzansi Magic
audiences will see the premiere of Moratuwa,
a film created by alumni of the academy, A Tribe Called Story. The team is made
up of three Magic in Motion Academy Alumni (Aluta Qupa, Mbalizethu Zulu and
Thembalethu Mfebe) and was funded and fostered by the MultiChoice Enterprise
Development Fund. Since its creation in 2017, the company has been hard at work
producing three commissioned movies for prime-time broadcast, an impressive
opportunity afforded to the young filmmakers after their potential was
recognised during their internship. In Moratuwa,
a young career woman Naledi fulfils her gravely-ill grandmother’s wish to marry
by ‘tying the knot’ with Neo, a man she hires to be her Mr Right. But when her
grandmother makes an unexpected recovery, doctors warn her ‘newlywed’
grand-daughter that any bad news will be very harmful to her fragile health.
For Neo it’s a chance to spend time with a lady he has always liked but for
Naledi, trapped in a comical lie, life is about to get very interesting...
Speaking at a special screening held to
celebrate the movies, M-Net South Africa Group GM Nkateko Mabaso congratulated
the teams who completed both films on their outstanding achievement: “M-Net
invests in young TV talent because we understand that their growth is vital to
our industry and to economic development of the country. And most importantly,
it is because our audiences support local talent and stories so
enthusiastically that enables us to continue delivering it.”
For more information on M-Net’s Magic in
Motion Academy, log on to www.mnetcorporate.co.za or visit our Twitter page
@MnetCorporate #MagicInMotion
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