5 South Africa series and films dominating Showmax

The Snail and the whale

‘The Snail and the whale’ is a short animated film that narrates a story about Sally Hawkins, an ambitious snail. This adorable production by Magic Light Pictures has received several award nominations over the past 10 years. The animation of the film took place in Cape Town by Triggerfish and co-directed by Daniel Snaddon. 

Also read: South African Covid-19 variant reduces vaccine protections

Sally has always dreamed of traveling the world doesn’t know where to start the journey. Other snails fail to see her vision but this does not deter her. She hitches a ride by clinging onto the tail of a humpback whale. The incredible tale offers a story of encouragement to people on never underestimating their ability to make a difference despite their size.  

The film has been nominated for the Oscars’ Best Animated Short category. Nominees will be made public on 15 March 2021. 

Raised by wolves

Raised by Wolves is the HBO sci-fi show centered on two androids tasked to raise children on a virgin planet Kepler-22b after the earth is destroyed in a religious war. To date, it is the biggest TV budget show ever shot in South Africa. 

The show has received three nominations at the 2021 Critics' Choice Super Awards: Best SciFi/Fantasy series, Best Actor for Travis Fimmel, and Best Actress SciFi Amanda Collin.

Also read: AstraZeneca vaccine rollout halted over low effectiveness toward South African variant

The show’s director Ridley Scott is the man behind sci-fi classics; Blade Runner, Alien, and The Martian. The female ’mother’ character received a mention from the Wall Street Journal as the “most memorable female-like space entity” since “Ripley” in the movie Alien.

Ridley Scott the four-time Oscar and Golden Globe nominee produced two episodes of the show and is also the producer behind Gladiator, Blade Runner, Prometheus, Alien, and The Martian. 

Jungle Beat

Jungle Beat is an adorable animation produced by Sunrise in Cape Town. YouTube is filled with great animations from Jungle Beat, racking up over 5 million subscribers with over 2 billion views. Munki and Trunk, the stars behind the animation are an instant attraction to young children who enjoy the colorful jungle animal characters. The main message communicated is that of love, warmth, and affection which is very wholesome for kids. 

DAM 

DAM is a Showmax Original featuring a small town psychopathic thriller centered around Eastern Cape. YFM’s resident critic,’ Yazz the student’ compares DAM to “The Outsider.” “Fortress of Solitude” likens the South African film to “The Outsider” and “Sharp Objects.” DAM is filmed in Adelaide and Bedford towns at the Ngqushwa Local Municipality,  Amathole District in the Eastern Cape. 

Also read: South African army ends hijab ban for military service members

Lea Vivier stars as Yola who has just returned from Chile to bury her father.  

To her complete surprise, and to the irritation of her sister, the farm has been left to her. In some way, this turns out to be more of a curse than a blessing. The house seems to be reaching out to her creating a mental dilemma for her given her mother is institutionalized and her meds are also running out. It’s a decent film depicting how one can rebuild themselves after facing their inner demons. Two-time South Africa SAFTA Award winner Pallance Dladla co-stars as Themba.

Tali’s Baby Diary

In Tali’s Baby Diary, an unplanned pregnancy forces Tali (Julia Anastasopoulos) to work on her new look as a momfluencer. Now the best African TV show of 2021, the show packs witty, humane, and hearty characters. Refilwe Moloto from Cape Cape Talk’s Binge Club this morning used the words “hilarious” “identifiable” and “so relatable” to describe the show. The show does an accurate yet satirical depiction of wealthy white South Africans residing in Cape Town.