14th annual SAFTAs’ nominees revealed

Hosted under the custodianship of the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) the 2020 South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) seek to honour and celebrate South Africa’s local film and television talent, under the theme #LoveSATalent.

Leading this year’s nominations was #SAFTAs13 winner & popular telenovela The River, which raked in 15 nominations across numerous categories, including Best Achievement in Directing, Scriptwriting, Original Music/Score, Editing, Sound, Cinematography, Wardrobe, Make-Up and Hairstyling and Art Directing. Actress Sindi Dlathu secured a nomination for Best Actress in the genre, while Presley Chweneyagae was nominated in the Best Actor category.

Close on its heels was the soapie Isibaya, television drama Lockdown S4 and the feature film Fiela se Kind who all clinched 11 nominations each, while the drama series The Republic rounded things off with 10 nominations.

“The love for SA Talent is certainly in the air and I would like to congratulate all our SAFTAs14 nominees for telling authentic stories that resonate and connect with the people of South Africa. As the NFVF we couldn’t be prouder of the immense contribution that these women and men make to the local film and television industry, not forgetting the broadcasters that provide the platforms for these stories to come alive,” said Makhosazana Khanyile, NFVF CEO

The NFVF joined forces with 205 industry experts from across the country to form a judging committee that spent over two months deliberating and rounding off the final nominees of the 70 categories, which were all then later audited by Nexia SAB&T.

“A key priority for us this year was to bring credibility back to the SAFTAs judging process. It is no secret that many production companies have voiced their frustration with our appraisal system, some going as far as to boycott the SAFTAs altogether. Having taken this feedback to heart, we’ve taken every measure possible to ensure that the judging process is fair, transparent and without bias. Today I’m proud to announce that as a result of these efforts we’ve received over 300 entries for the SAFTAs,” concluded Khanyile.

This year, the power to decide who wins the Best TV Presenter and the Most Popular Soap/Telenovela will remain with the South African audience through the use of the public vote. To vote for their favourite in these two categories, they will need to dial *120*45884# and follow the prompts on their screens. One lucky voting viewer will stand a chance to win fuel to the value of R4000 a month for 12 months powered by Total SA.

“Total South Africa identifies art and culture as a national resource and contributor to the development of the economy. The SAFTA’s does not only preserve the country’s stories, but it also encourages development of the country on all frontiers, enabling people to expand their horizons and develop skills that are essential to social cohesion,” said Baxolile Msomi, corporate communications & marketing at Total South Africa.

The codes will be advertised on SAFTAs social media pages and other media platforms and the voting lines go live this week and close on 28 March.

The 14th South African Film and Television Awards will be hosted at Johannesburg’s Sandton Convention Centre over two-nights: Craft Awards on Friday, 27 March and Main Awards on Saturday, 28 March – with the Saturday show broadcast live on television.