Showmax Acquires “United Apart SA – Lockdown Remembered”

Produced by Ochre Moving Pictures, lockdown documentary will be released on 9 September 2021

Showmax has bought ‘United Apart SA – Lockdown Remembered’, the gripping documentary funded by Arena Holdings. It will be available exclusively on the subscription streaming platform from 9 September 2021.

In March 2020, with less than a handful of known infections, South Africa embarked on one of the strictest lockdowns in the world. ‘United Apart SA – Lockdown Remembered’ is a deep dive into the country’s official lockdown strategy and the effect it has had on society, the economy and our most vulnerable citizens.

There’s also footage crowdsourced for the Sunday Times #UnitedApartSA campaign, which urged South Africans to show how they were getting through lockdown by submitting video clips, images, voice notes, or anything else that captured the essence of this extraordinary event.

“We are delighted to have sold ‘United Apart’ to Showmax,” says Debbie McCrum, Managing Director at Arena Holdings. “It’s an informative, moving and entertaining investigation of what we went through as a nation during an extremely challenging year. With its focus on local content, Showmax is making the documentary available to South Africans in the comfort of their own home.”

How much did our lives change? Did the authorities go too far? Can a developing economy follow the lockdown models for fiscally sound countries? What fault lines did Covid-19 expose? What more could have been done to effect change while fighting a devastating pandemic? These are the questions pondered in ‘United Apart’.

Produced by multi-award-winning Ochre Moving Pictures and directed by Anton Burggraaf, ‘United Apart’ features Professor Glenda Gray, president and CEO of the South African Medical Research Council; clinical infectious diseases epidemiologist Professor Salim Abdool Karim; deputy governor of the South African Reserve Bank Rashad Cassid; Business Day editor Lukanyo Mnyanda; Sowetan editor Nwabisa Makunga and Sunday Times editor S’thembiso Msomi amongst others.

ABOUT OCHRE MOVING PICTURES:

Established in 2000, Ochre Moving Pictures (OMP) is one of South Africa’s leading producers of high-quality entertainment and educational television, with an award-winning track record (www.ochre.tv). Its accolades include a US Peabody, the Japan Prize, INPUT nominations at Seoul and Sydney, and numerous SAFTAs over the past 21 years. 

ABOUT ARENA HOLDINGS:

Arena Holdings (www.arena.africa) is a news and entertainment content provider and one of Africa’s largest English-language news publishers. It publishes iconic news titles including the Sunday Times, Business Day, Financial Mail, The Herald, Sowetan, Daily Dispatch, TimesLIVE, BusinessLIVE and Vrye Weekblad. The company broadcasts on DStv via Business Day TV, Ignition and The Home Channel and owns three film production and distribution assets – Empire Entertainment, Indigenous Film Distribution and Ochre Moving Pictures.

By Andrew Germishuys

Founder of SAMDB | Actor | Armourer | Tech Enthusiast With over two decades in the film industry, I'm a seasoned actor and skilled armourer. I hold numerous certifications in acting and filmmaking, complemented by degrees and diplomas in IT and technology, giving me a unique blend of creative and technical expertise. When I'm not on set or in the workshop, you'll find me immersed in the world of gaming and VR, fuelling my passion for cutting-edge technology. Connect with me: X / Twitter Facebook Instagram Mastodon Threads Explore my work on SAMDB IMDb