Emilie Badenhorst and Eva du Preez had never directed a TV series before starting work on Wyfie, the Showmax Original about four mismatched university koshuis roommates, played by Beáta Bena Green, Celeste Loots, Kristen Raath and Mienke Ehlers.
Eva was better known as an editor, having won at Silwerskerm for Poppie Nongena, been nominated for SAFTAs for Troukoors and Die Boland Moorde, and cut Afrikaans hits like Kanarie and Trompoppie. Emilie was better known for her ads, music videos and short films, like ‘n Doop om Stilte, which won Best Short Film and Best Direction at Silwerskerm last year.
But together with SAFTA winner Johan Cronjé (Wonderlus, Nêrens, Noord-Kaap) and production company Homebrew Films (Trompoppie), they’ve created a hit show that has been nominated at The Global Production Awards in Cannes; this month’s kykNET Silwerskerm Awards for Film and TV in Cape Town; and The Seoul International Drama Awards next month.
Last Thursday, Wyfie was nominated again, this time at MIPAfrica’s Inclusive Lens Awards, being held at the Cape Town International Convention centre on 3 September, for its LGBTQIA+ Representation. As the Inclusive Lens Awards citation says, “Wyfie masterfully portrays the complexities of university life for four young women. Balancing mischief and moral dilemmas, the characters’ journeys highlight resilience and personal growth. Through its engaging narrative, Wyfie captures the essence of youthful rebellion and the journey to adulthood.”
We caught up with Emilie and Eva to find out more about the groundbreaking series, which drops new S2 episodes on Showmax every Tuesday:
What has the impact of Wyfie been?
Emilie: There’s a lot of excitement and awareness around the show, its values, and the space it’s creating for young women. Wyfie makes them feel seen and heard in a way few other South African series have managed.
Eva: I like to think that Wyfie makes it easier for us to talk about important issues. The show addresses topics like rape, sexuality, religion, and political struggles, creating a space where nothing is off-limits. In university, I didn’t feel represented in the media. Now, with Wyfie, there’s a language that’s close to home, making it feel very relevant to South African students and their experiences.
What should viewers be most excited about in Wyfie Season 2?
Emilie: Season 2 features transformations in characters that might surprise viewers. The performances were incredibly challenging and required the actresses to dig deep to deal with many uncomfortable challenges the students face and how they will overcome them.
What are your thoughts on representing women on screen?
Emilie: Women telling women’s stories is so important. Even though we can be strong and excellent as a creative or as a director, no matter our gender, there is a sensitivity and relatability when women tell women’s stories. So many women’s stories need to be told, but men are often the ones telling them. That’s what I think is so incredible about Johan [Cronjé]. He has a sensitivity beyond what I find in other male directors that I’ve worked with; it’s beautiful how he expresses what he needs for the project, and for this experience and representation.
What are some of the challenges you’ve faced as a woman in the industry?
Emilie: I remember my first commercial project feeling daunting, not just because it was a big project but also because I was very aware of being a woman in that space. Over time, I became more sensitive to subtle biases and comments and eventually found like-minded collaborators who respected me for my talent. It’s an ongoing process and struggle, but I can see a difference in the industry. Whether that’s a difference in myself and being able to navigate the space and own up and call out the problems or whether that’s just really how it’s changed, I don’t know. It could be a combination.
Eva: When I started, I got a lot of jobs because I was a woman, which initially offended me. I decided to prove my worth through my work, and eventually, people asked to work with me for my skills, not my gender. It’s still a challenge, but I’ve noticed changes and more consequences for inappropriate behaviour. The industry is slowly evolving, but there’s still work to be done.
What are your thoughts on the growth and popularity of Afrikaans content?
Eva: Shows like Wyfie, Koek, and Trompoppie are a little bit “off-brand” for most Afrikaans people. Traditional Afrikaans media has been very conservative, but platforms like Showmax are willing to explore diverse narratives. There are so many layers to being Afrikaans, and I think we’ve started showing the more relaxed side of it. Viewers want to see characters who live and speak like they do, who face real-life issues and navigate them authentically.
Bonus questions
What’s your personal style and approach?
Emilie: My style and how I create work come from a very organic place. I studied performance and direction, focusing on feelings, senses, and emotions. Instead of a technical background, I relied on emotion and intuition. I’m always drawn to intimate, messy, human stories and lean on my director of photography, gaffer, and art director to colour the world while I drive the performance and emotions.
Eva: My biggest frustration as an editor was when directors lacked a clear plan for the emotion they wanted to convey. I always wanted to learn more about how to guide performances better and how on-set choices affect the edit. It’s not about control but making the best decisions for the final product, especially with limited time and budget. So, I always come in with a plan for how I want the episode to look and feel, and I plan the shots around that but also work with the performances I get on the day. So, it can be a bit of a technical dance.
How did you complement each other’s strengths on this project?
Emilie: Johan Cronjé is the head director of the show. He was looking for a similar sensibility and kept saying he found a similar sensitivity to performance, as well as general aesthetic choices, in Eva and myself. So naturally, we directed as close to our own hearts as possible, but he already implemented a language and style that we had to echo and follow to shape our episodes. We never had episodes or scenes that crossed over or were co-directed, but there was an echoing happening whenever we would go into each other’s blocks. I remember watching Eva’s episodes and thinking, “Oh my gosh, she gets it.”
Eva: I had to watch Emilie’s episodes before starting my new block, and I was always amazed by the visual language. She’s so good with that. But we never actually worked together. It was always nice when one of us was shooting, and the other one would come on set, and we’d just be behind the monitor, thinking, “Whatever you’re doing, it’s amazing.” We have the same taste, and you can see it throughout Wyfie. There are some differences, but you can feel the language is the same as how we approach performances and other aspects. The continuity is consistent.
What are some challenges you faced directing Wyfie?
Emilie: Two things come to mind. One of the narratives I worked on with Beáta [Bena Green] was a personal story integrated into the writing. It was a very overwhelming part of my life that I could tell with her, and it felt like a great privilege. Navigating such an emotional and vulnerable space without feeling triggered was daunting, but she did an amazing job.
Another challenge was staying accountable to the writers and their vision for the characters. Often, as a director or actor, you become attached to the old form of a character. The challenge was to trust the writers’ vision and indulge in the characters’ transformations. I remember a specific instance with Celeste [Loots] and Ruan [Wessels] where we disagreed with a development in their characters’ relationship, but we had to trust the writers’ end goal and vision. So, the challenge for me was to remove my subjectivity and apply real objectivity to the characters and how we allow them to transform fully.
What legacy do you hope to leave behind in the industry?
Eva: I want to tell stories that highlight people’s lives and help people grow and become better, where we can live in a world where we’re kinder to each other. When we watch films, it’s a moment to escape our own traumatised selves and find ways out of dark times. I just want people to be kind to each other.
Emilie: During Wyfie, I had one or two beautiful experiences with some cast members. One actress told me she was close to giving up on the industry, but through our work together, she rediscovered her love for her craft and purpose. Another thanked me for caring about what they do. We have a responsibility to care about the stories we tell. It may seem like small decisions, but caring about those decisions gives value to that character and that person as an actor, what they’re doing, and what we’re doing. We’re telling stories for a living; there’s a purpose in it.
Binge all 45 episodes of S1 now, with new episodes of S2 every Tuesday until 7 January 2025:
www.showmax.com/mu/stream/series/wyfie/7e0e9397-526b-347e-b25e-8ae21d244ee5
