{"id":17985,"date":"2023-02-21T18:34:38","date_gmt":"2023-02-21T16:34:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/?p=17985"},"modified":"2023-02-21T18:34:43","modified_gmt":"2023-02-21T16:34:43","slug":"showmax-releases-first-trailer-for-stella-murders-from-devilsdorp-director-production-company","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/blog\/2023\/02\/21\/showmax-releases-first-trailer-for-stella-murders-from-devilsdorp-director-production-company\/","title":{"rendered":"Showmax Releases First Trailer For “Stella Murders”, From “Devilsdorp” Director & Production Company"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Showmax has released the first trailer for Stella Murders<\/em>, a new true crime documentary from David Enright and IdeaCandy, the director and production company respectively behind the breakout hit Devilsdorp, <\/em>one of Showmax\u2019s ten most streamed titles of 2021, which sold internationally and won the 2022 SAFTA for Best Made for TV Documentary.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Premiering on 17 March 2023, Stella Murders<\/em> investigates the deaths of best friends Sharnelle Hough (17) and Marna Engelbrecht (16) at their hostel at Stella High School in North West. On Saturday morning, 26 May 2018, Sharnelle was found hanged by the staircase and Marna was discovered in a bathroom, with both deaths initially looking like suicides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStella Murders<\/em> is a heart-wrenching story,\u201d says Yolisa Phahle, CEO of Showmax and Connected Video at MultiChoice. \u201cIt deals with every parent\u2019s worst fear. The production was made with cooperation from Sharnelle and Marna\u2019s families, who hope their story will prevent similar tragedies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 90-minute Showmax Original features interviews with Ronnie and Sonja Hough, Sharnelle\u2019s parents; Stefaans, Rianet, and Rian\u00e9 Engelbrecht, Marna\u2019s father, mother and sister; Captain Zagaries Human, the Stella South African Police Services station commander; Captain Markus Ferreira, the investigating officer; private investigator Chris Saunders; and Advocate Johan Smit, the state prosecutor, now retired. Also look out for Marizka Coetzer from Devilsdorp<\/em>, who covered the Stella Murders case for Huisgenoot<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home to just over 4 000 people, Stella is a small, quiet cattle-farming dorpie near Vryburg in North West. \u201cIn such a close-knit community, danger is expected to come from the outside,\u201d says clinical psychologist Elmarie Claassens in the documentary. \u201cBut the thing about danger is: it doesn\u2019t come exclusively from the outside.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The documentary makes it clear that the town is still processing the deaths. \u201cWhile working on Stella Murders<\/em>, it became important for us to understand if there was any form of emotional healing for the families and community that experienced this trauma,\u201d says David.\u00a0\u201cIt became clear that the impact of this tragic event was far-reaching and calls for important reflection on the culture that cultivates gender-based violence. Hopefully this documentary will not only highlight some of the red flags to look out for, but will also become part of the nationwide conversation about the shameful levels of violence against women in South Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking at the second Presidential Summit on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide in November 2022, President Cyril Ramaphosa said, \u201cBetween the first quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022 there was a 52 per cent increase in the murder of women, and 46 per cent increase in the number of children murdered. Not a day goes by without a story in the newspapers, on television or online about a woman or child that has lost their life or been abused in the most horrendous manner\u2026 These horrors defy comprehension. There are really no words for them. They tell a story about our society that is deeply disturbing. It is a story of a nation at war with itself. These barbaric acts are a shameful indictment of the men of this country. It is not women who are responsible for ending such crimes; it is men. As a society, ending violence against women and children cannot be anything but our foremost priority. This is about the lives of our country\u2019s women and children. There can be no greater urgency.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n