{"id":19768,"date":"2023-09-18T14:58:57","date_gmt":"2023-09-18T12:58:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/?p=19768"},"modified":"2023-09-21T07:11:24","modified_gmt":"2023-09-21T05:11:24","slug":"showmax-releases-chilling-trailer-for-boetie-boer-inside-the-mind-of-a-monster-true-crime-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/blog\/2023\/09\/18\/showmax-releases-chilling-trailer-for-boetie-boer-inside-the-mind-of-a-monster-true-crime-series\/","title":{"rendered":"Showmax Releases Chilling Trailer For “Boetie Boer: Inside The Mind of A Monster” True-crime Series"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Showmax has just released a spine-chilling trailer for Boetie Boer<\/em>: Inside The Mind Of A Monster<\/em><\/a>,<\/em> the most disturbing Showmax Original true-crime series to date.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Boetie Boer<\/em> takes us back in time to 1990: as the African National Congress is unbanned and Nelson Mandela is released after 27 years in prison, Stewart \u2018Boetie Boer\u2019 Wilken starts his killing spree in Port Elizabeth, now Gqeberha. As journalist Brett Adkins says in the trailer, \u201cWhen he was arrested, it sounded like something out of a movie. Suddenly we had a serial killer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWilken was a highly unusual serial killer,\u201d says director Jasyn Howes, who won Best SA Short Documentary at Jozi Film Festival for Dula<\/em>. \u201cUnlike most serial killers, he had more than one type of victim: predominantly female sex workers and young boys, usually street children, across multiple races. He also claimed to engage in necrophilia and cannibalism with his victims.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the unsettling trailer, Wilken openly discusses his crimes with Dr G\u00e9rard Labuschagne, the former section head of the Investigative Psychology Section of the South African Police Services. \u201cLabuschagne gave us his recording of just over three hours of Wilken sharing, in his own words, everything he\u2019d done,\u201d says Howes. \u201cWilken had been in prison for eight years at the time of that interview, and was already sentenced to life behind bars, so he had no obvious reason to hide anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wilken\u2019s version of events is balanced by interviews with the Child Protection Unit investigator Sergeant Ursula Barnard and Sergeant Derick Nosworthy of the Murder and Robbery Unit, who both played key roles in bringing Wilken to justice. In addition, Howes interviews the family of one of Wilken\u2019s victims, Georgina Zweni, and Wilken\u2019s own surviving children, Sonika and Sergius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 90s were also the era of the ABC Killer, Moses Sithole, and the Station Strangler accused Norman Simons, who was released on parole in July 2023. So despite committing at least seven murders, Wilkens didn\u2019t receive as much coverage as you\u2019d expect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt the time of his murders, Wilken\u2019s case went largely unnoticed in the rest of the country as there were higher profile killers on the loose at the same time,\u201d says Howes. \u201cThere is little to no video or radio archive, although there was more newspaper coverage. So we had to lean into recreations to bring the story to life visually. I\u2019ve been impressed by documentary series like Wormwood<\/em> that have really tried to move the true-crime genre into a new space, blurring the lines between documentary and narrative filmmaking, so this gave us an opportunity to elevate the genre locally and give the audience a more cinematic viewing experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The five-part documentary series is a co-production between Stage 5 Films and Howes\u2019 Fifth Floor Films. It\u2019s the third documentary, and first true-crime docuseries, from Stage 5 Films, building on the success of Unearthed, <\/em>which won the Green Award at the Sheffield International Documentary Festival and the Audience Award at Encounters, and The Journeymen, <\/em>which took home Best SA Documentary at Durban. Stage 5 Films\u2019 impressive track record includes Student Oscar winner Lakutshon\u2019 Ilanga; <\/em>Canneseries selection The Dreamer – Becoming Karen Blixen<\/em>; Berlin selection Liberty<\/em>; South African Oscar entry Noem My Skollie<\/em>; Best Short Film SAFTA winner Apocalypse Now Now<\/em>; and Five Fingers for Marseilles<\/em>, named Best Film at the African Movie Academy Awards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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