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M-Net\u2019s commitment to local storytelling continues with a slate of new productions that will provide compelling viewing for DStv customers and feed the growing global appetite for television drama series.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the golden age of television series \u2013 an era marked by a year-on-year increase in scripted content that is eagerly consumed by audiences, both live and through binge viewing,\u201d comments CEO of General Entertainment for MultiChoice, Yolisa Phahle.\u00a0\u201cAudiences are also increasingly receptive to authentic, universal stories and this provides an opportunity for us to take African stories to the world.”<\/p>\n
First up is\u00a0Trackers\u00a0<\/strong>and House of Phalo<\/strong> with more productions to be rolled out soon.<\/p>\n Trackers is a gripping adaptation of acclaimed South African crime writer Deon Meyer\u2019s international best-selling novel. The six-part series is being co-produced with SCENE23, a new production hub created by Meyer, Cobus van Den Berg and Tim Theron, together with Three River Fiction, a London-based, next-generation independent production company dedicated to creating, developing and producing quality must-see drama.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a real pleasure and privilege to co-produce an international TV series based on my novel, Trackers \u2013 with South African talent, textures and accents,\u201d says Meyer. \u201cThanks to M-Net and Three River Fiction\u2019s involvement, we are also delighted to have Robert Thorogood, best known for the \u2018Death In Paradise\u2019 TV series, on board as the show runner, leading our writing team. Working with Robert has been an absolute pleasure and I\u2019ve learnt a lot!\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cDeon Meyer has been responsible for introducing millions of people across the globe to South Africa, so it made absolute sense to adapt one of his books for SCENE23\u2019s first outing into the great unknown of the international industry,\u201d adds producer Van Den Berg. \u201cThe global and critical success of Trackers made it the perfect choice to go with. As producers we\u2019re really excited to join the current push to show the world that we\u2019re not just a great place to come and shoot their films and series, but that our own stories deserve to be seen and enjoyed by the global audience. But we can\u2019t do it alone, and SCENE23 is extremely proud to be partnering with M-Net and Three River Fiction to make this project a reality.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThree River Fiction is delighted to be working with SCENE23 and M-Net on Trackers,\u201d says Jonathan Drake, CEO and co-creative director at Three River Fiction. \u201cDeon has written a thrilling book, and working with Deon and Robert Thorogood to adapt the story for television is a really exciting opportunity. M-Net is the ideal home for Trackers \u2013 a story rooted in Africa but with strong international appeal. It is already generating strong interest from other networks around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n A uniquely South African historical drama series is also currently in production –\u00a0House of Phalo, a telling of the first modern history of the Xhosa and the rise of King Phalo.<\/p>\n Mfundi Vundla\u2019s Morula Pictures is behind House of Phalo. Vundla is renowned for his game-changing television, having created South Africa\u2019s first soapie in 1994, and his latest creation will appeal to fans of series like Vikings and Game of Thrones.<\/p>\n \u201cThis story is about shattering the popular narrative that the history of our people began in 1652 with the arrival of Jan Van Riebeek,\u201d explains Vundla. \u201cThere is indisputable evidence that Xhosa people have lived in the Eastern Cape since the 15th\u00a0century. It\u2019s only through systematic erasure by colonialists and Apartheid that we have lost part of this history. It was crucial for us then to treat this drama with the care and reverence it deserves. We hope we have managed to evoke a sense of pride in our history, a better understanding of the people we are, and a clearer vision of our present and future.\u201d<\/p>\n M-Net CEO, Nkateko Mabaso is buoyant about the role of co-productions to further M-Net\u2019s commitment to telling homegrown stories that can travel the world. \u201cCo-productions are on the rise globally and they are certainly playing a huge role in the opportunity to build global audiences for local stories. These days it is common to see productions that are a collaboration between broadcasters operating in different markets.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is good for the industry as it has the potential to increase audiences\u201d says Mabaso. \u201cWe are thrilled to be working with some of the finest talent, both locally and abroad, to bring an increased focus to the incredible talent in South Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n With production on\u00a0Trackers and House of Phalo underway, M-Net\u2019s continued investment in original content is set to bring audiences uniquely, rich African stories that are confidently in step with current global television trends.<\/p>\n The stories of a Cape Town woman who finally escapes her emotionally abusive home, the head of the Presidential Intelligence Agency and an ex-state bodyguard are deftly woven into a sophisticated action packed thriller that covers the length and breadth of South Africa.\u00a0Trackers\u00a0explosively collides in Cape Town, in a violent conspiracy involving organised crime, smuggled diamonds, state security, Black Rhinos, the CIA and an international terrorist plot.<\/p>\n A daring production that spans over five generations, this factually-inspired Xhosa drama traces the foundation of the Xhosa tribe through a pre-colonial narrative that lays bare the intricate relationships and often bloody take-overs that defined the royal house chess game.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" M-Net\u2019s commitment to local storytelling continues with a slate of new productions that will provide compelling viewing for DStv customers and feed the growing global appetite for television drama series. \u201cThis is the golden age of television series \u2013 an era marked by a year-on-year increase in scripted content that is eagerly consumed by audiences,… Continue reading M-Net Announces Slate Of World-class Productions For 2018<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[21],"class_list":["post-6206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-television","tag-mnet","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6206"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6206\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}About Trackers<\/h3>\n
About House of Phalo<\/h3>\n