Local content was a buzz on the international stage this year as the world fell in love with South African stories and storytellers.
South Africa (12 December 2024) – South Africans are winners, we have already shared 245 stories proving it, and South African content was definitely included on that list this year. Locally produced shows, documentaries and movies have won awards this year, making SA proud and keeping us entertained all in one.
These are the local shows and their creators that won big in 2024!
South Africans directed the iEmmy-winning animation – for the second year in a row
South Africans Jac Hamman and Sarah Scrimgeour directed the Julia Donaldson-Axel Scheffler adaptation Tabby McTat, which won the International Emmy for Kids: Animation. This is the second iEmmy win in a row for South African directors in the category: another Donaldson-Scheffler adaptation, The Smeds and The Smoos, directed by SA’s Daniel Snaddon and Samantha Cutler, won last year.
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Die Brug was nominated for an iEmmy – the third nomination in three years for MultiChoice
kykNET’s Die Brug was nominated Best Non-Scripted Entertainment at the International Emmys. This was the third nomination in three years for MultiChoice content on Showmax, following rugby doccie Two Sides in 2023 and crime drama Reyka in 2022.
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Spinners beat Succession in Shanghai
The Showmax Original Spinners beat the Emmy-winning final season of Succession to be named Best Foreign Series at the 29th Shanghai TV Festival’s Magnolia Awards, one of the biggest accolades in Asia. Spinners also charted at #6 on CANAL+ during its primetime run in France.
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Shaka iLembe became the most awarded drama ever at the SAFTAs
The epic historical drama Shaka iLembe won 12 SAFTAs, including Best Drama, setting a new record as the most-awarded drama series in the event’s history.
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Catch Me A Killer: the first SA series at Series Mania
Inspired by pioneering profiler Micki Pistorius, true crime drama Catch Me A Killer became the first South African series to screen at Series Mania in France, one of the world’s top TV festivals. It also earned Warren Gray the Best Production Design award at the British Film Designers Guild Awards.
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Wyfie was up against EastEnders, Troll and Wong Kar-Wai at international awards
Wyfie was nominated for Best International Series at The Seoul International Drama Awards; Best Soap or Telenovela at the Rose d’Or Awards in London; and Outstanding Use of Locations at the Global Production Awards in Cannes, France, presented by Screen International. The Showmax Original’s competition at these prestigious awards included legendary auteur Wong Kar-Wai; seven-time BAFTA winner EastEnders; and Troll, Netflix’s most popular non-English film of all time.
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Showmax doccies nominated at Venice TV Awards and Broadcast Sports Awards
True-crime doccie Original Sin: My Son The Killer was a finalist in the Documentary category at the Venice TV Awards, while Kenyan running community true-crime Death in the Heartlands, from Dark Side of Glory, was shortlisted as Sports Documentary of the Year – Over 60 Minutes at the Broadcast Sports Awards in London.
Watch the trailer for Original Sin: My Son The Killer:
Tracking Thabo Bester set a new documentary record on Showmax
The true-crime phenomenon Tracking Thabo Bester set a new record for the most first-day views of any documentary on Showmax ever.
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