The South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs 2020) are around the corner and we have all the scoop on this year’s nominees, the favourites to nab the most sought-after categories and other important information you can not miss.
SAFTAs 2020: A ceremony that recognises the best in SA film and TV
The SAFTAs return for the 14th year to celebrate the best in Mzansi’s on-screen and broadway talent.
The awards ceremony, hosted under the custodianship of the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is proudly brought to you by Brand South Africa (Brand SA).
This year, the SAFTAs were launched on Valentine’s Day under the theme #LoveSATalent, an indication of NFVF’s pursuit to “honour and celebrate South Africa’s local film and television talent.”
Following 2019’s ceremony that was boycotted by many production companies, NFVF Chief Executive Makhosazana Khanyile revealed that the nomination process has been overhauled “to bring credibility back to the SAFTAs judging process.”
“A key priority for us this year was to bring credibility back to the SAFTAs judging process. It is no secret that many production companies have voiced their frustration with our appraisal system, some going as far as to boycott the SAFTAs altogether.
“Having taken this feedback to heart, we’ve taken every measure possible to ensure that the judging process is fair, transparent and without bias. Today I’m proud to announce that as a result of these efforts we’ve received over 300 entries for the SAFTAs,” she said.
Therefore, in selecting nominees for the 70 categories in contestation, the NFVF partnered with 205 industry pundits from all corners of the country to form a judging committee.
The committee spent more than two months deliberating and rounding off the final nominees of the 70 categories. Thereafter, the final selection was audited by Nexia SAB&T.
“The love for SA Talent is certainly in the air and I would like to congratulate all our SAFTAs14 nominees for telling authentic stories that resonate and connect with the people of South Africa. As the NFVF we couldn’t be prouder of the immense contribution that these women and men make to the local film and television industry, not forgetting the broadcasters that provide the platforms for these stories to come alive,” Khanyile added.
When is the awards ceremony? When will it be broadcast on TV?
The SAFTAs ceremony will take place at the Sandton Convention Centre, in Sandton, between Friday 27 Marcy and Saturday. The first night will honour the craft categories, while Saturday’s ceremony — deemed as the main event — will be broadcast on TV.
At this time, it is not clear which channel on the SABC network will broadcast the ceremony.
Fans divided on favourites to win big categories
The three most hotly contested categories are Best TV Presenter (for the simple fact that the winner will be chosen by the viewing public), Most Popular TV Soap/Telenovela and Best Actor/Actress in the soapie category.
At the frontlines of winning big on the night is the popular telenovela, The River which has amassed 14 nominations, with Isibaya, Lockdown (season 4) and Fiela se Kind following closely behind with 11 nods.
This is how divided social media was over the nominations in these categories:
SAFTAs 2020 list of nominees
The SA film and TV industry will pit creatives against one another for glory in all of these 70 categories: View the full nominations right here.
