–African-Produced Feature Film Combines Football and Science to Entertain and Enlighten Millions Across Sub-Saharan Africa About HIV/AIDS–

After three successful screenings at the 20th Annual Pan African Film Festival, the nonprofit Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership’s INSIDE STORY was awarded Special Jury Recognition in the Feature Narrative category yesterday in Los Angeles.

After debuting on World AIDS Day 2011 in Johannesburg and last month in Washington, D.C., INSIDE STORY’s February 11th premiere at the Pan African Film Festival marked its first public screening. Hailed by LA Weekly as “a rousing success,” the film stars Kevin Ndege Mamboleo (Changing Times) as Kalu, a gifted footballer who moves from rural Kenya to urban Johannesburg to follow his dream and support his family. His path becomes more challenging when he falls in love with the coach’s daughter, Ify (Kendra Etufunwa), and subsequently finds out he is HIV-positive. Newcomers Mamboleo and Etufunwa (Jacob’s Cross) are joined by international stars including Hakeem Kae-Kazim (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Hotel Rwanda, 24) and Fana Mokoena (Blood Diamond, Hotel Rwanda).

Directed by Rolie Nikiwe (Tsha Tsha, The Lab, Intersexions), INSIDE STORY is a truly pan African project – produced by Curious Pictures South Africa, filmed in South African and Kenya and featuring actors and actresses from across the continent. INSIDE STORY also distinguishes itself by combining a compelling narrative with realistic CGI animations that take the viewer into the body to demonstrate the science of HIV in a personal, practical and memorable way.

Produced with the support of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Chevron, Discovery Communications, Access Bank, the South African Department of Trade and Industry, SEACOM and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership plans a comprehensive rollout of the film – including national broadcasts across sub-Saharan Africa and distribution through grassroots efforts of NGOs, schools and governments – later this year. The trailer for the film and regular updates on the project can be found at insidestorythemovie.org and facebook.com/insidestory.

The Pan African Film Festival is America’s largest and most prestigious international Black film festival. In its 20th year, the Festival featured 170 films, representing 30 countries, spanning narratives and documentaries.

To keep up to date on Inside Story check out

www.insidestorythemovie.org/

www.facebook.com/InsideStory

Twitter: #insidestory

The nominees for the 6th South African Film and Television Awards (Saftas) were announced on Thursday February 16th, 2012 at Melrose Arch. The Saftas ceremony will be held at Gallagher Estates on March 9 for the non-fiction categories and on March 10 for the fiction categories and will be broadcast on SABC3 on March 11th, 2012.

Curious Pictures received 23 nominations for the widely popular drama series Intersexions and 8 nominations for TV Soapie Rhythm City.

Curious would like to thank the many individuals who contribute their limitless talent to the making of these productions; cast, crew and post production.  We are honored to work with the most talented people in the industry.

Please find listed below details of the nomination categories:

Best TV Drama Series

Zone 14 (The Bomb Shelter)
Intersexions – Curious Pictures
Sokhulu & Partners (Paw Paw Films)

Best Director on a TV Drama Series

Intersexions EP 4 & 20 (Rolie Nikiwe)
Sokhulu & Partners (Natalie Haarhof)
Intersexions EP 8 (Catharine Cooke)
Best Actor in a TV Drama Series

Thato Moraka as “Tshepo” (Intersexions)
Katleho Ramapakela as “Thami” (Intersexions)
Siyabonga Radebe as “Muzi” (Intersexions)
Best Actress in a TV Drama Series

Lindiwe Ntuli as “Mbali” (Fallen)
Lungelo Dladla as “Buhle” (Intersexions)
Linda Sokhulu as “Pam” (Sokhulu & Partners)
Best Supporting Actress in a TV Drama Series

Xolile Tshabalala as “Mandi” (Fallen)
Nolwazi Shange as “Ntombi” (Intersexions)
Harriet Manamela as “Ntombi Ntshebe” (Sokhulu & Partners)

Best Writing Team in a TV Drama Series

Chisanga Kabinga -Intersexions EP 4
Denis Venter, Portia Gumede (Sokhulu & Partners)
Linda Bere – Intersexions EP 20

Best DOP/Cinematographer in a TV Drama Series

Trevor Calverley – Intersexions EP 20
Trevor Calverley – Intersexions EP 8
Trevor Calverley – Intersexions EP 4
Greg Heimann (Sokhulu & Partners)

Best Editor on a TV Drama Series

Melanie Golden – Intersexions EP 4
Melanie Golden – Intersexions EP 8
Melanie Golden – Intersexions EP 20

Best Production Design in a TV Drama Series

Intersexions (Marna Heunis)
Sokhulu & Partners (Esme Viviers)
Zone 14 Production Team

Best Music Composition in a TV Drama Series

Afrika Mkhize (Fallen)
Sue Lubner (Intersexions)
Phillip Miller (Zone 14)

Best Costume Design in a TV Drama Series

Rochelle Selling (Intersexions)
Zanele Mhlanga (Sokhulu & Partners)
Nadia Kruger (Zone 14)

Best Make-up & Hair Stylist in a TV Drama Series

Smartie Olifant (Intersexions)
Evelyn Gambe (Sokhulu & Partners)
Sheila Petlele (Zone 14)

Best Sound Design in a TV Drama Series

Janno Muller, Tim Pringle- Intersexions EP 4
Janno Muller, Tim Pringle- Intersexions EP 20
Janno Muller, Tim Pringle – Intersexions Ep 8

Best Director on a TV Soap

Alex Yazbek, Johnny Barbuzano (The Wild)
Heleni Handt, Hlomla Dandala, Joshua Rous (Scandal!)
Herbert Hadebe, Eric Mogale, Kekeletso Mphuthi, Sacha Clelland-Strokes (Rhythm City)

Best Actors in a TV Soap

Mduduzi Mabaso as “Suffocate” (Rhythm City)
Tumisho Masha as “Modise Tladi” (The Wild)
Shona Ferguson as “Alex” (Scandal!)
Clint Brink as “Tino” (Scandal!)

Best Ensemble on a TV Soap

Rhythm City (Curious Pictures)
Isidingo (Endemol South Africa)
The Wild (M-Net Magic Factory)

Best Writing Team on a TV Soap

Rhythm City (Charlie Sapadin and Team)
Scandal! (Julie Barker, Mark Graham Wilson and Team)
Generations Writing Team

Best Technical Team on a TV Soap

Rhythm City
Scandal!
The Wild

Best Art Direction on a TV Soap

Rhythm City (Kagiso Malefane)
Isidingo (Art Directing Team)
The Wild (Marlene Ming)

Best Post Production Team on a TV Soap

Scandal!
Rhythm City
Generations

Best TV Soap

The Wild
Generations
Rhythm City
Scandal!
Isidingo
Muvhango

Hopeville, the feature film directed by John Trengove, will be screening in the United States at the 22nd Cascade African Film Festival.

Hopeville tells the story of Amos , a man on a mission to forge a relationship with his estranged son. Father and son arrive from the big city to the dusty town of Hopeville, which proves to be anything but hopeful. When the Amos decides to restore the public swimming pool so his son can pursue a swimming career, he is met with skepticism and resistance. However, his patience, determination, and acts of courageous selflessness ripple through the town, inspiring others to take positive action.

A note from the festival- “We view film as a medium for artistic expression and illumination. These films were chosen on the basis of their quality as film and their ability to captivate and move audiences. We also chose them because they represent different countries and cultures and a range of lifestyles from pre-colonial to modern times, including both rural and urban settings. Although it is impossible to represent a whole continent with only a few films, it is our hope that through this annual film series we will encourage American viewers to become interested in African cultures and to study them further.”

http://www.africanfilmfestival.org/films/hopeville/

INSIDE STORY: The Science of HIV/AIDS, premiered in Johannesburg on World Aids Day 2011. It will be making its international  festival premiere in Los Angeles at the 20th anniversary edition of the prestigious Pan African Film Festival running February 9th- 20th, 2012.

The Pan African film festival  will screen 160 quality films from the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, the South Pacific and Canada, all showcasing the diversity and complexity of people of African descent.

It is PAFF’s goal to present and showcase the broad spectrum of Black creative works, particularly those that reinforce positive images and help to destroy negative stereotypes. Festival information can be found at www.paff.org.

INSIDE STORY: The Science of HIV/AIDS directed by Rolie Nikiwe has been nominated for a jury award for Best Feature Narrative, award announcements will be made at the festival on February 20th 2012 in Los Angeles.

Here is the list of nominees for Best Feature Narrative at the Pan African Film Festival :

Inside Story (trailer)
96 Minutes (trailer)
Chico & Rita (animated. trailer)
David Is Dying (trailer)
Donovan’s Echo (trailer)
Ghett’a Life (trailer)
Ties That Bind (trailer)
Toussaint L’Ouverture
We The Party (trailer)

Curious Pictures’ 26 part series for SABC1 Children’s programming, “I’m A Work of Art” has been selected to screen in June at the Prix Jeunesse International 2012 in Germany.

The aim of the PRIX JEUNESSE Foundation is to promote quality in television for the young worldwide. It wants to bring forward television that enables children to see, hear and express themselves and their culture, and that enhances an awareness and appreciation of other cultures.

Curious Pictures is proud to be selected among the work of the the international world to represent the best in quality children’s programming.

After debuting on World AIDS Day 2011 in Johannesburg, South Africa, the nonprofit Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership will host the U.S. Premiere of INSIDE STORY: THE SCIENCE OF HIV/AIDS on January 11 in Silver Spring, Maryland, joined by Ambassador Eric Goosby, United States Global AIDS Coordinator. Produced by Curious Pictures South Africa with the support of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Chevron, Discovery Communications, Access Bank, the South African Department of Trade and Industry, SEACOM and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the film reaches across class and educational boundaries through a compelling story of sports, love and ill fates to enlighten audiences about HIV/AIDS.

Directed by Rolie Nikiwe (Tsha Tsha, The Lab, Intersexions), INSIDE STORY stars Kevin Ndege Mamboleo (Changing Times) as Kalu, a gifted footballer who moves from rural Kenya to urban Johannesburg to follow his dream and support his family. Hispath becomes more challenging when he falls in love with the coach’s daughter, Ify (Kendra Etufunwa), and subsequently finds out he is HIV-positive.

Newcomers Mamboleo and Etufunwa (Jacob’s Cross) are joined by international stars including Hakeem Kae-Kazim (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Hotel Rwanda, 24) as Kalu’s mentor and tough-as-nails coach, Fana Mokoena (Blood Diamond, Hotel Rwanda) as the ruthless team owner, and Regina-Re as Kalu’s mother, Miriam. INSIDE STORY also demonstrates the science of HIV in a personal, practical and memorable way, leveraging realistic CGI animations that take the viewer into the body while replacing misunderstanding with facts.

“Knowledge is power, and with INSIDE STORY we have a powerful tool with which to share the science of HIV,” said Aric Noboa, President, Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership and Executive Producer, INSIDE STORY. “We were honored by the overwhelming response to the film’s premiere in South Africa last month and are grateful for the generous support of our partners. Understanding HIV/AIDS is central to making healthy decisions, complying with treatment, and ending stigma and discrimination. This is the right time for INSIDE STORY, an innovative approach to helping eradicate HIV/AIDS in Africa and beyond.”

“INSIDE STORY will be a valuable tool to inform people across Africa and the world about the science of HIV. With greater understanding of the virus people can seek to know their status, to protect themselves, and to adhere to life-saving treatment if needed,” said Ambassador Eric Goosby, United States Global AIDS Coordinator. “The global AIDS response is a shared responsibility. With strong leadership from the United States, and continued partnership from the private sector, we are seizing the opportunity the science has presented us to move toward an AIDS-free generation.”

“Chevron is proud to partner with Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership and sponsor INSIDE STORY, a powerful tool that will help demystify AIDS and communicate difficult and important messages that will resonate with a wide audience,” said Rhonda Zygocki, Executive Vice President, Policy and Planning, Chevron Corporation. “Chevron has been a leader in the global fight against HIV/AIDS for more than 25 years. Our commitment to HIV/AIDS outreach is powered by our partnerships with governments and nonprofit organizations around the world. One day, we’ll defeat AIDS – in our workplace, in our homes, our communities and our nations,” she added.

In the coming months, Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership will announce details of the comprehensive rollout of the film – including national broadcasts across sub-Saharan Africa and distribution through grassroots efforts of NGOs, schools and governments. Additionally, DCGEP will provide facilitator guides and DVD & online materials for use by community and public health organizations, as well as schools throughout Africa, to reinforce INSIDE STORY’s messages in both urban and rural communities. The trailer for the film and regular updates on the project can be found atinsidestorythemovie.org and facebook.com/insidestory.

About Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership

Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership (DCGEP) is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit charitable organization that for the past 14 years has been working in under-resourced schools around the world, using the power of television to increase student learning, teacher effectiveness and the community’s access to information and involvement in their children’s schools. The initiative is locally managed, and involves a collaborative process of educational video program development that combines contributions of expertise and high-quality documentary footage from Discovery with the needs of educators in countries where DCGEP is active. In addition, DCGEP provides three years of teacher training and capacity building to ensure their ability to maximize the value of educational television as a tool forteaching and learning. For more information, please visit www.thepoweroftv.org.

For immediate release
Monday, 24 October 2011

CAN YOU COOK UP A STORM?

The search

is on for South Africa’s first MasterChef!

MasterChef South Africa, M-Net’s brand new cooking show, is on a country-wide search for South Africa’s most talented amateur chefs! This popular entertainment show has wowed viewers in over 33 countries, helping amateur cooks to realiz

e their food dreams, and now it’s your opportunity to become South Africa’s king or queen of the kitchen! Do you think you have what it takes to whip up winning dishes under the scrutiny of South Africa’s leading culinary experts? If you can stand the heat in the kitchen, your journey begins today!

M-Net’s Channel Head Pierre Cloete says that the entry process has been made as efficient as possible: “The MasterChef series has proven to be so popular around the world and with M-Net viewers that we expect a lot of interest in the show. As such, we’ve tried to keep the entry process for wannabe contestants as easy as possible. We have introduced a simple pre-entry mechanism. All that contestants need to do is fill out their entry forms as accurately as possible, and wait for our notification with more details about auditions. This will allow them a fast-track through the registration process on their audition day. After that it’s purely down to the cooking!”

“Auditions are open to the public who have not pre-entered on the day as well, but M-Net encourages contestants to pre-enter online if they would like to speed up their registration and audition process”, Cloete adds. Online entries close on 14 November.

Contestants who would like to be fast-tracked on the day can enter online on www.mnet.co.za and follow the MasterChef SA links. Once you submit your entry form you will receive an sms and email notification to confirm receipt of your entry. You will then be contacted again by the middle of November to confirm yo

ur audition date, venue, time and food specifications for your audition. Every person who fills out an entry form will be registered for auditions. Alternatively one can complete the entry forms in YOU, Huisgenoot or Drum magazines and follow the instructions indicated in the magazine.

MasterChef South Africa will be holding open auditions in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town this December at the following venues:

JOHANNESBURG: Saturday, 3 December at Montecasino
CAPE TOWN: Saturday, 10 December at Southern Sun The Cullinan,
DURBAN: Saturday, 17 December at the Suncoast  Casino

So how does the selection process work? You will be asked to prepare a cold dish which will be tasted by a member of the MasterChef SA professional preliminary judging panel. There are certain requirements for the dish as stipulated below:

· One must bring all products in an insulated cooler to maintain the cold chain.
· Products not suitably chilled will result in the judges not tasting your dish; which could mean disqualification.
· One must transport all food products in plastic containers.
· Glass containers will not be allowed in the competition area.
· Present your dish on a plain white plate that you have brought with you.
· NO actual cooking is allowed; the dish must be a cold dish.
· All that is required of you is to plate the food on the dish and then present to the judges within the time limit given.

Based on this dish you will either progress further in the audition process or not. All preliminary judges are SACA-certified professionals, and the show’s permanent panel of judges has yet to be announced. Contestants must also be able to make themselves available for possible call-back auditions the following day.

For more information about MasterChef South Africa and how to enter, visit www.mnet.co.za, check out the MasterChef SA Facebook page or follow us on Twitter @MasterChef_SA!

-ends

For media queries, please contact Ingrid Engelbrecht – ingrid.engelbrecht@mnet.co.za / 011 686 6020

South Africa’s Next Filmmaker Competition 2011 for aspiring filmmakers, in partnership with General Post and Curious Pictures with Industry sponsorship by Digital Film, Aces Up, Finetune, Ikaya Costumes and the Bladeworks.

After 8 weeks mentoring our five aspiring filmmaker teams, they have been put through their paces and made to hustle their way scouting locations, rehearsing actors, production design, special effects, sound design and grading.
The final films were judged by three industry professionals and their production mentors and the winners Sbu Zuma and Sihle Ngcamu for “What’s In A Name” and Keolebongile Moaisi for “The Intersection” were announced on October 13th at

the Da Vinci Hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg for an audience of filmmakers, producers, creatives and representatives of the Department of Trade and Industry.

What we went in search of…..

Talented young filmmakers looking for a break into the exciting world of television broadcast production.
The competition provided young filmmakers with less than three years experience in the industry the chance to showcase their skills to the wider television community; experience the reality of creating a short film production under the mentorship of industry experts and compete for the chance to win a coveted paid internship working for one of South Africa’s premier production houses, Curious Pictures.

Why we put our backs into it….

South Africa has a wealth of production and post-production talent available. This is born out by the increasing number of international productions being shot in South Africa using local crew and the recent international success of South African films and series such as Tsotsi, Skoonheid, District 9, Hopeville, the television series, and others. If we want to build on this and create a sustainable industry producing quality content we have to develop young talent.

The competition was conceptualized by General Post in 2010 and embraced by Curious Pictures. It stemmed from the need to give young filmmakers a platform to showcase their talent and create opportunities for growth and mentoring.

The competition received over 70 entries and provided the five finalists with the opportunity to produce their own script and vision for their film production under the mentorship of top industry creatives and suppliers. The winning team receives the opportunity to win a 1-year paid internship with Curious Pictures. Providing a great opportunity for young filmmakers to get a foot in the door and learn from some of South Africa’s top professionals.

Keep watching this space for more internship updates.

Internship winners Sihle Ngcamu, Keolebogile Moaisi, Sbu Zuma

Luscious Dozi (finalist), Mariki Van Der Walt (Curious Pictures), Ian Jackson (finalist), Sarah Jurgens (SANTF PM), Sbu Zuma (Winner), Keolebogile Moaisis (winner), Kagiso Mako (finalist) Harriet Gavshon (Curious Pictures) Front: Sihle Ngcamu (winner), Kirsty galliard (General Post), JP Potgieter (Curious Pictures)