Starting on
SABC2 in March, 2009:
HopevillePremiere date: Tuesday, 3 March 2009
Hopeville is a six-part South African drama series that forms part of the Heartlines series of films - originally broadcast on SABC2 in 2006.
The series aims to inspire South Africans to take action for good and story challenges people irrespective of gender, age, religion or economic status to live out positive values in a way that will build people, families, communities and the nation.
Filmed in the Mpumalanga town of Waterval Boven, the story aims to inspire South Africans to take action for good and centres round Amos Manyoni (played Themba Ndaba), a recovering alcoholic widower who arrives in the dusty town of Hopeville to try to start a new life for himself and his estranged son Themba (Junior Singo).
To their dismay, instead of the fresh start they both crave, father and son discover a mean, morally adrift community where apathy, fear and suspicion are the order of the day.
Characters they meet include a corrupt, two-faced mayor (played by Desmond Dube), his illegal immigrant mistress (Terry Pheto), a bent cop (Fana Mokoena), and the town racist (Paul Luckhoff).
Completing their experience is a hardened, shady businessman, played by Jody Abrahams, Themba’s aunt Flo (Leleti Khumalo) who is intent on gaining custody of her nephew and Amos’ sobriety counselor Ma Dolly (Mary Twala).
Isadora Verwey, Wilmien Rossouw, Glen Gabela and Jonathan Pienaar also feature.
Against the backdrop of dirty dealings, dark secrets and apparent despair, Amos decides to restore the public swimming pool so that his son can pursue a swimming career. Amos is met with scepticism and resistance from the town’s authorities and inhabitants but thanks to his patience, determination and courage, his selfless act sends ripples through Hopeville, inspiring others to take action and do what they know is right.
Ndaba, who plays the main character says: “Amos’ story is about a man trying to put his life together and win his son back. It’s a journey that will touch many people because we see somebody trying to make things right.”
The series is produced by Curious Pictures (Hard Copy, The Lab, Rhythm City)
Drawing The Line 2Premiere date: Sunday, 15 March 2009 at 12h30
Drawing The Line returns for a second season and is once more hosted by poet Lebo Mashile, SAfm personality Michelle Constant and writer Ndumiso Ngcobo.
The 13-episode season tackles new moral and ethical issues through improvised theatre, debate and audience participation.
The format of the show: two teams attempt to sway viewers to their perspective on an issue at hand by unraveling the complexities often hidden in the deceptively straightforward moral dilemmas we face every day.
Here's a rundown of the topics coming up across the season:
Episode 1: Road rage On: Sunday, 15 March 2009
Episode 2: Do you shoot back? On: Sunday, 22 March 2009
Episode 3: Press freedom On: 29 March 2009
Episode 4: Condom/Monogamy On: 5 April 2009
Episode 5: Polygamy On: Sunday, 12 April 2009
Episode 6: Voting - is it worth it? On: Sunday, 19 April 2009
Episode 7: Racism On: Sunday, 26 April 2009
Episode 8: Respect for parents On: Sunday, 3 May 2009
Episode 9: Cosmetic surgery On: Sunday, 10 May 2009
Episode 10: Menus & Morals On: Sunday, 17 May 2009
Episode 11: Judging a book by its cover On: Sunday, 24 May 2009
Episode 12: Xenophobia On: Sunday, 31 May 2009
Episode 13: Self-Censorship On: Sunday, 7 June 2009
News about further shows to follow as it's released.