'Puppet Nation' pulls at our heartstrings

19 February 2016 - 02:55 By Leonie Wagner

ZA News: Puppet Nation might not be on mainstream television but the satirical show has garnered 11 nominations in the SA Film and Television Awards.The comedy show, which is broadcast on StarSat and is on YouTube, was nominated in various categories in the television comedy section, including best television comedy, best lead actors, production, costume design, editing, sound and directing.The soap dramas Saints and Sinners (Mzansi Magic) and Isibaya (Mzansi Magic) each got seven nominations, with six nominations each for Isidingo (SABC3) and Ashes to Ashes (e.tv) and Generations: The Legacy (SABC1).The feature film, Ayanda, earned five nods and Dis Ek Anna received six nominations. Despite being ranked highly by the Saftas judging panel, neither of these films were selected to represent the country at the Oscars.The National Film and Video Foundation CEO, Zama Nkosi, said this was because the selection processes and the criteria were different. While the Saftas panel was made up of 300 people, including previous winners and nominees, the Oscars panel was a smaller group of industry experts.Chairman of the Saftas judging panel and film producer Robbie Thorpe said the local industry was also moving towards streaming as a form of consuming content."Maybe this is an encouragement for traditional broadcasters to be more innovative and take risks with comedy," Thorpe said.ZA News has been a consistent favourite at the Saftas, yet this hasn't helped the show secure a deal with either of the mainstream broadcasting networks.The Saftas 2016 will take place on March 18 and 20 at Gallagher Estate in Midrand. The second night will be broadcast on SABC2 and this year has SABC3's Expresso presenter Katlego Maboe as the host. He is also up for two nominations in the best TV presenter category...

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