ViacomCBS Networks Africa’s Black Excellence channel, BET Africa (DStv 129, GOTv 21), is proving to be a strong contender with multiple nominations at the Royalty Soapie Awards 2021 for their first original daily drama ISONO, co-produced with Clive Morris Productions. The channel that celebrates black culture and storytelling scored an incredible eleven nominations at the much anticipated 5th Royalty Soapie Awards announcement event this week.
While new market entrant Isono features in the highly coveted technical categories for Best Directing, Lighting Direction, Make up & Hair styling, it also scooped in the key talent Categories. The legendary actress, Nthati Moshesh, with her ‘Mother Mary’ character is twice nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress and Viewer’s Choice: Best Actress categories. Keeping the black female talent flag high is another legendary actress, Moshidi Motshegwa who is nominated for the Outstanding Female Villain and also features in the Viewer’s Choice: Best Actress.
Young smoking gun Senzo Radebe who portrays the character of Abednego is recognised in the Outstanding Supporting Actor category and is nominated again in the Viewer’s Choice: Best Actor category alongside fellow cast member Emmanuel Castis who additionally receives a nod for Outstanding Male Villain. The show has also been recognised in the viewers choice Most Popular show category.
“Congratulations to our production partner CMP and our phenomenal cast, crew and BET AFRICA team, who during an unprecedented COVID environment, have delivered a stellar and compelling local production. It’s an incredible honour for Viacom International Studios and BET Africa to be nominated across several categories at this prestigious industry awards. This affirms our commitment to investing in and producing local storytelling and platforms that showcase local talent that resonates with our viewers across the continent and the world,” commented Monde Twala, Senior Vice President and General Manager for VCNA and Peer Lead for BET International.
Isono tells an authentic African story that is rich with diverse narratives across the continent. Since its launch, the original daily drama has delivered compelling storytelling that not only entertains and engages but also educates and elevates black culture. This year’s prestigious awards mark a momentous five-year milestone celebration in an industry that emphasises the importance of story-telling in our lives.
Nthati Moshesh, lead cast member and one of South Africa’s most revered actresses commented, “Firstly congratulations to the Isono team, the cast and crew you were truly outstanding, your support and care through the filming of Isono was unbelievable. I wouldn’t have been able to go through the amazing journey without the teamwork, we kept each other going and we were there for each other. Thank you to everyone who made the Mary Ndlovu journey so seamless. Thank you to both CMP and BET Africa for the opportunity and for entrusting me in leading the story.”
Clive Morris, founder and CEO of CMP concluded, “It gives us immense pride as CMP to have been acknowledged for Isono. This was a ground-breaking project. Thank you to BET Africa/ViacomCBS for the incredible privilege and opportunity to partner on this pioneering telenovela. Thanks to our talented cast, crew and partners for their commitment to excellence, working tirelessly during a pandemic. We look forward to a bright future with the network to bring quality content to African audiences and beyond!”
The introduction of a telenovela format for the BET AFRICA channel is a significant investment into the local production industry. For riveting drama and the best in African content, catch BET Africa’s original daily drama Isono, where Dark Secrets Lead to Deadly Sins on BET AFRICA (DStv Channel 129, GOTv Channel 21) at 20:30 WAT/ 21:30 CAT where the suspenseful original daily drama airs Monday to Thursday.
Public voting lines opened on 1 September and will close at 18:00 on 14 September. On how to cast your vote, visit royaltysa.com.
For more information on BET Africa’s original daily drama visit www.betafrica.tv, like and chat to us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BETinAfrica, or join the conversation on Twitter and Instagram @BET_Africa using the hashtag #ISONOBET #BETAFRICAORIGINAL
The full list of BET Africa’s Isono nominations at the Royalty Soapie Awards 2021 are:
Most Popular Show
Outstanding Directing Team
Outstanding Lighting Direction
Outstanding Casting
Outstanding Makeup & Hair Styling
Outstanding Supporting Actor: Senzo Radebe & Emmanuel Castis
Outstanding Lead Actress: Nthati Moshesh
Outstanding Male Villain: Emmanuel Castis
Outstanding Female Villain: Moshidi Motshegwa
Viewer’s Choice: Best Actor: Emmanuel Castis
Viewer’s Choice: Best Actress: Nthati Moshesh & Moshidi Motshegwa
About BET:
BET, a subsidiary of ViacomCBS Inc. (NASDAQ: VIACA, VIAC), is the nation’s leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African American audience. The primary BET channel is in 125 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, sub-Saharan Africa and France. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions including BET+, the preeminent streaming service for the Black audience; BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET HER, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American Woman; BET Music Networks – BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET’s growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET around the globe.
For media queries:
- Brukeme Dickson
Brukeme.Dickson@redmediaafrica.com; +2348188547950
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