This programme reflects where the African film industry is currently: expanding audiences, growing co-production pathways and new capital arriving in new forms, but also asks real questions about advocacy, technology and who gets to shape the future of the sector,” says Magdalene Reddy, Director of the Durban FilmMart Institute.

Sessions dealing with finance and film include Talking Cents: Where’s The Change: Co-production Beyond Financial Collaboration, which brings together filmmakers and organisations to reflect on collaborative methods grounded in collective responsibility and interconnectedness, while interrogating the future of collaboration. Then Talking Cents: More Than Making Cents: A New View on Financing Film explores non-traditional financing approaches, including cooperative ecologies that lead to greater creative control, narrative sovereignty, and the retention of intellectual property.

African film industries are growing, but growth without protection is fragile. Who Is Fighting Our Corner? Film Advocacy and Lobbying on the African Continent is a panel featuring representatives involved in active advocacy and lobbying work across the continent, from guilds and professional associations to filmmaker collectives and civil society bodies. Here they will examine what advocacy looks like in practice, where it has succeeded and failed, and how audiences fit into the advocacy picture.

One of DFM Alumni success stories features in an inspiring case study: From the DFM to the Croisette: Samantha Biffot on Producing “Ben’Imana”. Producer Samantha Biffot traces the years-long journey of Ben’Imana, Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo’s Rwandan-Gabonese drama, from its early development as a work-in-progress project at the DFM to its celebrated premiere in Un Certain Regard at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, where it went on to win the FIPRESCI Prize and the Caméra d’Or. Biffot will discuss the realities of financing and packaging an international co-production across Rwanda, Gabon, France, Norway, and Ivory Coast, and what it takes to carry a story about memory and survival after genocide from a market pitch to the world stage.

Artificial intelligence continues to be a hot topic across the film landscape, and animation filmmaking may be the most affected, given how integral the intersection of art and technology already is to the creative process.  In AI and Animation, panellists interrogate what AI means for the world of animation filmmaking, the opportunities, the risks, and the long-term effect on a developing sector such as African animation

Vertical dramas have exploded onto the international scene, reshaping how stories are consumed on mobile-first platforms and unlocking new revenue models for creators. In Short Form, Big Impact: The Rise of Vertical Dramas panellists examine the format’s rapid global rise and its emerging footprint on the African continent, and whether it could become a viable new pathway for content and commerce.

These sessions feature as just a small part of the Durban FilmMart’s extensive four-day industry programme. This year’s Industry Programme is built around a single conviction: that the African film industry’s future depends on the strength and honesty of its relationships — with capital, with audiences, with partners abroad, and with itself.

The Co-production Focus stream interrogates what genuine partnership looks like in practice, from sessions like Fruits of Labour: Service as a Form of Coproduction, which asks whether South African service companies deserve recognition as true collaborators, to South Africa as Coproducing Partner, which confronts the administrative turbulence currently testing the country’s long-standing treaty network, through to Brazil-Africa: Building Bridges Through Coproduction, which looks outward to new South-South alliances.

That same spirit of scrutiny runs through The Power of Programming stream, where sessions on industry programming itself and the pressures facing the international festival circuit ask what infrastructure the sector still lacks and who is being left out of it, while two closed-door think tanks on distribution and audience design push past diagnosis into practical strategy for reaching African audiences on their own terms.

Sector-specific strands deepen the picture with CTIAF’s Animation Day, which tackles the business of building a sustainable animation industry; Doc Society and its partners’ Doc Day: Impact Edition reframes impact producing as a discipline as rigorous as directing or financing; and NEWF’s Beyond the Wild sessions push natural world storytelling toward questions of spirituality, authorship and ownership.

Threaded through all of it is a set of international partnerships — most visibly the Canadian delegation and the Cross Continental Forum’s 25th-anniversary panel — that embody DFM’s core mandate to be the meeting space where shared interest across continents becomes something built together.

To find more information on the sessions above, the rest of the Durban FilmMart Industry Programme and so much more, go to durbanfilmmart.co.za

The 17th edition of Durban FilmMart, in association with MultiChoice and principal funding from the National Lotteries Commission, is supported by the following funders and partners:

eThekwini Municipality, Durban Film Office, Ford Foundation, National Film and Video Foundation, Hollywood Foundation, MTN Group, KwaZulu-Natal Tourism and Film Authority, Expertise France and GIZ, The International Emerging Film Talent Fund, NEFTI, Industrial Development Corporation, Netflix, CNC, Arab Culture Fund, Avalon Group, French Institute of South Africa, Animation SA, African Producers Accelerator, Berlinale Talents, Canada High Commission of South Africa, Caribbeantales and the Cross Continental Forum, Chiriseri Studios, Climate Story Labs Africa, Cape Town International Animation Festival, Department of Communication and Digital Technology, Disabled Audio-Visual Worker’s Network, Documentary Filmmakers Association, Durban International Film Festival, Doc Society, Documentary Africa, Durban University of Technology, Eastern Cape Development Corporation, Embassy of Cote d’Ivoire, European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs, FIVA, FIPRESCI, Gauteng Film Commission, Independent Black Filmmakers Collective, IMPACT (Canada), Independent Producers Organisation, Habesha Creative, Ladima Foundation, Nature Environment Wildlife Filmmakers (NEWF), South African Audio Visual Cluster, South African Guild of Actors, South Africa Guild of Editors, Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, Storyboard Collective, Sisters Working in Film and Television (SWIFT), Palestine Film Institute, Tunga Media Afrika, WGSA, WiC.  Media Partners include Arena Holdings and Variety.

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Upon arriving in paradise, the contestants were immediately thrown into the deep end with three intense, high-energy rounds of speed dating. Far from a casual meet-and-greet, the opening challenge put both physical endurance and mental sharpness to the test, allowing celebrities and consumer contestants to gauge each other’s resilience, strategic thinking, and athletic capability under pressure before locking in their final partnerships.

After a series of gruelling micro-challenges and strategic chemistry checks, the eight official celebrity-consumer pairings competing this season have been revealed:

•  Amanda du-Pont and Shaun Farrell
• Caster Semenya and Thando Zwane
• Francois Hougaard and Iana Strydom
• Lalela Mswane and Sesi Mbatha
• Leandie du Randt and Anke Coetzer
• Nadia Nakai and Andile Khuluse
• Sandile Mhlango and Jodell Tantij
• Wiseman Mncube and Ashay Sewlall

While the spectacular Réunion Island setting may look like paradise, the contestants will quickly discover that Tropika Island Of Treasure is anything but a holiday. This season’s challenges are designed to test strength, stamina and endurance, while the puzzles will demand strategy, quick thinking, teamwork and determination, and with unexpected twists along the way, contestants will need to stay adaptable if they want to make it to the end.

For Sveti Kovatcheva, Brand Manager: Dairy Fruit Mix at Clover, the reaction to the season’s opening episode has already shown just how excited audiences are to see the franchise return. “We have been so excited to finally share Season 12 with our viewers, and the reaction to the first episode has been incredible. Seeing the celebrities and smoooth fans come together and watching those first partnerships take shape is just the beginning of what promises to be an unforgettable adventure,” she says. “There is so much more still to come this season, and viewers can expect plenty of twists, turns, surprises and challenges that will push our teams to their limits. The competition is officially on, and we can’t wait for audiences to join us for the journey.”

With the teams now chosen, the stakes are higher, the partnerships are being tested and the race for the treasure is officially underway.

Catch Tropika Island Of Treasure every Wednesday at 21:00 on SABC 1, with a repeat every Thursday at 18:00 on S3.

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The intimate event took place at the iconic Roger Ballen Centre for Photography in Forest Town, transforming the renowned creative space into the perfect setting to experience Miley’s latest musical chapter from beginning to end. Guests were treated to a top-to-bottom listen of the album ahead of its global release, immersing themselves in the sound of a project that sees the Grammy Award-winning superstar embracing a fresh new era.

Released globally on 18 September, ‘Bass Persuades’ marks Miley’s 10th studio album. The 10-track album features collaborations with Model/Actriz on the album highlight ‘Different Religion’ and Andrew Wyatt of Miike Snow on ‘Neon Signs’, alongside production contributions from frequent collaborators including Kid Harpoon and Maxx Morando.

The album’s title track, ‘Bass Persuades’, gave fans their first taste of the new era earlier this month, arriving with a visually striking music video directed by Mert Alas. Built around throbbing ’80s-inspired synths and a dance-pop pulse, the track finds Miley leaning into the transformative power of music and encouraging listeners to put down their phones, surrender to the moment, and simply dance.

The star-studded event brought together some of South Africa’s prominent media figures and creative minds, including television personalities Chanley Wong and Lee-Roy Wright, top fashion model Ponahalo Mojapelo, and radio personalities Mike Vee, Thabile TTO, and Joy Fakude, alongside a select group of influential digital content creators and dedicated fans.

For Warner Music Africa, the listening experience was an opportunity to bring the music closer to the people who help shape the cultural conversation around global artists and their releases.

“There’s something incredibly special about hearing an album for the first time together, especially a project as exciting and unexpected as Bass Persuades,” says Ayanda Mnguni, Senior Marketing Manager at Warner Music Africa. “We wanted to create an experience that allowed fans, creators and our industry partners to really immerse themselves in Miley’s new era before the album officially arrived. Johannesburg has such an incredible appetite for global pop culture, and bringing this group together to experience the album in such a unique space was the perfect way to celebrate the release.”

With its mix of dance-pop, electronic textures, ’80s-inspired sounds, and more experimental moments, ‘Bass Persuades’ finds Miley once again refusing to stay in one musical lane.

‘Bass Persuades’ is now available to stream and download worldwide across all major digital music platforms. Listen to the album here.

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When Connect 3 loses its opening act ahead of a major reunion tour, the band returns to Camp Rock in search of the next big thing. As the campers compete for the chance to join their favourite band on tour, friendships are tested, tensions rise, and unexpected alliances, revelations and romances begin to unfold.

Familiar Faces Return to Camp Rock

Joe Jonas, Nick Jonas and Kevin Jonas return as Shane Gray, Nate Gray and Jason Gray, with Maria Canals-Barrera reprising her role as Connie. Joining the franchise are Liamani Segura as Sage, Malachi Barton as Fletch, Lumi Pollack as Rosie, Sherry Cola as Lark, Hudson Stone as Desi, Casey Trotter as Cliff, Brooklynn Pitts as Callie, and Ava Jean as Madison.

Behind the Scenes of Camp Rock 3

Directed by Veronica Rodriguez and written by Eydie Faye, Camp Rock 3 is produced by Disney Kids & Family and features choreography by Jamal Sims. Tim Federle executive produces alongside Joe, Nick and Kevin Jonas, Demi Lovato, Betsy Sullenger, Spencer Berman and Gary Marsh.

Turn Up the Music

And, of course, it wouldn’t be Camp Rock without the music.

“One Beat Away,” the first single from Camp Rock 3 and performed by Liamani and the cast, is now available on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and YouTube Music.

The Camp Rock 3 Original Soundtrack is available to pre-save/pre-add and pre-order on Apple, Spotify and Amazon, while the vinyl edition is also available to pre-order.

With Connect 3 back together and a fresh group of campers chasing their big break, Camp Rock 3 brings the music, friendships and summer-camp drama back for a new generation.

Camp Rock 3 premieres 19 September at 19:30 CAT on Disney Channel, DStv Channel 303.

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Throughout the regular season, ESPN Africa will broadcast four live NFL games every week, giving audiences a front-row seat to the touchdowns, rivalries and defining moments as 32 teams begin their pursuit of a place in the playoffs and, ultimately, Super Bowl LXI.

Live games will air across Africa on ESPN (Azam 120, DStv 218, StarTimes 248, Wananchi / Zuku TV 712, ZAP 31) and ESPN2 (Azam 121, DStv 219, StarTimes 249, Wananchi / Zuku TV 713, ZAP 32) as well as on ESPN and ESPN 2 linear channels on Disney+ in South Africa. Repeat broadcasts will also feature during regular programming hours, giving fans more opportunities to tune in.

The Road to Super Bowl LXI Begins

The new season will see the NFL’s 32 teams return to action, each playing 17 regular-season games over 18 weeks as they battle for postseason places and the chance to compete for American football’s ultimate prize. All eyes will be on the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks, who enter the new campaign with a target on their backs as the rest of the league looks to challenge for the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy.

From established superstars and historic franchises to emerging talent and some of sport’s fiercest rivalries, the NFL season will once again deliver months of high-stakes action as the race towards the playoffs gathers momentum.

The journey will culminate in Super Bowl LXI, bringing together two NFL conference champions for one of the biggest annual sporting events in the world.

For updates regarding ESPN and its programming, fans can connect to @ESPNAfrica on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or visit espn.com.

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More Performances Added To The Teatro Schedule

“We are incredibly grateful for the excitement surrounding the return of an Afrikaans production to the Teatro at Montecasino after more than 10 years. We are deeply thankful to every person who is helping to secure the future of Afrikaans musicals on a national stage such as the Teatro,” says Jacomien de Wet of Inhoud Huis Musiek.

“Rehearsals for the production’s return are in full swing. The team is working hard to present Semi-Soet on the Teatro stage on a bigger and better scale than ever before. The new Teatro run has been specially adapted for the venue, with new creative elements, larger-scale visuals, brand-new songs, surprises and a bigger cast,” says Johan Vorster of Inhoud Huis Musiek.

JP And Jaci Return For The Latest Production

Bobby van Jaarsveld and Anel Alexander return as the beloved characters JP and Jaci – two people who pretend to be the perfect couple, only to discover that love sometimes awaits in the most unexpected places. The talented Zöricke Snyman and Philip Schnetler, both of whom have received Naledi nominations for this production, will also return, along with Nadia Beukes, who is no stranger to the Teatro stage.

From Romantic Film To Live Musical

The story is based on the popular romantic film of the same name but has been expanded for the stage with music by Vorster and De Wet. The result is an original Afrikaans musical that brings together humour, romance, music and energy. New music has also been written for this season, including Rek Strek Baba by Marcelle Peach, which has already been released on all digital platforms.

Audiences Get More Opportunities To See The Show

The additional performances now give audiences even more opportunities to experience Semi-Soet – die musiekblyspel on the Teatro stage.

The Details Of The Musical

• Date: From 4 September 2026
• Venue: Teatro at Montecasino
• Additional performances: Thursday, 24 September at 11:00 (Heritage Day)
• Saturday, 26 September at 15:00
• Sunday, 27 September at 13:00
• Tickets: Available at semisoetmusiekblyspel.co.za

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Set against the stunning backdrop of Réunion Island, the latest season promises to take contestants and viewers on an unforgettable journey filled with high-stakes challenges, unexpected twists and the spectacular natural beauty of one of the Indian Ocean’s most captivating destinations.

The 12^th season of Tropika Island of Treasure will premiere on Wednesdays from 23 September at 21:00 on SABC 1, with a repeat every Thursday from 24 September at 18:00 on S3.

From physical challenges that will test strength and endurance to mental battles requiring strategy, teamwork, and determination, the new season will once again put contestants to the ultimate island test as celebrities team up with members of the public in the race for the treasure.

This season’s star-studded celebrity line-up includes Nadia Nakai, Caster Semenya, Francois Hougaard, Leandie du Randt, Sandile Mahlangu, Amanda du-Pont, Lalela Mswane and Wiseman Mncube, who will be paired with eight consumer contestants who will be revealed soon.

SABC 1 viewers can also look forward to seeing returning host Zanele Potelwa back at the helm. Following her SAFTA nomination for Best TV Presenter for the previous season, Potelwa returns with the energy, warmth and sense of adventure that have made her a firm favourite with Tropika Island of Treasure fans.

“Tropika Island of Treasure has always been about adventure, connection and creating unforgettable experiences, and Season 12 takes that spirit to an entirely new level,” says Sveti Kovatcheva, Brand Manager: Dairy Fruit Mix at Clover. “Réunion Island provides an incredible backdrop for this season, but it’s the people, the partnerships and the challenges that will really bring the magic to life. We can’t wait for viewers to join us every week as our contestants push themselves, embrace the unexpected, and discover just how much they are capable of.” 

Réunion Island is no stranger to adventure. From dramatic volcanic landscapes and lush mountain scenery to turquoise waters and vibrant local culture, the destination provides the perfect setting for a season that promises to be bigger, bolder and more unpredictable.

With a new destination, a formidable line-up of celebrity contestants, and a new group of members of the public ready to take on the adventure, Season 12 of Tropika Island of Treasure is set to bring all the excitement, drama, laughter, and smoooth vibes audiences have come to love.

Tune in to all the action when the new season of Tropika Island Of Treasure premieres on 23 September at 21:00 on SABC 1!

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This year’s programme boasts 12 films, including new work from Oscar-winning directors Pawel Pawlikowski and Paolo Sorrentino; social realist legends, the Dardenne Brothers; BAFTA-winning feature debutant Akinola Davies Jr.; and intriguing, entertaining, always engaging work from both veteran and emerging European cinematic storytellers. Featuring impressive performances from the cream of European talent, including Mads Mikkelsen, Javier Bardem, Sandra Hüller, and Carice van Houten, and a host of newcomers ably meeting the challenges of demanding, emotional roles – the 13^th edition of South Africa’s premier festival for cinema-lovers explores family and its realities and challenges across time, place, and genre.

Opening the festival is The Last Viking, with Denmark’s biggest star Mads Mikkelsen, leading the star-studded cast of this madcap, blackly comic Danish family-drama/crime-caper-noir about brothers, mental health, past secrets, the Beatles and getting by with more than a little bit of help from your friends.

Winner of the BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut, My Father’s Shadow (UK), British-Nigerian director Akinola Davies Jr’s first feature marks the arrival of a vital, bold new voice in world cinema. Poetically realised with haunting imagery and bustling, vivid, angry life, it’s a deeply personal film that’s a tribute not only to its creators’ own father but to all parents who daily face the struggles to keep their families alive and together at all costs.

Germany’s offering, Fatherland, directed by Oscar-winning director Paweł Pawlikowski (Ida and Cold War), European cinema’s master of visual and narrative precision, delivers a tightly controlled, intimate, and heart-breaking portrait of German literature’s legendary Thomas Mann as he and his daughter make a journey across a nation trying to grapple with grief and the horrors of the past as the Cold War rages. Winner of the Best Director prize at this year’s Cannes Festival, the film stars Oscar-nominated Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall).

In Young Mothers (Belgium), the multiple award-winning Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne paint a small, gritty, and empathetic portrait of the struggles of young mothers. Abandoned by their families and society, these courageous and anxious young women support each other as they make the first of many tough adult decisions of their lives.  Winner of the Best Screenplay award at Cannes this year.

Oscar- and BAFTA-winning leading Italian director Paolo Sorrentino (The Great Beauty) reteams with collaborator Toni Servillo in La Grazia (Italy). Servillo won a Best Actor statue at the Venice Film Festival for his performance in this elegantly styled, intimate drama about fathers, daughters, love, duty, and the eternal question of “who owns our days?”- set against the grubby backdrop of Italian politics.

Colours of Time (France), directed by Cédric Klapisch, is a family drama that weaves together stories from one family’s 19th-century past and their 21st-century present. A memorably delightful and touching exploration of art, family, and history.

Porcelain War (Ukraine), directed by Brendan Bellomo and featuring this stunning documentary’s key protagonist, Slava Leontyev, is an inspirational Oscar-nominated film in which Leontyev, his wife, and their friend tell, at great personal risk and with footage they shot, the story of how their lives as artists were brutally upended by the war in Ukraine. Now, with roles as Ukrainian soldiers – they’ve never lost their passion for art and nature as they risk everything for family, nation and freedom.

Oscar winner Javier Bardem gives a brooding performance as the fictional, acclaimed, mercurial Spanish film director Esteban Martínez in The Beloved (Spain). Director Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s Martinez returns to his homeland to film a colonial-era period drama set in the Western Sahara.

The film unravels the fragile relationship between fathers and daughters and asks difficult questions about personal sacrifices made in service of art.

In A Family (Netherlands), Dutch director Mees Peijnenburg offers a powerful window on divorce in modern Europe, told empathetically through the eyes of a brother and sister trying to each find their own ways and hopefully a path together through the aftermath of the bitter war between their parents. It stars Carice van Houten (Game of Thrones) and Pieter Embrechts.

Veteran award-winning Polish director Agnieszka Holland offers an energetic and generally bright biopic about the enigmatic literary genius Franz Kafka in Franz. The film contemplates its protagonist, his difficult relationship with his father, and imagines how his legacy might be celebrated in the future.

Ireland’s Christy is the debut feature from Brendan Canty that has picked up many nominations and awards at this year’s Irish Film and TV Awards for its tender direction and impressive lead performance from Danny Power as the title character – a teenager with a murkily remembered tragic past, who, after he’s kicked out of his latest foster home, returns to Cork to stay with his estranged brother. As he tries to figure out his future, he rediscovers the relationship with his brother and begins to imagine a home among people in a place he might yet grow to know and love.

The extraordinary and original, Aquí (Portugal) is director Tiago Guedes’ ambitious, epic, and suitably enigmatic adaptation of the Jesus trilogy of novels by South African Nobel laureate J.M. Coetzee. It stays true to its source material’s humanist hopes, despairs and probing of the eternal philosophical questions that keep families and societies eternally (and anxiously) moving onward.

The festival pays tribute to the tireless dedication and vision of a former co-director of the festival Peter Rorvik, who sadly passed away earlier this year. Peter was a passionate supporter of independent films and nurtured a generation of film lovers and filmmakers across South Africa and beyond for decades.

The 13^th European Union Film Festival South Africa takes place from September 17 to 27, 2026, in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, and Pretoria.

For the full programme and schedule, follow on social media or go to eurofilmfest.co.za

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Disney Jr. to premiere brand-new isiZulu dub of Sofia the First

Acclaimed filmmaker Alex Prager combines heartfelt storytelling and extraordinary practical craftsmanship in the Once A Princess, Always A Princess: A Disney Short Film on Disney+ and YouTube

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, August 18, 2026  – This week, Disney kicked off World Princess Week with the release of the all-new Once A Princess, Always A Princess: A Disney Short Film from acclaimed filmmaker Alex Prager on Disney+ and YouTube, bringing together remarkable storytelling and craftsmanship as the heartfelt centerpiece of the week-long celebration.

World Princess Week is an extraordinary global celebration honouring one of the world’s most beloved and enduring storytelling franchises. World Princess Week invites fans of all ages to experience new stories, incredible entertainment, special events, consumer products, and more to celebrate Disney Princess characters whose stories have inspired generations through confidence, compassion, courage, and creativity. Fans around the world can stream Disney Princess: The Ultimate Concert Celebration – the largest gathering of Disney Princess talent ever assembled – on Disney+, discover new episodes and specials featuring some beloved Disney Princess characters, and participate in retail.

Anchored by the spirit of “Once a Princess, Always a Princess,” the celebration highlights a simple but powerful truth: the spirit of Disney Princesses stays with fans throughout every stage of life. Whether reliving a favourite childhood story, sharing beloved characters with a new generation, or finding inspiration to pursue new adventures, Disney Princesses continue to create meaningful connections that resonate far beyond the screen.

“The enduring strength of Disney Princesses lies in its ability to evolve with each new generation while remaining rooted in stories that inspire courage, compassion, and possibility. That’s what makes these characters so meaningful to fans around the world. This year’s World Princess Week celebrates this legacy,” said Lee Jury, SVP, Marketing for The Walt Disney Company EMEA.

Original Content and Entertainment for Fans of All Ages

The emotional centerpiece of this year’s World Princess Week celebration is the all-new Once A Princess, Always A Princess: A Disney Short Film, available today on Disney+ and YouTube. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Alex Prager, the short film follows two young girls living in neighboring apartment buildings whose shared love of Disney Princess stories sparks an instant friendship. As their imaginations transform everyday moments into magical adventures inspired by the spectacular worlds of some beloved Disney Princesses, the short film celebrates a universal truth: Disney Princess stories provide a shared language that brings people together and creates connections that can last a lifetime. Years later, the friends are shown passing those same stories and traditions on to their own daughters, illustrating how the magic of Disney Princesses endures across generations.

“I grew up with the Disney Princesses and their colorful, weightless worlds, full of beauty and drama, adventure, friendship, and true love,” said director Alex Prager. “One of the things that drew me to making the Disney Princess film is at its heart, it’s about relationships and human connection. The film highlights that Disney stories give kids a shared language through which they can connect and play and imagine together.”

Created as a love letter to the Disney Princess franchise and the art of filmmaking itself, the short film blends timeless storytelling with extraordinary practical craftsmanship. The production employed handcrafted “bigature” castles inspired by Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), and The Little Mermaid (1989); custom puppets representing some cherished Disney characters; hand-painted matte backdrops; and a custom score performed by a 56-piece live orchestra. Many effects, from floating magic carpets to underwater adventures, were brought to life through practical techniques and physical artistry, reinforcing the short film’s celebration of imagination and creativity.

Disney Jr. is inviting young viewers and families across South Africa to tune in for the premiere of the isiZulu dub of Sofia the First starting today on Disney Jr. (DStv, Channel 309). The EmmyⓇ Award-winning series tells the magical story of Sofia, an ordinary girl who becomes a princess in the kingdom of Enchancia, learning that honesty, loyalty, compassion, and grace are what make someone truly royal. Bringing the magical story to life in isiZulu is a talented local cast, including Busisiwe Mhlanga (Sofia), Monde Msutwana (King Roland), Cebile Mlaba (Queen Miranda), Senzeka Mnguni (Princess Amber), Nozizwe Zulu (Prince James), and Brian Mkhombe (Baileywick).

Additional new content arriving during World Princess Week includes the airing of Disney and Pixar’s Brave on Friday 21 August on Disney Channel (17:00, DStv Channel 303), new episodes of Sofia the First: Royal Magic on Disney Jr. (DStv, Channel 309) and the Disney+ debut of LEGO Disney Princess: Magical Mayhem on August 21. The animated special brings together some iconic Disney Princess characters, including Ariel, Jasmine, Mulan, Moana, Rapunzel, Snow White, and Tiana, along with some favorite sidekicks, in an all-new adventure.

Consumer Products and Retail Offerings

Disney Consumer Products (DCP) will extend World Princess Week through retail and also debut an all-new Moana docu-series on 18 August, highlighting the creativity and imagination of young fans through LEGO Disney play. This LEGO Disney episode gives audiences a look into the creative world of young girls at play, capturing the unscripted process of imagining and building a Moana x LEGO world. In addition, a vast selection of Disney Princess toys, games, fashion, and accessories will be available at leading retailers across South Africa.

From the debut of the emotionally resonant Once A Princess, Always A Princess: A Disney Short Film and the largest Disney Princess concert celebration ever assembled to new Disney+ content and all-new consumer products and experiences, World Princess Week demonstrates the enduring power of Disney Princess storytelling. By bringing together beloved characters, timeless values, and unforgettable experiences across Disney’s unmatched global ecosystem, the celebration reinforces a message that continues to resonate with fans of all ages: once a princess, always a princess.

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In addition to showcasing the sport’s biggest international stars, the tournament will also provide South African players with the opportunity to compete locally through wildcard entries and qualification pathways.

Fans can follow the action live on ESPN as the tournament reaches its decisive stages:

• Monday 27 July: Opening rounds (from 17:00)
• Tuesday 28 & Wednesday 29 July: First Round, Men’s & Women’s (from 9:00 onwards)
• Thursday 30 July: Round of 16 (from 10:00 onwards)
• Friday 31 July: Quarter-finals (from 10:00 onwards)
• Saturday 1 August: Women’s Semi-final (13:00) and Men’s Semi-final (17:00)
• Sunday 2 August: Women’s Final (13:00) and Men’s Final (15:00)

With live coverage from Pretoria complemented by social media content and updates, the Premier Padel promises to treat fans to one of the world’s fastest-growing sports while placing South Africa firmly on the international padel calendar.

For updates regarding the Premier Padel and other sports, fans can connect to @ESPNAfrica on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or visit espn.com.

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