M-Net’s first English language drama series in more than a decade, Deon Meyer’s thrilling crime story, Trackers, rocketed to the top of M-Net’s ratings for the year and received rave reviews from critics and viewers alike. Following the success of this magnificent production, M-Net 101 will boost its broadcast schedule with a host of exhilarating local series in 2020.

Coming up next on the slate of proudly South African stories is a 13-part family drama, Still Breathing, currently being filmed in and around Johannesburg. From 27 February, Still Breathing will be screened in the popular M-Net 101 Thursday night slot at 20:00, just after the new season of The Bachelor SA, which starts on 13 February at 19:00.

While Trackers pumped adrenaline with high-octane car chases, flying bullets and blood-curdling crime investigation, Still Breathing sets out to push a totally different set of buttons: the ones of the heart. Love, friendship, complicated relationships, betrayal and long-kept secrets form the emotional crux of a tale about a circle of former friends who have drifted apart with the passage of time but are drawn together again when tragedy strikes. In short, it’s all about love, death – and the mess in-between.

The main themes echo those of international hits such as Brothers and Sisters; This is Us, and Parenthood, but it is spun around the challenges faced by authentic, modern-day South Africans.

What makes Still Breathing extra special, is that it showcases passionate local families in more ways than one – both on and off-screen! In the director’s chair is multiple SAFTA award winner Johnny Barbuzano. The script is the creation of Johnny’s wife, Tiffany Barbuzano, who also co-produces the series with her hubby, and is part of the cast.

In the series, Tiffany plays mom to their real-life offspring, up-and-coming stars Jamie and Jess Barbuzano!

The impressive cast also includes formidable leading ladies: Fleur de Cap winner Kate Liquorish, SAFTA winner Lorcia Kumalo and Naledi winner Shannon Esra. These three actresses feature in the Still Breathing marketing teaser, now aired on M-Net. And if you spotted some other familiar faces, Ty Keogh will indeed set the screen on fire as one of the male leads. One of his co-stars from the Showmax original The Girl from St Agnes, Jane de Wet, also nabbed a part.

Still Breathing is produced by BBZ Films for M-Net.

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Showmax has released the trailer for The Girl From St Agnes, their first original drama, and the series is now to be seen on their video-streaming service.

https://youtu.be/hkdzg1KYN78

At St Agnes, a prestigious all-girls boarding school in the Midlands, the only saint is in the name. When a popular student is found dead at the base of the old mill, the school is quick to declare the death a tragic accident. But drama teacher Kate Ballard, played by Nina Milner, doesn’t believe it. The more she investigates, the more Kate realises that she didn’t know the dead girl, Lexi Summerveld, as played by Jane DeWet, or the school at all. Behind the imposing walls of St Agnes, Lexi’s killer won’t be the only person exposed…

Here are four reasons to be excited:  

It’s a drama in South African English, for a change!

The Girl From St Agnes is a rare showcase of South Africa’s English-language acting talent.

It’s being distributed internationally! 

In a South African first, the dark drama is being distributed internationally by Red Arrow Studios International.

It’s only eight binge-able episodes.

We love soaps and telenovelas as much as the next South African, but sometimes it’s nice to watch something with a satisfying ending, like finding out who killed Lexi Summerveld and why. The Girl From St Agnes has that formula that the whole world has gone mad for: shorter seasons of extremely binge-able criminal content.

It’s like nothing you’ve seen before on South African TV.

South Africans normally turn to HBO series on Showmax for edgy content, rather than local series, which tend to be a lot more conservative, with nudity and divisive topics generally avoided. But conservative isn’t a word anyone’s going to use for The Girl From St Agnes.

Produced by the multi-award-winning Quizzical Pictures, The Girl From St Agnes is coming first and only to Showmax.

The post Showmax Original Beats all Odds appeared first on Stage and Screen.