Somizi Mhlongo and Nadia Neophytou named as SAFTAs 2016 Red Carpet Presenters! Best TV Presenter Voting Line Now Open!
Two of the country’s supreme talents have signed on as Red Carpet presenters for the South Africa Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) 2016. Actor, dancer and choreographer, Somizi Mhlongo and arts and entertainment journalist Nadia Neophytou. Who better to present the 10th SAFTAs in a year when fresh life is being breathed into the awards with a new look and theme titled ‘Imagine’, than these two brand powerhouses.
“We are delighted to be working with Somizi Mhlongo and Nadia Neophytou, both of whom are home grown talents that have built stellar, longstanding careers. They are at the peak of their game and have also enjoyed longevity,” says Zama Mkosi, Chief Executive Officer at the National Film and Video Foundation of South Africa (NFVF).
Somizi Mhlongo has not only presented and appeared as a guest on shows such as 10 Over 10, City Ses’la, Dance Your Butt Off, Zero Tolerance, he also boasts the title of judge on Idols SA. He has also appeared in movies such as Sarafina!, Cry, the Beloved Country and Scavengers.
Somizi says, “Taking this gig was less about the money and more about being a part of history, and the biggest event on the awards calendar in South Africa. I’m looking forward to bringing something different, something rattata, something Somizi, to the SAFTAs 2016 Red Carpet as a presenter.”
Born in Benoni and now based in New York City, Nadia has interviewed the likes of Oprah, Forest Whitaker and Meryl Streep. She’s covered amongst others the Cannes Film Festival, the Oscars, Nelson Mandela’s 90th Birthday Concert in New York, and the Royal Wedding. She’s received the Nedbank Arts Journalist of the Year award and her work has appeared in various print publications and reports regularly for a local news site.
“I am very excited to be heading home to SA to co-host the SAFTAs Red Carpet. Whenever I cover a film festival or awards ceremony and see a South African doing well, it makes me incredibly proud, so I’m looking forward to interviewing the filmmakers, producers, actors and TV stars who’ve been nominated. I’m looking forward to seeing who takes home the Golden Horn,” says Nadia Neophytou.
Best TV Presenter Voting Line
SMS voting lines have opened for the public to vote for their ‘Best Presenter’ via SMS.
§ To vote, SMS the Code of the presenter you would like to vote for to the number 33101.
§ SMS voting lines close on 20 March 2016.
Category
Winner Programme
Winner Name
Sub Category
Code
Best TV Presenter Non- Fiction ( Game, Magazine, Music, Talk & Variety Show)
Afro Café
Serai Tshepo Seaate
Music Show
1
Craze – Sisathood 1019
Chanley Wong (Craze – Sistahood 1019)
Youth Programme
2
Edge
Danine Naidoo
Magazine Show
3
Eksê Zwakala
Pabi Moloi
Talk Show
4
Katlego Maboe
Expresso Morning Show
Variety
5
kN Verslag
Riaan Cruywagen
Current Affairs / Actuality
6
Noot Vir Noot Series 40
Johan Stemmet
Game Show
7
Our Perfect Wedding
Boitumelo Osei Tutu
Reality Show
8
Siyakholwa We Believe
Vele Manenje
Children Programme
9
Speak out Season 8
Dingaan Mokebe ka Khumalo
Factual Educational
10
Strictly Come Dancing
Katlego Maboe
International Format Show
11
For the past 10 ten years, the SAFTAs have become the paramount celebration of professionals in the industry. The SAFTAs, which are awarded by the NFVF, an agency of the Department of Arts and Culture, continue to acknowledge and reward exceptional creativity, quality and excellence.
The awards are an industry initiative governed by the SAFTAs committee, which comprises SASFED, SABC, M-Net and etv. The award will take place on the 18th and 20th of March, the second night will broadcast live on SABC 2.
