Tag Archives: Happiness Ever After

Mmabatho Kau takes Rapid Blue role

BBC Studios-backed South African prodco Rapid Blue has appointed experienced TV exec Mmabatho Kau as its new head of scripted.

Mmabatho Kau

The newly created role will see Kau develop and drive Rapid Blue’s ambitions in scripted content and sourcing new business opportunities.

Kau has over 20 years’ experience as a producer, development executive and broadcaster. She has produced a variety of shows in South Africa, including a 26-part South African educational drama Soul City 12 for SABC.

She has also worked as a script consultant on films such as Happiness Ever After (the sequel to Happiness is a Four Letter Word) Kalushi: The Solomon Mahlangu Story and Beyond The River.

Kau has also managed an entertainment TV channel and led the original content department for pan-African satellite TV network KWESE.

Ziyanda Ngcaba, MD at Rapid Blue, said: “Following more than 30 years of producing award-winning unscripted content for African audiences, Mmabatho is an important hire to fulfil our ambition for growth in scripted.

“Rapid Blue has already seen success in scripted production, having produced two seasons of Is’thunzi for Mzansi Magic, with Thuso Mbedu, who received two iEmmy nominations for Best Actress. I am confident that with Mmabatho’s varied experiences and ability to craft and produce African stories that resonate globally, she will carve a new path for Rapid Blue.”

Rapid Blue is behind Come Dine with Me South Africa, now in its seventh season, and local versions of Celebrity Game Night and The Bachelorette, amongst many others. It is also producing a local version of Family Feud with the show’s US host, Steve Harvey.

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SA film Happiness Ever After set for Netflix

L-R: Khanyi Mbau, Mmabatho Montsho and Renate Stuurman starred in Happiness is a Four-Letter Word

South African romantic drama film Happiness Ever After, a sequel to 2016’s Happiness is a Four-Letter Word, is set to debut on global streaming platform Netflix.

The film was produced in Johannesburg by Bongiwe Selane and directed by Thabang Moleya. It follows the glittering lifestyles of a trio of Joburg-based professional women as they grapple with issues of relationship stress, parenting and family tension.

It features returning cast members from the original, including Khanyi Mbau, Renate Stuurman and Richard Lukunku, as well as newcomers Nambitha Ben-Mazwi, Yonda Thomas, Daniel Effiong and Loyiso MacDonald. The film also includes heavyweight South African stars Xolile Tshabalala and Nandi Nyembe.

Selane said: “I’m super-excited about Happiness Ever After, and being able to continue the uber-relatable story of sisterhood, friendship and love.

“Sequels are always difficult because the pressure is that much higher, but they also offer something different and exciting – and the opportunity to land the film on a global service like Netflix is its own reward. It is my sincere hope that the film resonates with audiences, and they fall back in love with their favourites and the new faces too.”

The release date of the movie has yet to be confirmed.

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Netflix finds Happiness Ever After

Global streaming platform Netflix has lined up a South African drama titled Happiness Ever After as a sequel to Happiness is a Four-Letter Word, which debuted in 2016.

Directed by Thabang Moleya, the original film is based on Nozizwe Cynthia Jele’s award-winning book of the same title, which follows three women looking for happiness while maintaining images of success and acceptability.

Moleya returns to helm Happiness Ever After, which will continue the story from five years ago while including sisterhood and friendship, as well as a new romantic story arc.

Production will take place in Johannesburg, South Africa, while the film will debut on Netflix later this year. It is produced by Bongiwe Selane (Nomalanga & the Witch) and Ayanda Halimana is the screenwriter.

Cast member Khanyi Mbau said: “The sequel lives independently from the book but obviously with some of the old characters returning to bring more drama and more sizzle in the sequel.”

Another cast member, Renate Stuurman, added: “We wanted to take audiences somewhere new. The story picks up five years later from where we left our characters and it is on all of us (the cast, the producers, the crew) to take our audiences somewhere new.”

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