Netflix unveils Love Never Lies and slate of movies in South African content drive

Stained Glass TV’s Umjolo: The Gone Girl is the first in a four-part film anthology

MIP AFRICA: Netflix is producing a South African version of reality format Love Never Lies with BBC Studios-owned production company Rapid Blue and will roll out a slate of South African films over the next few months.

Here at Mip Africa in Cape Town this week, Netflix Africa announced that a SA adaptation of its 2021 Spanish reality show Love Never Lies, titled Love Never Lies: South Africa, will drop on the streamer on November 29. The show will see six couples try to keep telling the truth and pass eye-scanner lie-detector tests to win a cash prize.

Ben Amadasun, Netflix’s VP for the Middle East and Africa, said company remains committed to mining SA and Nigerian content across a range of formats and genres for African audiences as well as those worldwide.

Other announcements included a South African feature slate and the already announced upcoming local drama series Blood Legacy from Gambit Films. To be released on September 20, the series stars Xolile Tshabalala, Treasure Nkosi, Mike Ndlangamandla, Sello Maake ka-Ncube, Pallance Dladla, Wiseman Zitha and Unathi Mkhize.

Netflix’s upcoming SA films include Happiness Is…, with the latest edition in the film franchise dropping October 18. It follows Happiness is a 4 Letter Word and Happiness Ever After and follows a group of friends who are forced to face the weaknesses in each other.

The romantic comedy is produced by Blingola Media and a female-led production team, with Lesedi Siswana producing and Bongiew Seland serving as creative and executive producer.

Umjolo, produced by Stained Glass TV, will be a four-part anthology of feature films under the same banner, with the first film releasing on Netflix worldwide on November 8 and thereafter a film monthly until February 2025.

The first film, Umjolo: The Gone Girl, tells the story of a young woman with the perfect boyfriend, until a doctor’s appointment changes everything. The anthology is executive produced by Pepsi Pokane, Nokuthula Zuma and Gugu Zuma-Ncube.

Disaster Holiday, meanwhile, is timed for the Christmas period and will be released on December 13, produced by Burnt Onion Productions.

The film is the second to be directed by Rethabile Ramaphakela and tells the story of a career-driven workaholic who sets out to prove he is a perfect father and husband by taking his dysfunctional family on an impromptu holiday.

“We are incredibly excited to continue strengthening our relationships with our production partners in South Africa and bringing diverse and authentic local stories by local storytellers to our local and global audiences,” said Amadasun.

“We have seen South African stories not only be loved locally but they have also found a fandom in many countries around the world. This is only a small taste of what’s to come next on Netflix as we continue our work to bring local South African and international stories to entertain our 278 million members around the world.”