Variations on a Theme, a South African drama by directors Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar, just won the coveted Tiger Award for best competition film at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in The Netherlands, and has now gone on to win the Best African Film award at the Joburg Film Festival 2026 Gala Awards.

So, obvs, we needed to talk to them. Gino got hold of them via Zoom to get some insight into the "whats?" and "whys?" behind the film.

It tells the story of an elderly goat herder, Hettie, who falls victim to a scam promising long-overdue reparations for her father’s WWII service. As she waits for money that will never come, the disruptions of her 80th birthday threaten to strip away the last of her independence.

Devon adds, “Although the film is fictional, it's based on the real experiences of people who have historically borne the brunt of a lot of injustices and continue to fall victim to these scams".

The Tiger Competition jury said: “Possessing a deep poetic language, we found this to be a thoughtful and moving portrait of a community living under the spectre of colonial legacies and familial bonds in this world and the next.”

You can catch Variations on a Theme at Ster-Kinekor V&A Nouveau in Cape Town or at Rosebank Nouveau in Johannesburg.

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Gino Shelile’s profile • Letterboxd
Member of the Film Critics Association of South Africa (FCASA)

Produced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting
ted@aten.co.za

Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay

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With invites from all over, this week Gino was spolt for choice. Welcome to African Couch Potato, the No.1 film and television podcast to listen to in SA according to Feedspot.com

Firstly, on a sad note, trailblazing beauty queen and established actress, Cynthia Shange has left us. After being crowned Miss Black South Africa she went on to represent the country at Miss World in 1972. She was also the lead star in South Africa's first black feature film, Udeliwe.

The invites! Invite number 1 was to Michael, at the IMAX with Laser in Rosebank. A long, long time in production, the movie follows Michael's rise to stardom from the early days in the 60s to his explosion as a megastar in the early 90s. Go!

Invite number 2 was another groundbreaker in a way. BTS is a South Korean boy band who have made it big all over the world. After a pause to do military service, they reunited and started touring again. Their recent Arirang World Tour Tokyo concert was livestreamed to cinemas globally and Gino was there with the rest of the ARMY (Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth).

The 12th Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards are around the corner and this year they will be hosted by SA's Nomzamo Mbatha and Nigeria’s producer-comedian-actor, Bovi on the 9th May in Lagos.

While, on the same day, the SAFFA Stunt Awards are happening in Cape Town, you can get tickets by calling +27 83 716 1821.

And, don't miss the next ep, when Gino chats to directors Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar about their film, Variations on a Theme, which premiered earlier in 2026, won the Tiger Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and Best African Film at the 2026 Joburg Film Festival. Be there!

Yes? No? Send us a text

Let us know what you think, what movie or series you would like to see featured, or just to tell us how brilliant it all is:
instagram.com/africancouchpotato
x.com/africancouchpot
gino.arlechino@gmail.com

WhatsApp Channel: Mzansi Film News, Views and Reviews

YouTube; African Couch Potato - YouTube

https://www.patreon.com/c/AfricanCouchPotato

Gino Shelile’s profile • Letterboxd
Member of the Film Critics Association of South Africa (FCASA)

Produced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting
ted@aten.co.za

Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay

CHqjHqS2RAMkVSeydGo7

© SANTE MEDIA 2026

Big fanfare! We have hit another first. This week sees the very first time we have featured a return guest. Welcome back Zenobia Kloppers, and she is here to do the double on ACP as she is doing the double in the film world. A rare occassion indeed. Zenobia has two movies coming out on two different streamers on the same day.

When Zenobia was with us last she chatted to Gino about Finding Optel and Fiela se Kind amog other things. And now she is back to talk about her two latest works.

Firstly the crime-thriller180 tells the tale of an enraged father who spirals down a dark path of emotional turmoil and vengeance when an unexpected road rage incident leaves his son in a critical condition. You can find 180 on Netflix.

In a different direction is Hive, a horror story about a teen babysitter who loses the baby in her care. She finds herself facing a dark menace lurking among the playground children. Hive is currently on Tubi, a US-based streaming site, so check tubitv.com to see if it is available in your country.

To get in touch with Zenobia professionally, you can email Monique on monique@moze.co.za

In other news, the second SAFFA Stunt Awards is taking place on 9 May at the Avalon Theatre in Cape Town. For bookings call +27 83 716 1821. If you can, please suppport this lesser-featured section of the film world.

And finally, don't miss our next episode when Gino will report back on the premiere of Michael at the state-of-the-art IMAX® with Laser in Rosebank. Should be a Thriller!

Yes? No? Send us a text

Let us know what you think, what movie or series you would like to see featured, or just to tell us how brilliant it all is:
instagram.com/africancouchpotato
x.com/africancouchpot
gino.arlechino@gmail.com

WhatsApp Channel: Mzansi Film News, Views and Reviews

YouTube; African Couch Potato - YouTube

https://www.patreon.com/c/AfricanCouchPotato

Gino Shelile’s profile • Letterboxd
Member of the Film Critics Association of South Africa (FCASA)

Produced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting
ted@aten.co.za

Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay

CHqjHqS2RAMkVSeydGo7

© SANTE MEDIA 2026