Latest news with #GoldenNymphAward
News24
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News24
Golden Nymph triumph: Ramaphosa congratulates Leleti Khumalo and Anant Singh
President Cyril Ramaphosa congratulated Leleti Khumalo and Anant Singh for winning the Golden Nymph Award at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival for the short film Don't Give Up. The film, a heart-wrenching portrayal of Johannesburg's homeless, won Best Creation. 'I congratulate Leleti Khumalo and Anant Singh for flying our flag and for spotlighting one of our nation's socio-economic challenges,' reads a post on the president's X account. President Cyril Ramaphosa has congratulated actor Leleti Khumalo and film producer Anant Singh for their win at the 64th Monte-Carlo Television Festival. The short film Don't Give Up, starring Khumalo, produced by Singh and written and directed by Darrell Roodt, won the festival's Golden Nymph Award in the Best Creation category. The awards ceremony took place on Tuesday, 17 June and in attendance were Prince Albert and Princess Charlene, who presented two awards. PascalThe festival, originally created by Prince Rainier III of Monaco and now under the patronage of Prince Albert, showcases the best of television worldwide. The free festival is open to everyone and runs over five days, culminating with the closing ceremony and the Golden Nymph presentation. On Thursday, President Ramaphosa shared on X that he bumped into Khumalo at OR International Airport during his travels to and from the G7 Leaders' Summit in Canada. 'Leleti did have something to declare: she'd returned from the Monte-Carlo Television Festival in Monaco, where she and acclaimed film producer Anant Singh had won the prestigious Golden Nymph Award for their work on the short film Don't Give Up, which portrays life on the streets of Johannesburg for a begging mother of two. 'I congratulate Leleti Khumalo and Anant Singh for flying our flag and for spotlighting one of our nation's socio-economic challenges,' reads the post. On my travels to and from the G7 Leaders' Summit in Canada, I had the good and proud fortune of bumping into our veteran star performer Leleti Khumalo at OR Tambo International Airport. Leleti did have something to declare: she'd returned from the Monte Carlo Television Festival… — Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) June 19, 2025 The film follows Faith, a homeless beggar and a single mother of two young sons, Lucky and Siyabonga, who live in an abandoned car in an alleyway in central Johannesburg. 'One day, while washing her sons at a tap in a bus depot, Faith is assaulted by a security guard. In her bid to escape this battering, she and her sons try to run away, but Siyabonga gets caught in the wire fence and almost has his thumb ripped off. Faith is unable to help him beyond wrapping it up in a torn piece of her skirt. She begs for money from disinterested commuters on her corner,' reads the synopsis. Watch the trailer here. Accepting the award, Khumalo thanked the festival, the Videovision team and director Darrell Roodt 'who came up with this amazing project.' She continued: 'And I thank Anant for always believing in me and for always having faith in me. To the Prince and Princess, thank you for having us here in Monte Carlo, and I'd also like to thank my family for always supporting the work I do. Thank you so much; this is humbling.' Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images Singh said that winning was a pleasant surprise. 'This is a film about homeless people who have no voice and has no dialogue. It is essentially a homage to the silent movie and it represents homeless people all around the world, and the music of Philip Glass and Peter Gabriel give it that special magic. 'We are delighted to have this little South African film about homeless people win this special prize. I'd like to acknowledge the creation of these awards by Prince Rainier and Princess Grace, acknowledge your Highness Prince Albert, for continuing to celebrate the creative communities, which is so important. It's my third year here at the Festival, and I am delighted to take home this Golden Nymph with Leleti.'
TimesLIVE
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- TimesLIVE
Ramaphosa lauds Leleti and Anant for flying the SA flag high in Monte Carlo
President Cyril Ramaphosa has lauded actress Leleti Khumalo and film producer Anant Singh for winning the prestigious Golden Nymph Award, at the 64th Monte Carlo Television Festival in Monaco, Europe. While travelling from the G7 Leaders' Summit in Canada, Ramaphosa had an encounter with Leleti at OR Tambo International Airport where she showed him her accolade for the short film Don't Give Up. 'I had the good and proud fortune of bumping into our veteran star performer Leleti Khumalo. Leleti did have something to declare: she'd returned from the Monte Carlo Television Festival in Monaco, where she and acclaimed film producer Anant Singh had won the prestigious Golden Nymph Award for their work on the short film, Don't Give Up, which portrays life on the streets of Johannesburg for a begging mother of two. 'I congratulate Leleti Khumalo and Anant Singh for flying our flag and for spotlighting one of our nation's socioeconomic challenges,' he wrote on X.
The Citizen
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
South Africa's award-winning trio bags another accolade at Monte-Carlo Television Festival
Actress Leleti Khumalo, producer Anant Singh, and director-writer Darrell Roodt jointly won another award this week. If it's not broke, don't fix it, they say. And the film trio of actress Leleti Khumalo, producer Anant Singh, and film director and writer Darrell Roodt need not fix anything, as the three scooped another award last night at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival. 'I'd like to thank the Videovision team and the director, Darrell Roodt, who came up with this amazing project. And I thank Anant for always believing in me and for always having faith in me,' Khumalo said in her speech. South Africa's trio won the Golden Nymph Award in the 'Special Creation' category for the film Don't Give Up. Seen as the European equivalent of the television Oscars, the Monte-Carlo Television Festival honours exceptional storytelling from around the globe, including productions made for digital platforms. This year was the 64th edition of the festival. 'This is a film about homeless people who have no voice and has no dialogue. It is essentially a homage to the silent movie, and it represents homeless people all around the world,' said film producer Anant Singh in his acceptance speech. ALSO READ: Sarafina! becomes first SA film to return to Cannes Film Festival after 30 years The trio's winning streak Roodt, Singh, and Khumalo have previously collaborated on other award-winning projects. Roodt was the director of the Oscar-nominated movie Yesterday, in which Khumalo plays the role of a mother living with HIV/Aids. Singh wears the producers' hat in that movie, too. The trio also worked together in the creation of the iconic film, Sarafina! The classic 1992 musical drama returned to the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in France in 2023, under the Cannes Classics section. This is a first for a South African film. Also in 2023, Sarafina! was honoured with a Special Screening at the 20th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival at the prestigious 700-seater Cinéma le Colisee with lead star Khumalo in attendance. The now 55-year-old Khumalo was the lead on Sarafina! as an 18-year-old. Roodt, who wasn't present at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival, has also worked with Singh on another award-winning film, Cry, the Beloved Country. ALSO READ: Sarafina! wraps up a successful 2023 with honours at Marrakech Film Festival The film Titled Don't Give Up, the film follows the life of Faith (portrayed by Khumalo), a beggar and single mother of two sons, Lucky and Siyabonga. While washing her sons at a tap in a bus depot, Faith is assaulted by a security guard, portrayed by the late actor Sello Motloung. In her bid to escape this battering, Faith and her sons try to run away, but Siyabonga gets caught in the wire fence and almost has his thumb ripped off. Faith is unable to help him beyond wrapping it up in a torn piece of her skirt. She begs for money from uninterested commuters on her corner. The film focuses on the life of a vagrant amidst the hustle and bustle of Johannesburg. 'We are delighted to have this little South African film about homeless people win this special prize,' said Singh. The music of Philip Glass and Peter Gabriel gives a voice to the voiceless, homeless people. 'The music of Philip Glass and Peter Gabriel gives it that special magic,' said Singh. The film has not yet been released in South Africa, with screenings planned for later this year. NOW READ: WATCH: 'Youngins' stars confirm final season in Soweto
