Mzansi Magic, M-Net’s South African brand, is rewriting local television history yet again. On Tuesday, 10 September, Mzansi Magic will add the country’s very first full-blown local movie channel, Mzansi Bioskop, to its existing popular offering on DStv.
Mzansi Bioskop, which will occupy channel 164 on DStv, will bring unprecedented movie magic to a broad audience. It will be available to DStv customers who get their daily fix of television entertainment on the DStv Access, Family, Compact, Extra and Premium packages.
“We all want to see stories from our own backyard about our own people – Mzansi Bioskop will give our customers access to these stories. And at the same time, we support the local film and production industry. It is a win-win situation that gives our customers even more great local entertainment,”
said Collins Khumalo, CEO of MultiChoice South Africa.
According to Yolisa Phahle, director: M-Net Local Interest Channels, this new channel is a milestone development for both the brand and local filmmaking in general. “This groundbreaking 24/7 original movie channel was born out of viewers’ love of the Lokshin Bioskop films on our channels, but it’s also testament of our commitment to boost the local movie industry like never before. While it will give Mzansi’s film makers the opportunity to showcase their work on another platform, it will also inspire new talent to tell their stories. Mzansi Bioskop will assist to take South African storytelling to the next level.”
Mzansi Bioskop will revolve around films that reflect the day-to-day reality of the people of South Africa. Many of these feature films have been hot hits in bustling make-shift bioscopes in townships across the country and others were made especially for the Mzansi Magic audience. Viewers can look forward to fascinating stories such as Who Made Me Pregnant; 2020 Orlando East; Blame It On Love; The Khumalos and countless other films that have delighted DStv audiences recently.
David Kau’s Taxi Ride will also be one of the big first attractions on the channel.
“More good news is that even many more Lokshin Bioskop movies are currently in the making and within the foreseeable future our audiences will be able to enjoy at least 150 brand-new films under the Mzansi Bioskop banner. This will be the home of new film content made by new producers,” adds Phahle.