Over the past seven years a MultiChoice VUKA! Award has come to represent the highest industry accolade for the goodwill, dedication and talent that goes into making a Public Service Announcement (PSA). With less than a month to go before the 2005 winners are announced, semi-finalists in both newcomer and professional categories have been selected by the competition's first panel of judges.

include Road Signs (produced by Fresh Eye Productions); Dream Dreams (produced by Velocity Films); Hang Dog (produced by Threshold Collective); Misfit (produced by Star Productions); Beat (produced by Nice People Rewind); Toys, Competence, and Fireman (produced by Peter Gird Productions); Killer (entered by Saatchi & Saatchi, CT); Role Model (entered by Ogilvy SA); Family Portrait and Helicopter (produced by Suburban Films); Cocktales and Love Life - Safe Sex (produced by Orange Films); Feedback - Feed the Nation (produced by Passing Trains); Head Gear and CPR (produced by Picture Tree); Child Soldiers (produced by Reeleyes Film); Cooking Show (entered by Joe Public); and See Jack (produced by Jump The Fence).

Road Signs, which was produced to raise awareness of Aids was directed by David Golden of Fresh Eye Films and produced by Net#work BBDO team, Yash Raidu and Maggie Post for Aids awareness. The Network duo together with Net#work BBDO Art Director, Mariana O'Kelly and Copy Writers, Gary du Toit and Fanana Molapokatse started working on the concept in November 2004 before taking the script to Fresh Eye's Golden. The PSA, which took three days to shoot (by Cape Town based DOP Alard de Smidt) and three months of post production, is a collage of road sign images that plays out as a love story of sorts, highlighting the grim reality that lovers face in today's HIV/Aids prevalent age. Narrated by local musician Dr Victor, the soundtrack is an original collaboration between Dr Victor and Rob Schroeder. "Although Virgin have since taken up the PSA for distribution in the US, 'Road Signs' was born out of a proactive desire to make a difference, and had everyone involved devoting their spare time to bringing it to life," comments Raidu.

Professional semi finalist entry, 'Dream Dreams' (concept by Paul Warner of TBWAHunt Lascaris and DOP Clive Sacke) won a Gold, three Silvers and four Bronzes at Loeries this year. Velocity Director, Thabo Marera confirms that he and Warner were hard pressed to create the kind of commercial for the IEC that would resonate with South Africa's youngest voters. Marera explains, "We were talking to the MTV and Channel O generation who are cynical as hell when it comes to over-used rainbow nation messages from Government. We wanted our commercial to communicate in a language that today's urban youth understand." The PSA makes use of a slow motion technique that Marera confirms was made possible by using a special military camera, the Photosonic. Used previously to test rocket launches, the camera is no longer in use so and the team had to source film stock from London and recruit an operator to assist in the production. "We were looking to produce the equivalent of 'uber cool' that would make our target audience sit up and take notice. I believe the IEC was happy with the result, apparently recording the highest voter turn out in Municipal election history," says Marera.

includes Cut Out, Protect Yourself, and And... (entered by AFDA CT students); Ta for Tar (entered by Damelin Centurion students); Bullet Proof and The Air I Breathe (entered by University of Jhb students); Boobs (entered by Rhodes students); Feel the Words (entered by Boston Media House students); Killing Machine and Angels in Red (entered by UCAA);Torture and Priceless (entered by Tshwane University of Technology students); Donor Man (entered by University of Witwatersrand students); Craft is Life (entered by Vega Jhb students); and Lost Sons, Marijuana Confuses, Hope, Child Headed Households, Senses, Imagine and Moeders Melk (all entered by independent filmmakers).

Independent filmmakers from Johannesburg, Tsholofelo Moraba (producer) and Nomakhomazi Dyosopu (director) produced 'Marijuana Confuses' for the Cape Town based NGO KUSH. Moraba and Dyosopu, who formed Visor Productions at the beginning of 2004 to provide a video service to corporates, worked as a team on all aspects of this newcomer entry. Moraba admits that their decision to enter the MultiChoice VUKA! Awards competition was based on a desire to "dig into our pockets and do something for a good cause." Says Moraba, "We wanted to see just what we could come up with, having to fund the production ourselves. While we're proud of the fact that we pulled it off, the Industry (especially sound and editing suppliers) has been tremendous in supporting the VUKA! cause." Moraba confirms that while the PSA was shot over six days in Cape Town, the six day editing process that followed proved "the most time-consuming and challenging."

This year's semi finalist PSA's will be broadcast in 2006 pro bono, via MultiChoice's premium platform DStv, to over one million viewers throughout South Africa and surrounding countries. The platform highlights key social issues and NGO needs, while showcasing the talent of South Africa's developing and top advertising and filmmaker talents.

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