South Africa, faced with one of the most severe HIV/Aids epidemics in the world, grapples daily with the challenges around education, prevention and management of the pandemic.
A UNAids report estimates that in 2005 1,2-million South African children were left orphaned by HIV/Aids, double the number in 2003.
It was this issue that the team behind one of 2007’s award-winning Vuka! commercials was determined to put under the spotlight. The haunting and poignant commercial titled Father — winner of the best direction and best creative concept/script professional categories — highlights the plight of children being raised by other children barely older than they are.
Says creator Damon Stapleton: ‘The definition of family has changed enormously in this country. It’s a serious problem yet nobody really talks about it. Who is going to be there to guide our children through the pitfalls of growing up, to teach our children right from wrong?”
It’s a predicament that struck a chord for the ad’s producer, Janette de Villiers, who as a mother was overwhelmed by the thought of her child being alone in the world and raised by other children.
‘Before working on this job, I really did not know the extent of the problem. One reads statistics, but they are bland and easy to gloss over. It is only when you really open your eyes to see these statistics as living, breathing human beings that the enormity of the tragedy strikes you. We wanted to help remedy this, to help people see. I think most of us are so unaware on a daily basis of what is really going on around us and creating a public awareness is something we as filmmakers can help do.”
The team worked on the script before approaching the Tomorrow Trust, which was quick to come on board. The trust’s mission is to have a sustainable impact through education on the lives of orphaned and vulnerable children affected by HIV/Aids.
Says chief executive Kim Feinberg: ‘When people approach the Tomorrow Trust we tell them we need two things — awareness and funds. You can’t get awareness without funds and vice versa. There are no words to describe our gratitude to people who have given of their time and expertise free of charge.
‘I don’t think they realise how much this will help us. We are the only organisation set up to help these children post-matric. We need them to become self-sufficient as they cannot rely on charity and food parcels for the rest of their lives. That’s what we are teaching them.
‘By 2010 it is estimated that there will be 25-million Aids orphans in the world, with the majority coming from sub-Saharan Africa. Ownership of the problem has to come from everyone.”
Father was shot on film on a Panavision camera to give it a ‘big screen” feel. Says De Villiers: ‘This was a real passion project. The director Sacha Waldman lives in New York and spent three months here working on the project. We spent a great deal of time in Khayelitsha in the weeks before the shoot looking for our cast and getting a feel for life on the streets. We cast from the township and used as much of the place as we could in the film. Sacha worked extensively with the young performers.”
The flighting of commercials on DSTV opens windows of opportunity for little-known charities. One such project is the Bright Kid Foundation, which uses shipping containers to create classrooms in needy areas. Eugene Botes, who was a crew member on the Vuka! PSA about Bright Kid, says: ‘We knew many filmmakers would tackle issues like drinking, drugs and smoking. We wanted an organisation that was doing something uplifting. So after looking around and searching on the internet we came across the Bright Kid Foundation. This is such a great initiative and we wanted to offer our support.”
A trio of beautiful ads made for Al-Anon by production company Faith Creations made it to the finals in the professional category. In this series three people in three different situations find bottles washed up on beaches. Each commercial speaks to a different audience and the focus was on the effects of drinking upon the family and not the drinker.
The estimated cost contributed by the industry to making the Vuka! entries is R30-million a year. These costs are at no charge. Professionals donate time, equipment, facilities and experience from their own resources. In this way the Vuka! Awards have demonstrated that it doesn’t have to cost a fortune to make a difference.
One of the finalists, Ring Ring, in aid of Rape Crisis, was made for virtually nothing. Creators Andrew O’Donoghue and Emily Veitch say: ‘Money was a big problem so we opted for simplicity. It cost us R400 to make. Our main objective of entering it into the awards was to obtain free air time for the advertisement — because Rape Crisis could not afford air time. It would be seen and with luck would raise some money.”
Viewers can see this commercial and the top 20 commercials of 2007 on DStv channels from January.