Blood Psalms Explained

Director:Jahmil X.T. Qubeka
Composer:Teane Maseko
Open Theme:Qabela
Country:South Africa
Num Seasons:1
Num Episodes:11
Producer:Layla Swart Najaar
Cinematography:Willie Nel
Runtime:53-89 minutes
Network:Showmax

Blood Psalms is a South African epic fantasy television series originally broadcast on Showmax and is a Showmax and Canal+ International co-production. Blood Psalms was created by Layla Swart Najaar and Jahmil X.T. Qubeka of Yellowbone Entertainment.,[1] directed by Jahmil X.T. Qubeka and starring Bongile Mantsai, Hamilton Dhlamini, Hlubi Mboya, Mothusi Magano, Warren Masemola, Zolisa Xaluva, Sello Maake Ka Ncube, Thando Thabethe and Faith Baloyi.[2]

Premise

Blood Psalms opens at a time of upheaval in Ancient Africa, around 11,000 years ago. Five tribes – the Akachi, the Uchawi, the Ku’ua, the Chini, and Great Nziwemabwe – whose ancestors all fled the destruction of Atlantis on the back of a great dragon. 1000 years before the story begins, share a prophecy about the end of days. Signs are growing that the end is coming soon. As the five tribes gather for the wedding of King Letsha of the Akachi (Mothusi Magano) – a marriage dreamt up by the scheming Queen Assili (Faith Baloyi) to cement her power over the kingdom – his daughter, Princess Zazi (Bokang Phelane), falls pregnant with a baby who’s prophesied to bring about the end of King Letsha’s reign, and the destruction of the Akachi civilization.[3]

The Five Tribes

The Akachi, the Uchawi, the Ku’ua, the Chini, and Great Nziwemabwe migrated south from areas in Kemet and Kush (now Modern Sudan) during an apocalyptic event that happened 1000 years before the events of the series.

The Akachi

Partly inspired by the Benin bronzes of the 15th and 16th centuries,[4] the Akachi empire is proud of their lineage, and wear the armour and uniforms of their ancestors, the ancient people of Kemet. The tribe considers itself the inheritors of the virtues of old Kemet and continue the worship its gods, and the Akachi citadel’s architecture and statues reflect these ancient origins. According to makeup & prosthetics HOD Theola Booyens, "They’re the clean-cut kingdom. Because of a history of plagues and lice, they’re mostly shaven."[5]

The Uchawi

This kingdom is led by a female druidic order, run by council of 12 and headed by a queen mother. The tribe are considered to be rainmakers or controllers of the weather and are revered for their scholarship and expertise in astronomy. The Uchawi rely on other tribes’ royalty to keep them safe in exchange for their council, guidance, and gifts as rainmakers. In their role as the link between this world and the next, the Uchawi talk to the gods through the Emissary, the Serpentine Elementals, and the Nymph.[6] “The Uchawi are the magical scientists of this realm," says producer Layla Swart. "Their homeland was shot in Gwadana, which has a well-known reputation for being the Xhosa birthplace of ‘witchcraft’.”[7]

The Ku’ua

The Ku’ua Kingdom are a patriarchal, nomadic warrior tribe made up of a mixture of soldiers and mercenaries from all over the African continent. Blood Psalms' producer Layla Swart Najaar has stated that within the story, the Ku'ua are treated as the forefathers of Southern Africa's Nguni tribes.[8] Costume designer Pierre Vienings adds, “The Ku’ua is a leather and skin kingdom. Our great warriors are bare-chested. We want to show scarification, we wanted to show their physique and understand that these are the great warriors that travel the plains of Africa."[9]

The Chini

Series creator Jahmil X.T. Qubeka describes the Chini as those who were cast off and rejected from the other tribes during their escape from Atlantis. “Whether they were sickly, whether they were cast out for not adhering to the order. They believe themselves to have turned their back on Kemet. Their way forward is the way of connecting with Mother Earth and its animalistic elements, and more natural elements. Deep down in their caves there’s actually a doorway or an ocean into the world of Sobek,” hints Jahmil.[10]

Jahmil and Albert Ibokwe Khoza, Blood Psalms’ language and cultural advisor and performance coach (who also plays Madlamini) came up with a specific physical movement for the Chini. “The Chini were hyenas, so we came up with the idea that their behaviour would mimic the animals that they transform into. Living underground, in constant hiding, would give them a certain kind of form, and then beyond the form, there will be the connection to the animal spirit. And that will permeate how they behave and how they talk.”[10]

The Great Nziwemabwe

The proud, independent (and some would say arrogant) kingdom of Great Nziwemabwe has a history of war with the Akachi, and although they are now at peace, they will stop at nothing to take advantage of cracks in the Akachi kingdom. Richard Lukunku, who plays Senator Jabari, describes Great Nziwemabwe as this world’s version of Ancient Rome. “Rome is the capital, and the rest of the world is provinces of Rome.”[11]

Cast

Main

Supporting

Production

Showmax parent company Multichoice announced the project on 30 July 2020.[12] Blood Psalms is a Showmax Original in partnership with Yellowbone Entertainment, Canal+ International, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (which delayed funding during production[13] [14] [15] [16]), The National Film and Video Foundation, the Eastern Cape Economic Development Corporation (ECDC) and the MultiChoice Innovation Fund.[12]

Development

Yellowbone Entertainment's production crew included South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTA) winners like director of photography Willie Nel (Knuckle City, The Story of Racheltjie de Beer) who won the 2023 Best Achievement in Cinematography SATFA for Blood Psalms,[17] production designer Chantel Carter (Kalushi: The Story of Solomon Mahlangu, Fiela Se Kind, The Story of Racheltjie de Beer), costume designer Pierre Vienings (Tsotsi, Five Fingers For Marseilles, Knuckle City), and prosthetics, hair and makeup designer Nicola Roodt (Sink, Semi-Soet), with Addie Vigario as art director, Gerhard van der Heever (District 9, The Mummy, Queen Sono) as special effects supervisor and Wayne Smith (iNumber Number, From a House on Willow Street, Hard to Get) as stunt coordinator. Additional production staff included Albert Ibokwe Khoza as cultural advisor and choreographer, and Musa Xokelelo as sculptor.

Filming

Blood Psalms was shot in the Eastern Cape, Gauteng and North West provinces throughout 2020. The shoot employed over 1000 South Africans[18] during COVID-19 Lockdown.

Production shot parts of the Akachi Citadel in different locations, including Hole In The Wall near Coffee Bay. The Nqweba Dam in Graaff-Reinet's Valley of Desolation,[19] is incorporated as the Citadel dam.

The Chini scenes were filmed in the Sterkfontein caves complex, in the Cradle Of Humankind in Gauteng, where the Blood Psalms team was allowed to use a “dead” area of the caves 20 metres underground, where they wouldn’t damage biodiversity.[20] Other cave locations included The Bat Cave (or Wonder Cave) at the Cradle of Humankind, and Weltevreden Caves.

Scenes featuring The Uchawi druids and stargazers were filmed at Gwadana hill in the Eastern Cape[21]

Release

The series was first showcased at the Dubai expo in October 2021.[18] The first trailer premiered on 17 August 2022.[22] Blood Psalms had its world premiere in Cape Town on Wednesday August 24 as the opening night screening at MIP Africa,[23] followed by a premiere event in Sandton on Tuesday, 17 September 2022.[24] And the series' first two episodes premiered on Showmax on 28 September 2022[25]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Blood Psalms Season 1 TVSA . 2024-01-23 . www.tvsa.co.za.
  2. Web site: 2020-07-30 . MultiChoice, Canal+, African, epic, mythology, Blood, Psalms, Blood Psalms . 2024-01-23 . MultiChoice . en.
  3. Web site: TVPlus . 2022-10-14 . 10 things to know about Blood Psalms... so far . 2024-01-24 . Showmax Stories . en.
  4. Web site: Writer . Staff . 2022-09-07 . Your guide to the tribes and houses of Blood Psalms . 2024-01-23 . Showmax Stories . en.
  5. Web site: GLAMOUR Q&A with Mothusi Magano ahead of Blood Psalms premiere . 2024-01-23 . www.glamour.co.za . en.
  6. Web site: Watch Blood Psalms Season 1 on Showmax, with DStv . 2024-01-23 . www.dstv.com . en-za.
  7. Web site: GQ chats with Faith Baloyi about playing Queen Assili in Blood Psalms . 2024-01-23 . www.gq.co.za . en.
  8. Web site: laravanzyl . 2022-09-17 . What2Watch: Blood Psalms . 2024-01-23 . Review . en-US.
  9. Web site: Bongile Mantsai on playing Hlengu – his "complete opposite" – in Blood Psalms – SAMDB News . 2024-01-23 . en-ZA.
  10. Web site: Watch Blood Psalms Season 1 on Showmax, with DStv . 2023-06-21 . www.dstv.com . en-za.
  11. Web site: Richard Lukunku on 'Blood Psalms': 'These guys are on another level' . www.iol.co.za.
  12. Web site: 2020-07-30 . MultiChoice, Canal+, African, epic, mythology, Blood, Psalms, Blood Psalms . 2023-06-22 . MultiChoice . en.
  13. Web site: Planting . Sasha . 2021-11-21 . LOGIC? WHAT LOGIC?: DTIC blamed as rocky times hit South African film industry . 2023-06-22 . Daily Maverick . en.
  14. Web site: 2021-11-05 . TV with Thinus: MultiChoice's expensive Blood Psalms in jeopardy as a Showmax Original as Yellowbone Entertainment producers are forced to go to court over millions due in unpaid South African film rebates to finish their series. . 2023-06-22 . TV with Thinus.
  15. Web site: ipoadmin . 2021-11-22 . TO READ: DTIC blamed as rocky times hit South African film industry - . 2023-06-22 . en-ZA.
  16. Web site: Admin . Benjamin . 2022-03-25 . 'Blood Psalms' Commissioned By Showmax To Fly In February 2022 Was A No-Show! . 2023-06-22 . Broadcast Media Africa (BMA) . en-US.
  17. Web site: SAFTAs17 Winners List . nfvf.co.za.
  18. Web site: Dubai audience gets exciting glimpse of Eastern Cape epic series 'Blood Psalms' . 2023-06-22 . DispatchLIVE . en-ZA.
  19. Web site: HeraldLIVE . 2021-10-25 . Eastern Cape talent takes centre stage at Dubai Expo . 2023-06-22 . GO! & Express . en-US.
  20. Web site: Watch Blood Psalms Season 1 on Showmax, with DStv . 2023-06-22 . www.dstv.com . en-za.
  21. Web site: Writer . Staff . 2022-09-13 . Faith Baloyi on Playing Queen Assili in Blood Psalms . 2023-06-22 . www.quickread.co.za . en.
  22. Web site: Whittock . Jesse . 2022-08-17 . Rising South African Streamer Showmax Talks Co-Production And "'Black Panther' Effect" As Firm Reveals First Trailer For African Fantasy Drama 'Blood Psalms' . 2023-06-22 . Deadline . en-US.
  23. Web site: www.multichoicestudios.com . 2023-06-22 . Deadline . en-US.
  24. Web site: Writer . Staff . 2022-09-28 . All the glitz and glam from the Blood Psalms premiere event . 2023-06-22 . Showmax Stories . en.
  25. Web site: Yates . Bennett . 2022-10-12 . Showmax Blood Psalms series: cast, trailer, plot summary, episodes . 2023-06-22 . Briefly . en.