Highly anticipated action-packed fantasy series “Blood Psalms” has officially dropped on Showmax.
On Tuesday, the cast and production got together to launch the series ahead of its debut on the streaming platform. The stars came dressed in their finest African opulence for the black-tie affair.
After gracing the red carpet guests were treated to an intimate dinner, where they got to experience a taste of all that is set to come on the stellar production.
Produced by Yellow Bone Entertainment, “Blood Psalms” is an epic tale set 11 000 years ago in ancient Africa, and is Showmax’s most ambitious series yet.
Jahmil XT Qubeka is renowned for his stellar productions and “Blood Psalms” is no different.
From cinematography, costumes and make-up to the finer details of the production, the series is mesmerising.
Some people may compare “Blood Psalms” with Hollywood productions such as “Game of Thrones” but this is an African story, told by Africans.
“Blood Psalms” sees Africans owning the narrative with their storytelling, which is a growing trend in local productions.
Speaking to IOL Entertainment, Qubeka shared: “Essentially, the main thing around controlling your own narrative is based on the fact that our legacy and past is one of controlled eradication through colonialism and systems like apartheid.
“So we are basically going against the grain of a legacy that is not our own. The idea of tussling with our own narrative is really tussling with our own sense of identity. It’s that important. I don’t think it sits around being entertainment.
“Representation and creating archetypes that we can connect with both culturally and identity, these are the things that have been taken from the African and the African has always been deprived of.
“I’m glad that in the 21st century we are controlling the narrative.”
Qubeka said that one of the movie’s biggest aims is to be something that an African child can latch onto and fully identify with.
Legendary actor Sello Maake kaNcube spoke during the panel discussion about his desire to start an academy for actors to be trained to be multilingual.
In “Blood Psalms” not a word of English is spoken. The actors speak in their native languages – Xhosa, Setswana and Lingala.
The thespian explained how performing in native languages helps with the preservation of African languages.
Maake kaNcube explained that it is important for blacks “to own their narrative and retell our own life experiences and also to redefine our own world view and also to reconnect with the history that we have known”.
Qubeka and Layla Swart assembled an incomparable cast, filled with South African Film and Television Awards (Safta) winners, like Bongile Mantsai, Hamilton Dlamini, Hlubi Mboya, Mothusi Magano, S’dumo Mtshali, Siv Ngesi, Thishiwe Ziqubu, Warren Masemola and Zolisa Xaluva.
@RealZolisa has touched down at the #BloodPsalmsShowmax launch 🚀 Our cast is here.😍 Stay tuned for more content! pic.twitter.com/G3JjhTUok6
— Showmax South Africa (@ShowmaxOnline) September 27, 2022
They were joined by other Mzansi screen favourites such as Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa, Lemogang Tsipa, Faith Baloyi, Faniswa Yisa, Mandisa Nduna, Niza Jay, Richard Lukunkum, Maake kaNcube, Thabo Rametsi, Thando Thabethe, Thembikile Komani, and Zikhona Sodlaka.
The filming of “Blood Psalms” took place at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, during level-5 restrictions when life was far from normal. That was not the only challenge the cast faced. The cold winter in the Eastern Cape was another.
Actor Lethabo Monareng, who portrays an Akachi soldier, revealed that there was one night of shooting that was so cold the director called ‘cut’ three hours early as everyone was freezing.
A chant you’ll be hearing quite a lot over the next 11 weeks on @ShowmaxOnline’s #BloodPsalmsShowmax. Last night @sdumo123 grabbed the mic and showed us what he is made of. 🙌🏾🔥 pic.twitter.com/sZAaDzZT9O
— Shaun Lukhele ⭐️ (@ShaunLukhele) September 28, 2022
“We did a rain scene in winter. I have no words, it was cold!” said Monareng.
He also spilled how during a camp attended by the lead actors and some members of the cast, everyone got to bond with each other.
“The camp was hard, it was a military-based camp. We slept in the middle of nowhere. All we had to eat was tin fish, tuna, cheese and some weird crackers. Then they gave us a map and hid proper food. We had to use the map to find the food.
“They needed to get us in that mentality so we know what it means to be a solider,” he shared.
African Royalty 👸 #BloodPsalmsShowmax pic.twitter.com/BfP6gnPT7h
— Showmax South Africa (@ShowmaxOnline) September 27, 2022
Actress Thabethe also had an interesting time filming and revealed that the “challenges” were the best part of it all.
“We shot in the middle of winter. I had a bunch of snakes. The snakes you see on the show are real ... You will see a scene where there is literally a swarm of snakes. I’m naked half of the time, with just leaves covering me.
“There is also the language that is used on ‘Blood Psalms’, which is really interesting,” she shared.
A beautiful, interactive, and educational panel discussion with the #BloodPsalmsShowmax cast telling us more about their characters, and why they decided to join the family. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/K1jO0eTNFG
— Showmax South Africa (@ShowmaxOnline) September 27, 2022
One thing that cast members agreed on was the need for Africans to continue controlling the narrative with their storytelling, featuring black leads and characters that children can mirror themselves in.
This also extends to those working behind the scenes.
“Blood Psalms” may be a fantasy but it is embedded with a lot of truth.
“It is an Africa that is proud of its culture, religion. It’s an Africa that is proud of everything that it is, as boundary-less as it is, as borderless as it was and just telling the story of magic, in a time where I would like to think magic did exist,” said Mlotshwa.
The first two episodes of “Blood Psalms” is currently streaming on Showmax.