Category Archives: Entertainment

Emad Mostaque at SingularityU: The Future of Decentralised AI

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Emad Mostaque, Founder of Stability AI and CEO of Schelling AI, delivered a compelling keynote at the SingularityU South Africa Summit 2024, advocating for a future where decentralised AI empowers individuals and nations alike to ensure equitable access to this transformative technology, ultimately increasing the collective intelligence of humanity.

“AI allows us to do more things, as everyone has access to an army of really intelligent graduates at their fingertips,” said Emad Mostaque, Founder of Stability AI and CEO of Schelling AI, as he addressed hundreds of delegates at the SingularityU South Africa Summit 2024, in collaboration with Old Mutual. He took to the stage on day 1 of the summit to talk about ‘the future of decentralised Al’, alongside a host of other local and global speakers at the Sandton Convention Centre.

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Zandélle Meyer Shines in Showmax’s “Wyfie” Season 2

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South Africans met Zandélle Meyer in her first TV role as Riekie in Binnelanders, before being cast in Suidooster, and later as Chandré in Trompoppie on Showmax. In addition, earlier this year she made her writing and directing debut at Silwerskerm with the short film O, Griet! Sy’s droog.

Now she’s back on Showmax in the groundbreaking university telenovela Wyfie, which won two Silwerskerm acting awards at the end of August, a MIP Africa Inclusive Lens award at the start of September, and was up for Best International Series at The Seoul International Drama Awards. At the National Film & TV Awards South Africa on 9 November 2024, Wyfie is nominated for another five awards: Best Scripted Series, Afrikaans Series, Newcomer (Mienke Ehlers, who won the category at Silwerskerm), Actress (Beáta Bena Green, also nominated at Silwerskerm), and Supporting Actress (Marguerite van Eeden, who won the category at Silwerskerm). 

Here’s a chat with Zandélle about her character, Jessie, who joined the Wyfie cast for Season 2. 

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Brasse Vannie Kaap: A Documentary Tribute to South African Hip Hop

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Showmax has released “Brasse Vannie Kaap”, a nostalgic feature documentary about the iconic, game-changing 1990s group, who helped to make hip hop South African. The music documentary started streaming on Showmax on Monday, 7 October 2024. 

In the documentary, the who’s who of the Afrikaans entertainment industry line up to pay tribute to Brasse Vannie Kaap’s undeniable impact, from David Isaacs and Oscar Petersen of Joe Barber fame to Karen Zoid, Kurt Darren, Francois van Coke and Valiant Swart.

“I started rapping in Afrikaans because of Brasse, and eventually rapping on stages in Afrikaans thanks to Brasse,” says Jack Parow. 

“I am a student of theirs; I am a product of what they made,” echoes YoungstaCPT, flagging how even his name echoes theirs. “I’m a Bra Vannie Kaap, you know. That kind of name, that kind of title, gives you hope and inspiration to not feel ashamed of where you come from, and not be ashamed to use your own language or your own slang. They give you the confidence to do it.” 

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Embeth Davidtz’s Debut Film: Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight

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In an exciting moment for South African film, it was announced that Embeth Davidtz has inked a deal with Sony Pictures Classics for worldwide distribution of her directorial debut, Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight, based on Alexandra Fuller’s memoir of the same name. Written, directed by and starring Davidtz (Schindler’s List, Matilda), the film features Lexi Venter, Zikhona Bali, Fumani N Shilubana, Rob Van Vuuren and Anina Hope Reed. The film was produced by Helena Spring, Paul Buys and Davidtz, in collaboration with Rose and Oaks Media and executive producers Anele Mdoda and Frankie Du Toit.

Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight received rave reviews at the recent Telluride and Toronto International Film Festivals, where Davidtz was praised for her extraordinary writing and directing debut and 8-year-old Venter was applauded for her incredible performance. The film was showcased at the Zurich Film Festival (3 – 13 October) in Switzerland.

Based on the memoir by Alexandra Fuller, Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight captures the childhood of 8-year-old Bobo on her family farm in Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) at the end of the Zimbabwean War of Independence (1979/1980). Growing up in the midst of this long-running war, Bobo internalizes both sides of the struggle. Conflicted by her love for people on opposing sides, she tries to make sense of her life in a magical way. Through her eight-year-old eyes, the film takes audiences on a powerful journey through Rhodesia’s final days, exploring the family’s unbreakable bond with Africa, and the deep scars that the war left on survivors.

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Singularity Summit 2024: AI, Blockchain, and Future Innovations

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The Singularity South Africa Summit that returns in physical form on Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 October 2024 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, in collaboration with Old Mutual, is a few days away. The bold plans for the summit were revealed, including over 50 prolific speakers, robotic displays, interactive experiences, many of which are a South African first, and a metaverse track, another global first for a local event of this magnitude.

Building on the stellar line up of global and local thought leaders that will address artificial intelligence (AI) in great detail, decentralized identity, disruptive innovation, longevity mindset, scaling AI in the workplace, web3, metaverse, leadership, blockchain and the future of ESG and sustainability, additional speakers have been added to complete the roster, bringing the total speakers to over 50.

The impressive lineup of additional speakers, each bringing unique expertise to the table includes Nchaupe Khaole, Chief Investment Officer at Mineworkers Investment Company, Jacob Hinson renowned-African Investor and Dr. Rutendo Hwindingwi, CEO and Founder of Tribe Africa Advisory, who will both delve into the evolving landscape of venture capital in Africa, exploring the opportunities and challenges for growth in the region. Gilan Gork, a mentalist and bestselling author, will share insights on leveraging a growth mindset in an exponentially evolving world, while Dr. Reshma Sheoraj, Vice President for Strategic Engagements at World Data Lab, will offer a glimpse into the data-driven future with her talk on “The World of Tomorrow in Data.”

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