Jahmil XT Qubeka’s action-packed fantasy series “Blood Psalms” trailer has been released and it is nothing short of epic.
Since the announcement of the upcoming show was made last year, Qubeka’s fans have waited patiently to see how the multi-award-winning film-maker, who is responsible for films such as “Knuckle City” and “Sew the Winter to My Skin”, would top his own success – and he has not disappointed.
“Blood Psalms” is set to premiere on September 28 on the streaming platform Showmax.
The new series is set in ancient Africa and includes an all-star cast with Bokang Phelane, Mothusi Magano, Bongile Mansai, Sello Maake kaNcube, Zolisa Xaluva and other South African Film and TV awardees.
The show is set one thousand years after the fall of Atlantis. The five surviving provinces of Kemet find themselves beset with fears of a prophesied end of days when Princess Zazi, played by Phelane, turns 18.
Mothusi Magano plays her father, King Letsha, and Zolisa Xaluva as her lover, General Toka, the head of her father’s Akachi army.
Zazi is a fiercely determined teenage princess who must navigate ancient curses, long-standing ancestral vendettas, and her unexplainable role as the damning prophecy’s chief harbinger.
“This show was specifically created as a reimagining of ourselves as Africans, as an answer to ‘Who are we?’ It's done in a very entertaining way, with a lot of drama and action.
“I got to witness the greats at work. The cast is filled with actors who have inspired me from quite early on in my life to pursue acting,” said Phelane.
Magano said the never-been-done-before show is one “heck of a ride”.
“For Africans, mostly, our history goes back 200 years. That’s what we’ve been given, and it’s from Western perspectives. We really don’t know much about our own history. So ‘Blood Psalms’ poses a lot of questions and will give people a lot to think about,” said Magano.
Legendary actor Sello Maake kaNcube, who is well known for his work in SABC1’s “Generations” and his international theatre performances in “The Lion King” and “Othello”, was happy that the series did not have a mixture of languages.
“One thing that was brilliant for us was no use of an English word, whatsoever.
“That was a big challenge even for a lot of actors, because most of the time we are used to performing and doing a mixture of African languages and English. This time, the dialogue is purely in African languages,” he said.
“Blood Psalms” was shot in the Eastern Cape, Gauteng and North West provinces.
Yellowbone Entertainment’s Layla Swart, who worked alongside Qubeka on “Blood Psalms”, said that they tried to “reclaim the continent’s history from an African perspective”.
“The series draws from elements of a multitude of African mythologies and looks at various different tribes in season one – the Akachi, the Uchawi, the Ku’ua, the Chini, and Great Nziwemabwe – as they migrated south from Kemet, which is now Egypt, and formed their cultures.”
Nomsa Philiso, the executive head: programming at MultiChoice, said “Blood Psalms” was one of the biggest and most ambitious series they have ever made.
“It’s completely unlike any other African series you’ve ever seen. We couldn’t be more excited.”
Watch the trailer below: