South African Animation Directors Win An Emmy

South Africans Jac Hamman and Sarah Scrimgeour directed Tabby McTat, which won the International Emmy for Kids: Animation in New York last night.

Adapted from the bestselling Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler picture book, the BBC Christmas special was up against Mystery Lane, Sharkdog and Wake Up, Carlo! 

This is the second iEmmy win in a row for South African directors in the category: another Donaldson-Scheffler adaptation, The Smeds and The Smoos, directed by SA's Daniel Snaddon and Samantha Cutler, won last year.

"Growing up you always dream of winning one of these awards but it seems so impossible," says Jac. "You don't imagine as a South African you can reach that level so it feels great to win after all the hard work. We're very proud of the team."

Jac and Sarah weren't able to attend the International Emmys in New York, where kykNET's reality series Die Brug was also nominated in the Non-Scripted Entertainment category. "Being on the other side of the world and being busy with other things, it just makes it a little bit more difficult to get to these big events," says Sarah. "It would have been wonderful but hopefully Tabby will be on the awards circuit for a little bit longer and maybe there's still a chance for us to go to one or two more."

Now streaming on Showmax, Tabby McTat is about the warm and wonderful friendship between a musical cat and a talented busker called Fred. One day when chasing a thief, Fred falls and breaks his leg and is whisked away in an ambulance. What will become of the busker's cat, left alone on the streets of London?

Read the full article on AllAfrica .