One of the main key things for us in attending was getting the chance to chat to some of the key members involved in the entire thing. Check that out below as well the images captured (Credit photographers David Dettmann and Neo Baepi for all these stunning images) on the night:

The cool Rob van Vuuren:

The beautiful Chi Mhende:

The suave Vuyo Dabula:

The gent Kagiso Lediga:

And last but not least, the gorgeous Pearl Thusi:

A great event it was overall and very well organised, we hope this is the first of many local Netflix events *hint, hint*. And of course our thanks to them and their awesome team for having us.

Netflix granted us the opportunity to see it earlier which allowed us to properly get a taste of what it’s all about and to potentially see what a production like this (a first of its kind) for Netflix would look like not only from a story line point of view but also aesthetically. We’ve said many times that this is a big win for local film production and even more so for original African content as a whole.

Queen Sono is Kagiso Lediga’s baby in every sense, the man literally created, wrote and directed the entire thing. Having that local original content live on a massive global platform like Netflix is a massive coup for all involved. This again illustrates the powerhouse subscription service’s dedication towards supporting original content.

Generally, we’ve always had a bit of an issue with local content, specifically movies and miniseries, which is probably a bit unfair as we are basically using international content as the standard and putting local content in a direct comparison to that (the superior content) which we are all largely and mostly exposed to. But if a higher standard (in this case international content) is the aspiration then shouldn’t comparisons be made? As much as we tried not to, we couldn’t stop ourselves from looking at this through that glass especially since Netflix are behind it. That’s not to say though that we were expecting perfection, far from it, we were at the very least expecting to see a great production with great original content.

It really pains us to say this but what we got with Queen Sono is, well, disappointing. What starts off on a promising note turns into a series that feels diluted complete with a thin story line, gimmicks and not so great accents from some of the characters. Its underwhelming nature is something we weren’t expecting especially considering the great imagery, the trailers and other material that was produced in the lead up to it. At the very least what is a plus is how beautifully shot it is with the locations chosen further adding to that.

Differing opinions will come to light and it will equally be interesting to see how others receive it. And despite our views, we do hope it does well and perhaps gets a couple more seasons especially since that success could potentially play a big role in more African content produced under the Netflix banner. Being the first of its kind bearing the Netflix flag was always going to be very ambitious and difficult, at the very least it deserves full points for effort and most of all, for having a completed package. Queen Sono will be available to stream publicly this month on the 28th.

We’ve always advocated for you to make up your own mind instead of just taking our word for it, this applies here perfectly and is perhaps according to personal taste.

As always, a huge thank you to the Netflix team for affording us the opportunity to be one of the few to see this one first.

Leading up to that, here’s what we know about it so far:

• Queen Sono will be available globally on February 28, 2020, at the same time in 190 countries across the world.
• Queen Sono is Netflix’s first script-to-screen, fully produced African original series with an all African cast and crew.
• Queen Sono was in production for over eight weeks and was shot in 37 different locations across Africa, including the Johannesburg CBD, Sandton, Park Station, Soweto, Lagos, Kenya, and Zanzibar.
• Viewers can expect diverse languages throughout the series, including English, Afrikaans, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Russian and French.

Queen Sono also stars Vuyo Dabula playing Shandu, an ex-spy who has taken a different path. Sechaba Morojele plays Dr. Sid, director of the SOG, with Chi Mhende, Loyiso Madinga, and Rob Van Vuuren, playing agents on his team. Kate Liquorish plays Ekaterina, heiress of an oligarch family with ulterior motives. Khathu Ramabulana plays Queen’s childhood friend, William, now in a relationship with Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa’s character, Nova. Abigail Kubeka plays Mazet, Queen’s beloved Gogo, who has always supported Queen – no matter the trouble she gets herself into.

The Synopsis: After the assassination of her mother, Queen Sono grows up to become a kick- ass yet unconventional spy devoted to protecting the people of Africa. During a dangerous field assignment, Queen unknowingly uncovers shocking details about her mother’s death, sparking her own truth-finding mission.

Created, written and directed by Kagiso Lediga, this is sure to be another great win for the local film industry. February 28, 2020 can’t come any sooner, we’re looking forward to it.