| Reyka | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | The Cane Field Killings |
| Created by | Rohan Dickson |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | South Africa |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | M-Net |
| Release | 25 July 2021 |
Reyka, released as The Cane Field Killings in some countries, is a South African crime thriller television series created and written by Rohan Dickson. It is an M-Net original production co-produced by Quizzical Pictures and Serena Cullen Productions for subscription television channel M-Net, released in July 2021. [1] [2] Reyka was also co-produced for international distribution by Fremantle. [3]
The series received eight nominations at the 2022 South African Film and Television Awards, winning four, including Best Actress in a TV Drama for Kim Engelbrecht. It also received two 2022 International Emmy Award nominations for Best Drama and Best Performance by an Actress.
Reyka was renewed for a second season by M-Net in November 2022. [4]
The series alternates between Reyka's past and present. In 1994, when apartheid was ending, a 12-year old Reyka was abducted by Angus Speelman, who sexually assaulted her for four years. Reyka managed to escape at age 16, with her abductor finally caught and sentenced to prison.
Now as an adult, Reyka (Kim Engelbrecht), is a criminal profiler investigating a string of brutal murders in Kwa-Zulu Natal by a serial killer. She deals with her traumatic childhood past, which somehow also helps her get into the minds of Africa's notorious criminals. [5]
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" | Zee Ntuli | Rohan Dickson | 25 July 2021 |
| 2 | "Episode 2" | Unknown | Unknown | 1 August 2021 |
| 3 | "Episode 3" | Unknown | Unknown | 8 August 2021 |
| 4 | "Episode 4" | Unknown | Unknown | 15 August 2021 |
| 5 | "Episode 5" | Unknown | Unknown | 22 August 2021 |
| 6 | "Episode 6" | Unknown | Unknown | 29 August 2021 |
| 7 | "Episode 7" | Unknown | Unknown | 5 September 2021 |
| 8 | "Episode 8" | Unknown | Unknown | 12 September 2021 |
It was announced in 2018, that M-Net and Fremantle would work together in creating the series. It was set to start production in early-2019. [6] [7]
On 9 December 2020, Kim Engelbrecht posted pictures of behind-the-scenes footage on Instagram, expressing her excitement for working on the set alongside Iain Glen. [8]
In an interview with Independent Online, Managing director of Quizzical Pictures, Harriet Gavshon, says when she was approached by Rohan Dickson for the series, she was happy to share the production credits with Serena Cullen. She says “I read the outlines and loved it. Then we met the British producer, Serena Cullen, and we got on very well". [9]
On 15 December 2020, M-Net and Fremantle announced the lead cast for the series. [10]
Filming began on the taking place for 7 weeks, predominantly in the rural settlements of Stanger and Inanda, as well as in Johannesburg. [11]
The series premiered on 25 July 2021 on M-Net. The series had an international release via BritBox.
The first episode of Reyka was shown at the 60th Monte-Carlo Television Festival and received rave reviews. [12]
South African reporter, Thinus Ferreira for News24, gave the series a rating of 3/5, comparing it to Prodigal Son and The Silence of the Lambs . [13] He says the script by Rohan Dickson may likely be inspired by South African serial killer Thozamile Taki, known as the Sugarcane Killer. Thozamile was convicted with 19 life sentences on 19 January 2011 for the murders of 13 young women, 10 of whom were murdered in the sugarcane fields around Umzinto in 2007. He warns "some on-screen gruesomeness is par for the cause in a catch-the-killer crime drama. Reyka is possibly best watched with the lights on, and on bright, on a Sunday night". [14]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | South African Film and Television Awards | Best TV Drama | Reyka | Nominated | [15] |
| Best Actress in a TV Drama | Kim Engelbrecht | Won | |||
| Best Actor in a TV Drama | Hamilton Dlamini | Nominated | |||
| Best Achievement in Scriptwriting – TV Drama | Rohan Dickson | Won | |||
| Best Achievement in Directing – TV Drama | Catharine Cooke, Zwelesizwe Ntuli | Won | |||
| Best Achievement in Editing – TV Drama | Melanie Sara Golden, Matthew Dylan Swanepoel | Nominated | |||
| Best Achievement in Cinematography – TV Drama | Tom Marais | Won | |||
| Best Achievement in Make-up and Hairstyling – TV Drama | Theola Booyens | Nominated | |||
| International Emmy Awards | Best Drama Series | Reyka | Nominated | [16] | |
| Best Actress | Kim Engelbrecht | Nominated | |||