Top award for Aids haven ad

By Lynne Gadd-Claxton

A PORT Elizabeth film production company’s advertisement for the House of Resurrection Aids Haven is to feature on national television next year after being placed in the top three at the M-Net Television Awards for Good this week.

Numb City Productions collaborated with various organisations in the city to create an advertisement for the centre in Salsoneville.

Out of 173 entrants in the professional category, "Chalk Ghosts” made the top three.

The commercial shows a young boy drawing with chalk on a cement slab. The boy then wraps himself in a blanket and lies down on a larger-than- life-size drawing of his mother – as the shot reveals his location in a derelict building.

The chalk-etched words "I miss you” appear on screen.

The second title board carries the words "Someone to come home to”, alluding to House of Resurrection’s work withorphans and vulnerable children.

"Our advert is simple and raw,” Numb City Productions partner Amy Shelver said.

"Children use art as a form of honest expression and an emotional release. This advert speaks to that and the fact that love between a mother and child never dies.”

Shelver said the ad was the brainchild of Numb City Productions owners and associates Jacques Nel, Brett Jackman, Chris Kritzinger and Gavin Sterley. "It is a coming together of creative minds from across the city. They are Lyndon Brandt from Rockwallaby Productions, Brett Gieseke (Hybrid Media), Chad Felix, Andrew Marriott with support from John Lombardo (Artworks for Youth), Mikhael Barry, Nadine Clarke, Amy-Leigh Weldrick and the Numb City team.”

The awards ceremony was held at the Kyalami Theatre on The Track in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

The advert was nominated for five out of the eight categories – best direction, best cinematography, best overall advert, best concept and best score.

The conceptualising process began in June this year and production in August, Shelver said. The finished product was submitted in October. Numb City Productions were notified in mid-November of their finalist status.

Shelver said their inclusion proved the Eastern Cape’s mettle as a top film destination with vibrant talent and locations on offer.

"Nelson Mandela Bay has strong creative concepts, stories and amazing talent. We are up there with the best of them and this proves it,” she said.

The House of Resurrection Haven is a non-profit organisation that offers a home environment for children infected and affected by HIV and AIDS.

"The Haven provides a light at the end of the tunnel. For many orphans and vulnerable children in Nelson Mandela Bay, the Haven offers warmth in a cold place,” said Shelver.

The top 10 advertisements will be screened on DStv and M-Net next year.

This is a version of an article that appeared in the print edition of the Weekend Post on Saturday, December 8, 2012.