Cape Town filmmaker’s Hen becomes first African film to win prestigious Swiss Award

Cape Town’s film industry has another international success story to celebrate. HEN, directed by acclaimed Cape Town filmmaker Nico Scheepers and produced by Nagvlug Films, has made history as the first African film to receive the prestigious H.R. Giger “Narcisse” Award for Best Feature Film at the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival in Switzerland.  

In a remarkable double achievement, the film also took home the Best Feature Film award at the Vrystaat Arts Festival over the same weekend. 

HEN premiered at kykNET’s Silwerskermfees in 2025. While the film was shot in the Northern Cape, it was directed by Cape Town filmmaker Nico Scheepers and brought to life by a Cape Town-based creative team. The film’s development and post-production were driven by local talent, with Cape Town professionals contributing across editing, sound design, visual effects, colour grading, production management, production design, and countless hours of behind-the-scenes collaboration. 

Reflecting on the achievement, director Nico Scheepers said the award was a testament to the passion, talent and dedication of the South African team behind HEN. 

“This film was made by South African hands, hearts and sweat – and we could not be more proud and excited. What an astonishing honour for us to win at probably the coolest festival in Europe, and the first African film ever to win the award!” said Scheepers  

Synopsis  

Hen is an Afrikaans horror-thriller feature film, shot entirely in black and white. Following a brutal massacre on an isolated farm, a childless couple discover a feral young boy locked inside a wooden chest. They take him in, only to uncover a chilling truth: the child carries an inexplicable affliction, an unseen force that drives those who love him into madness and despair.