Cape Town to shine on season 2 of Blood and Water

When the new season of Cape Town-produced Blood and Water lands on Netflix later this month, the Mother City will also share the spotlight.

The first season of the teen drama exceeded expectations becoming one of the stand out shows on the streaming service.

It featured on the top 10 most watched list in many countries including the US, UK and France.

In its debut season, the production took place at Cape Town City Hall, UCT, Sea Point Promenade, Camps Bay and Llandudno among other locations.

The upcoming instalment will also showcase the Mother City’s breath-taking locations.

Netflix recently released their teaser and trailer for season 2 dropping on 24 September 2021.

‘Blood and Water has done tourism some justice’

Atlantic Studios-based Gambit Films produced SAFTA-award winning series.

Speaking at the recently concluded Durban Film Mart Gambit Films CEO Bradley Joshua said that while storytelling comes first, Cape Town is always the base for the story.

The discussion focused on driving investment in film and tourism through exploration and locations. The panel also featured South African Tourism and Wesgro.

“The production that has done Cape Town justice as a tourist destination has been Blood and Water,” Joshua said.

“For season one, we have had such positive feedback in how the story showcased Cape Town, the beautiful places, the ecosystem that exists in Cape Town and the lifestyle.

“In our storytelling, we always lean into the authenticity of the type of story we are telling…but Cape Town always finds its way into the story and naturally become such an attractive and lovable character. It has been seen especially in Blood and Water.”

Joshua further explained that Cape Town has the potential to be as attractive as a destination as New York, Paris and Los Angeles.

Cape Town locations featured in Blood and Water

‘Film connects people with moments’

SA Tourism Chief Marketing Officer Themba Khumalo said while COVID-19 had brought the world to a standstill, the pandemic also created “the best opportunity for South Africa to restate itself”.

“One of the best and most valuable assets as a country is the ability to tell great stories. We tell amazing stories around the campfire and we tell amazing stories around meals,” Khumalo said.

“What the film industry is able to do is to tell those stories in a very powerful and compelling manner. Tell stories in the way that advertising cannot do and that corporate cannot tell stories with credibility.

Khumalo said SA Tourism has established a division centred on partnership and film forms a big part of that focus.

“We believe that film is able to transmit messages, emotions, and truths about a country in a way that connects with human beings in a way they can relate. People do not visit places anymore, they visit moments, and they visit emotions and truths about a country.”

Using film to promote Western Cape destinations

Project Manager: Film and Media Promotion Lisa Mini said they found some district municipalities and local tourism offices do not understand the value of film on tourism.

She said Wesgro is working on a strategy to empower these municipalities and tourism offices.

This will include educating municipalities on the economic impact film can have on tourism, hotels, restaurants and the employment of local services.

“We have been hosting a number of webinars. We started first with ensuring that we have film ready regions. What does that mean? Are there permitting processes in place? In addition, that they understand the needs of the film industry and the importance of using film to promote your destination,” Mini said.

Wesgro’s Film and Media Promotion unit has also been working with its Convention Bureau team on strategies to develop film events.

“We have been working on how we can grow film festivals in our province. Stimulating business travel through our film festival and stimulating film tourism through our local film festivals.”