About:
Client: Filmmaker Uga Carlini (Netflix Release)
Film: Angeliena
Date: September/October 2021
Part of Netflix's commitment to telling African stories with local voices, Angeliena is the bittersweet debut fiction feature film from multi-award winning South African filmmaker Uga Carlini. Released globally on 8 October 2021 and set in modern-day, post-apartheid South Africa, it tells the story of a formerly homeless parking attendant, Angeliena, played by Euodia Samson. When she is diagnosed with a life-threatening disease, she dares to make her lifelong dream of travelling the world a reality. Through her story, the film explores themes of friendship and hardship, the importance of dreams and the need for self-love.
Campaign:
tpr media was commissioned by director Uga Carlini to gain coverage and drive audiences to Netflix’s release of Angeliena as well as gain exposure for her as a director on the launch of her debut fiction feature. There was a tight, six week turnaround for the release at the busiest time of year for documentary launches and competition from the London Film Festival. We linked the film's release to Black History Month which takes place in October. Aware of the challenges, our aim was to maximise PR for the film and gain a handful of high-quality targeted pieces across print, online and radio.
Highlights of the campaign included an interview with director Uga Carlini on the BBC World Service Weekend programme on 19 September 2021. This flagship show has a huge international audience. The 8-minute slot covered discussions around the dearth of films depicting middle-aged women as heroes and telling little-known stories of South Africa. There was a major two-page spread in the Black History Month Magazine featuring a Q&A with Uga and multiple stills from the film. The Sun, the UK's leading tabloid newspaper, featured Angeliena in its weekly Top 5 picks/ 'What to Watch' segment. The UK and Ireland Sunday Times also featured Angeliena in their 'On Demand Picks' for October 11 and included a synopsis of the film. The Independent, Radio Times and TodayUKNews also all mentioned Angeliena in upcoming Netflix releases. BroadcastPro, a Middle Eastern trade outlet, ran a story focused on MAD Solutions acquiring rights to distribute Angeliena in the Arab World.