At the 2026 kykNET Silwerskerm Awards, Nico Scheepers’ intimate family drama emerged as the festival’s defining feature film, while Rian van Heerden completed a remarkable three-award run across Afrikaans television.
There are easier ways to win over an awards room than making people confront the worst parts of family.
A small house. A wounded family. A deliberately constrained film. And one very big Silwerskerm.
Landmyn chose the difficult route.
On Saturday night, 22 August, Nico Scheepers’ unflinching drama about inherited trauma, damaged family bonds and the uncomfortable limits of forgiveness emerged as one of the defining winners of the 2026 kykNET Silwerskerm Awards for Film and TV.
By the time the ceremony at the Cape Town International Convention Centre was over, Landmyn had claimed Best Feature Film, while Anna-Mart van der Merwe was named Best Actress, Ben Albertyn won Best Actor and Nicole Holm took Best Female Supporting Performer.
Earlier in the day, the film had already collected Best Director and Best Screenplay for Scheepers, alongside Best Editing for Reghardt Botha.
It is a formidable awards run for a film that, by design, does not reach for spectacle.
Instead, Landmyn places one fractured family inside a confined emotional space and waits for the pressure to do its work.
The story centres on siblings Colette, Lisa and Johan, who reunite for a winter holiday on the South African coast after building separate lives away from the instability of their childhood. Their reunion changes when Colette reveals that she has invited their mother, Annatjie, to join them.
Her arrival does not simply bring another person into the house. It brings the past with her.
Old resentment resurfaces. Survival mechanisms return. The emotional distance the siblings have spent years creating begins to collapse.
Scheepers has described the film's approach in deliberately simple terms: one family, one house, one lens.
That restraint is part of what makes its Silwerskerm success interesting.
At a time when cinema can be obsessed with scale, Landmyn appears to have found its power by making its world smaller. The film was shot in just 16 days, with Scheepers deliberately concentrating the filmmaking around performance, character and the uncomfortable intimacy of people who know exactly where one another's wounds are.
It also arrives only a year after Scheepers' feature-film debut Hen became a major Silwerskerm winner.
Following a film that successful with another awards heavyweight would already be noteworthy. Doing it by changing genre almost entirely says something more significant about the filmmaker emerging behind them.
Where Hen operated as a thriller, Landmyn is interested in another kind of danger: what happens when the people who formed you are also the people you have spent adulthood trying to escape.
Scheepers has resisted presenting the family as something that must inevitably be repaired. That is arguably the film's most provocative idea.
Some families remain difficult. Some histories do not resolve neatly. Sometimes survival is not about rebuilding what was broken, but recognising that you are allowed to stop trying to fix everything.
For a story carrying that much emotional weight, the acting prizes feel particularly significant.
Anna-Mart van der Merwe's Annatjie sits at the centre of the family's emotional gravity, while Albertyn, Holm and an ensemble including Carla Smith and Dhania Schultz populate a story in which gestures, silences and old behavioural patterns can become as consequential as confrontation.
And while Landmyn became the major film story of Saturday night's ceremony, another name kept returning to the stage.
Rian van Heerden won three Silwerskerm Awards across three different programmes.
He was named Best Presenter in an Entertainment Programme for Wie word 'n miljoenêr, Best Presenter in a Talk Show or Current Affairs Programme for Laataand by Rian, and Best Presenter in a Documentary Programme for Schuster.
Three programmes. Three formats. Three wins.
It was the kind of sweep that underlined just how broad Van Heerden's presence in Afrikaans television has become.
Moving convincingly between a game show, a late-night current-affairs environment and documentary storytelling requires different versions of the same skill: knowing when the presenter should drive the moment and when the story or person in front of them should take over.
On Saturday night, that versatility was rewarded repeatedly.
Elsewhere in television, Albert Pretorius won Best Lead Performer in a Comedy for Die kantoor and also Best Actor in a Drama for his performance as Gustaff Fouché in Niggies. Schalk Bezuidenhout took Best Supporting Performer in a Comedy for Die kantoor, while Rolanda Marais won Best Actress in a Drama for Die nuusmakers.
Germandt Geldenhuys was named Best Actor in a Telenovela or Soap Opera for Binnelanders, with Sandi Schultz winning the corresponding actress award for Diepe waters. Reandi Grey was recognised as Best Presenter in a Reality Programme for Boer soek 'n vrou, while Hannes van Wyk won the lifestyle presenting category for Kwêla.
The evening also made room for careers that stretch far beyond a single awards season.
Actor Ivan Abrahams and comedy veteran Willie Esterhuizen were honoured for their lifetime contributions to entertainment, while filmmaker Koos Roets received an honorary award during Saturday morning's ceremony at The Bay Hotel.
Taken together, the winners offered a useful snapshot of the Afrikaans screen industry in 2026.
There was established television alongside newer work, mass entertainment alongside difficult drama, household names alongside performances whose greatest strength is their ability to disappear inside a character.
And at the centre of the film conversation was Landmyn — a movie about people who cannot outrun where they come from.
The irony is difficult to miss.
A film concerned with the damage families pass from one generation to another has now given Scheepers something very different to inherit from Hen: expectation.
After back-to-back Silwerskerm breakthroughs, his next project will no longer arrive as simply another film.
People will be watching to see what he does with the momentum.
For now, though, Landmyn has its moment.
A small house. A wounded family. A deliberately constrained film.
And one very big night at Silwerskerm.
Reporting basis: Based on the official kykNET Silwerskerm Festival results from both awards ceremonies on 22 August 2026, the festival’s official Landmyn production material, Nico Scheepers’ pre-festival interview about the film’s production and themes, Viranova’s previous reporting on Hen, and Viranova editorial analysis of the 2026 Afrikaans film and television awards. Landmyn won seven awards across the two ceremonies: Best Editing, Best Screenplay and Best Director in the morning, followed by Best Female Supporting Performer, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Feature Film that evening.
Story index Key points, people & topics
Key points & topics
- Nico Scheepers’ intimate family drama collected seven awards across the 2026 Silwerskerm ceremonies, while Rian van Heerden completed a remarkable three-award sweep across three different television formats.
- Nico Scheepers’ Landmyn won seven awards across the 2026 Silwerskerm ceremonies, while Rian van Heerden claimed three presenting prizes across three programmes in a night that showcased the breadth of Afrikaans film and...
Frequently asked Answers from the desk
What is Landmyn?
Landmyn is a 2026 Afrikaans family drama written and directed by Nico Scheepers about three siblings forced back into old patterns when their estranged mother joins a family holiday.
How many Silwerskerm Awards did Landmyn win in 2026?
Landmyn won seven awards across the two Silwerskerm ceremonies on 22 August 2026.
Did Landmyn win Best Feature Film?
Yes. Landmyn won Best Feature Film at the 2026 kykNET Silwerskerm Awards.
Who won Best Actress for Landmyn?
Anna-Mart van der Merwe won Best Actress for her performance as Annatjie.
Who won Best Actor for Landmyn?
Ben Albertyn won Best Actor for his performance as Johan.
Who won Best Female Supporting Performer?
Nicole Holm won Best Female Supporting Performer for Landmyn.
Did Nico Scheepers win Best Director?
Yes. Nico Scheepers won both Best Director and Best Screenplay for Landmyn.
Who edited Landmyn?
Reghardt Botha edited the film and won Best Editing.
How long did Landmyn take to shoot?
The film was shot over 16 days.
Why did Landmyn use one lens?
Scheepers deliberately used a single 35 mm lens to reduce technical choices and keep greater focus on performance.
Credibility & transparency How this story is reported
- Content type
- News
- Verification
- Official source
- Reporting basis
- Based on the official kykNET Silwerskerm Festival results from both awards ceremonies on 22 August 2026, the festival’s official Landmyn production material, Nico Scheepers’ pre-festival interview about the film’s production and themes, Viranova’s previous reporting on Hen, and Viranova editorial analysis of the 2026 Afrikaans film and television awards. Landmyn won seven awards across the two ceremonies: Best Editing, Best Screenplay and Best Director in the morning, followed by Best Female Supporting Performer, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Feature Film that evening.
- Sources & context
- The official Silwerskerm results identify Landmyn and Rian van Heerden as the evening’s major winners. Van Heerden won Best Presenter in an Entertainment Programme for Wie word ’n miljoenêr, Best Presenter in a Talk Show or Current Affairs Programme for Laataand by Rian and Best Presenter in a Documentary Programme for Schuster. Separate morning results confirm Landmyn’s wins for Nico Scheepers in directing and screenplay and Reghardt Botha in editing. Scheepers’ own festival interview confirms the film was shot in 16 days because of budget constraints, while the decision to use a single 35 mm lens was a deliberate creative limitation designed to preserve time and attention for performance.
- Image
- Landmyn · Supplied by kykNet
- Primary source
- silwerskermfees.co.za
Edited under our Editorial Standards and How We Report process. Spotted an error? Request a correction or email corrections@viranova.co.za.
Human-written · Editor-reviewed · Corrections open
Filed by Viranova Entertainment Desk for the Entertainment desk · Cape Town, South Africa. Published 23 Aug 2026.
Sources
Secondary material
Reported first by another publication or organisation, and credited here.
- Landmyn won Best Feature Film, Best Actress for Anna-Mart van der Merwe, Best Actor for Ben Albertyn and Best Female Supporting Performer for Nicole Holm at the evening Silwerskerm Awards ceremony kykNET Silwerskerm Festival accessed 23 August 2026
- Landmyn also won Best Director and Best Screenplay for Nico Scheepers and Best Editing for Reghardt Botha during the morning awards ceremony kykNET Silwerskerm Festival accessed 23 August 2026
- Rian van Heerden won three presenting awards for Wie word ’n miljoenêr, Laataand by Rian and Schuster kykNET Silwerskerm Festival accessed 23 August 2026
- Landmyn centres on siblings Colette, Lisa and Johan reuniting for a coastal holiday before their mother Annatjie is unexpectedly brought back into the family space kykNET Silwerskerm Festival accessed 23 August 2026
- Nico Scheepers describes Landmyn as an intimate drama about inherited trauma, obligation and letting go rather than a comforting account of family reconciliation kykNET Silwerskerm Festival accessed 23 August 2026
- Landmyn was filmed in 16 days, while Scheepers deliberately used a single 35 mm lens to reduce technical decision-making and preserve greater focus on performance LitNet accessed 23 August 2026
- Hen won eight Silwerskerm Awards in 2025 before later becoming the first African film to win the H.R. Giger Narcisse Award for Best Feature Film at Neuchâtel Viranova accessed 23 August 2026
- Albert Pretorius won Best Lead Performer in a Comedy for Die kantoor and Best Actor in a Drama for Niggies kykNET Silwerskerm Festival accessed 23 August 2026
- Schalk Bezuidenhout won Best Supporting Performer in a Comedy for Die kantoor while Rolanda Marais won Best Actress in a Drama for Die nuusmakers kykNET Silwerskerm Festival accessed 23 August 2026
- Germandt Geldenhuys won Best Actor in a Telenovela or Soap Opera for Binnelanders and Sandi Schultz won Best Actress for Diepe waters kykNET Silwerskerm Festival accessed 23 August 2026
- Ivan Abrahams and Willie Esterhuizen were honoured for lifetime contributions to entertainment and Koos Roets received an honorary award kykNET Silwerskerm Festival accessed 23 August 2026
- Landmyn is scheduled for a South African cinema release on 4 September 2026 Nu Metro accessed 23 August 2026
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