kykNET, in collaboration with Ivan and Donnalee, presents – Een Keer Om Die Son

Een Keer Om Die Son is produced by Ivan Botha, Donnalee Roberts and Danie Bester, known for hit movies like Pad Na Jou Hart, Stroomop and Blindelings. This is their first TV series produced under the banner of 17 Films. Ivan is the director of Een Keer Om Die Son, and he and Donnalee are headwriters with Liani Jansen van Rensburg, Retief Scholtz and Tina Kruger as co-writers of the series. Donnalee also stars in the series.

It takes the Earth a year to move around the sun. In those twelve months, a great deal can happen, both bitter and sweet.

The new kykNET drama series, Een Keer Om Die Son, follows the trials and tribulations of one family over the course of a year. Each of the twelve episodes depicts a month in their lives. There are also flashbacks to show how they ended up where they are.

Een Keer Om Die Son tells the story of a seemingly happy family. Ruan van Wyk is a neurosurgeon married to Lani van Wyk. They are the parents of three children: Markus, who is in matric, 15-year-old Leandri, and Sophia who is 8-year’s old.

Amé Cloete (Donnalee Roberts) is Ruan’s sister and a successful financial manager. She is married to Joshua Cloete, the owner of an art gallery. Ruan and Amé’s parents are Sebastian, a professor in entomology, and Elma, owns a bakery shop.

But then tragedy strikes, raising puzzling questions, and everything changes overnight.

The Cast include:

  • Jacques Bessenger is Dr Ruan van Wyk, a neurosurgeon. He tries his best to balance his career and his family, but his career always wins.
  • Jana Kruger plays Lani van Wyk, Jacques’ wife and mother of their three children. She is the glue that holds the family together.
  • Liam Bosman is Markus van Wyk. He is 17 years old and in matric. He is chosen as the captain of the first rugby team, but he has a different dream.
  • Alma Van Heerden plays Leandri van Wyk, 15 years old and in grade 9. After the family trauma, she becomes extremely rebellious and does things she would never have done before.
  • Klara Van Zyl plays Sophia van Wyk. She is nine years old. She escapes into her own fantasy world to make sense of what is happening around her.
  • Donnalee Roberts is Amé Cloete, a 36-year-old CFO. She is married to Joshua but has made it clear from the beginning that she doesn’t want children.
  • Ludwig Binge is Joshua Cloete (38), the owner of an art gallery and a curator. He very much wants to become a father but is well aware of Amé’s unwillingness.
  • Albert Martiz plays Prof Sebastian van Wyk (67), a professor of entomology and the father of Ruan and Amé.
  • Joanie Combrink plays Elma van Wyk (67), Sebastian’s wife and the mother of Ruan and Amé. She bakes for other people but feels trapped and has dreams of travelling.
  • Susanne Beyers and Pierre Van Pletzen play Salie and Jan Wessels, good friends of Sebastian and Elma.
  • Alex Van Dyk is Xavier, 17 years old and in grade 11. He is the cool kid at school, doesn’t follow the rules, and he has the hots for Leandri.

Other cast members include Simone Neethling as Charlie, the leader of the dance group; Lee-Ann van Rooi as Dr Beth Hendricks, head of neurosurgery; Adriaan Havenga as Dr Jean Petersen, a neurosurgery trainee; Bennie Fourie as Coach Cilliers; Antoinette Louw as Teacher Marianne, Sophia’s grade 2 teacher, and Amalia Uys as the artist Sage Jones.

Een Keer Om Die Son is set across the four seasons of the year and was filmed in and around Cape Town. The colour grading was adjusted to match each season – autumn colours for autumn, grey and blue for winter, soft pastels for spring, and bright colours for summer. Nature and natural elements play a significant role in the series.

Een Keer Om Die Son starts 25 June on kykNET (DStv Channel 144) and is also available on Catch Up and DStv Stream.

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