Silas en die Ysbeer op Tafelberg brings family magic to Silwerskerm
For young and old alike, the 14th kykNET Silwerskerm Festival has a delightful family-film offering on its programme: Silas en die Ysbeer op Tafelberg, an enchanting story about imagination, loss, friendship and the enduring power of stories.
Making its festival debut from 19 to 22 August in Camps Bay, Cape Town, the film follows young Silas (played by Neels Clasen Jr.) as he tries to make sense of the death of his grandmother (played by Antoinette Kellermann). Rather than accepting that she is gone, Silas believes she has simply wandered off into Dreamland and sets out to find her, joined on the journey by his new friend, Willemien (played by Luna Coetzer). Along the way, the pair encounter a colourful collection of characters, including a Hus (played by Beer Adriaanse), Van Hunks (Neil Sandilands) and Toemaar (played by Brendon Daniels).
The film is directed by Zandré Coetzer, who also developed the story idea, with Annie Klopper serving as screenwriter. The project explores difficult themes such as death and grief through a distinctly imaginative world, while drawing on South African folklore and the perspective of children themselves.
Silas en die Ysbeer op Tafelberg: a story born from a conversation about grief
Full-length Afrikaans films for children are as rare as hen’s teeth. How did Silas en die Ysbeer op Tafelberg come about?
It began with a simple conversation. Our daughter (Luna) once told me that a friend of hers had lost her grandfather. It made me realise how little we as adults actually talk to children about death, loss, and grief. I wanted to make a story that does not try to answer those difficult questions easily. Children do not always need answers, sometimes just a safe place to work through emotions with someone.
Annie Klopper is the screenwriter. How did you collaborate on the story?
Annie and I work together in a very natural way. She has an incredible instinct for language, character, and the emotional truth of a scene. I, on the other hand, am very fascinated by world-building, mythology, and the bigger themes that lie beneath a story. We complemented each other’s strengths beautifully.
From folk tales to children’s imagination
Do today’s Afrikaans parents still dismiss children’s awkward questions by saying something is “husse met lang ore”? How did you develop the Hus and bring it to life visually?
The Hus brought two generations together in a beautiful way. Annie’s little boy, Jax, had an imaginary friend from a young age named Brommel. When we started imagining what the Hus would look like and who he would be, it sounded like just the right name. Suddenly something from our grandmothers’ folk tales joined hands with something from our children’s imagination. We did not want to create a monster, but a character who is curious, friendly, and slightly messy, someone who feels as though he has always been part of our folk tales.
Music gives Silas another way to express emotion
Music, the soundtrack and the original songs, play an important role. Please elaborate.
I believe children hear emotion long before they can put it into words. That is why the music often carries Silas’s feelings. Some of my most beautiful childhood memories come from long road trips to the coast. My mother and brother would usually be sleeping, while my father and I listened to Laurika Rauch. There is something about those memories that still fills me with nostalgia today. That is why it was very special for me to be able to reimagine Ingrid Jonker’s “Toemaar die donker man”. I did not want to try to replace the well-known musical setting. I wanted to create something that sounds completely new to young ears, but has the texture of a beloved patchwork quilt for older listeners.
I also wanted music that my children and I could listen to together. My formative years were strongly influenced by the music of Johnny de Ridder and Hunter Kennedy. I could not believe my ears when they agreed to write the original songs for Silas. The original soundtrack by Janine Neethling is equally important. Janine knows how to tug at audiences’ heartstrings and transport them through music. And then there was the Akustika Chamber Singers under the direction of Christo Burger. They added something to the film that I find difficult to describe in words. It feels as though they breathed life into the music.
The polar bear is more than a special effect
The polar bear is a giant puppet. Tell us more about its creation and what it takes to bring it to life?
From the very beginning I knew I wanted to return to what is tangible. While doing research, I read a great deal about Steven Spielberg’s E.T. One of the things that fascinated me most was the fact that E.T. was physically present on set. I began searching far and wide for someone who could build such a polar bear, and eventually I found Nadine Minnaar. She was just as excited about the challenge as I was.
But a puppet is only as alive as the people who breathe life into it. I was again incredibly privileged to work with three of South Africa’s leading puppeteers: Sipho Ngxola, Samkelo Zihlangu, and Thabo Mkenene. The polar bear’s voice is also not computerised. Tim Pringle worked masterfully with Francois Funck to discover the polar bear’s voice. Francois performed every growl, every breath, and every roar. This gives the polar bear something particularly human, even though he never speaks a single word.
The polar bear is not merely a special effect, he is one of the actors in the film.
Why children’s stories need to take young audiences seriously
What are the challenges of making a children’s film, and will Nagvlug Films tackle something like this again?
My greatest lesson during Silas was to have respect for our young audience. To accept that they are smarter than we often think. They notice an incredible amount. They feel when something is genuine and when someone is engaging with them rather than preaching at them.
Children already live with loss, change, uncertainty, and big questions. They are simply still in the process of developing language for it. I think stories can help them find that language. Will Nagvlug take it on again? Without a doubt. In fact, this experience has only convinced me further that we need many more stories for young audiences.
Anything else you would like to share with viewers?
If Silas can open up one honest conversation for one family that would otherwise never have taken place, I will feel the film has done its job.
The 14th kykNET Silwerskerm Festival takes place from 19 to 22 August in Camps Bay, Cape Town. Tickets for the films, as well as the prestigious awards ceremony on Saturday, 22 August, are available at Quicket.
For the full programme, visit the Silwerskerm Festival website.
➼ More about Silwerskerm Festival 2026
- The 14th Silwerskerm Festival 2026 Lineup
- Roberto Kyle to debut a powerful short film at Silwerskerm this year
- Nico Scheepers’ feature film ‘Landmyn’ to premiere at 2026 Silwerskermfees
