Gay okes in the Cape Town oaks
GAY squirrels may be coming to a screen near you — and they’re looking for love and nuts.
Neil and Artel are the main characters in Squeers, a new animated series based on Cape Town artist Roberto Millan’s comic set in The Company’s Garden.
Characters in the comic were modelled on Millan’s friends who are battling with the universal issues of love, diets and going to the gym. He said it was “quasi-biographical”.
Millan said his style consisted of clean lines, was often jokebased and “verbose, with monologues and rants”.
In 2014 he met producer Wendy Spinks, who optioned the rights to develop the TV series and sell it to broadcasters.
“The themes are topical and pertinent. The idea for animals was clever because you can do and say more and get away with more,” said Spinks.
Her company received funding from the National Film and Video Foundation for a 75-second teaser that will go online this month.
Spinks said a trailer had been entered in an international competition. If all went well, the series would be the foundation of a global roll-out including theatre productions and merchandising. The next goal was to raise money for a seven-minute pilot episode, she said.
Millan said the animated series was his way of advancing gay rights.
He described the process as a self-indulgent response to the Cape Town gay scene. “It was my way of making fun of what I see. People are so body conscious and always in the gym.”
Spinks said Africa was often “a scary place” for gay people, and she hoped the cartoon would help to bridge gaps.
“It’s controversial, but it will break ground. In South Africa there is a lot of education around homosexuality, but I’ve read so many articles around bullying, especially from educators.”