Showmax’s new true crime documentary, Stella Murders, has released its first trailer. The 90-minute Showmax Original, premiering on March 17, 2023, investigates the tragic deaths of best friends Sharnelle Hough (17) and Marna Engelbrecht (16) at their hostel at Stella High School in North West, South Africa. The documentary is directed by David Enright and produced by IdeaCandy, the team behind the award-winning Devilsdorp, one of Showmax’s ten most-streamed titles of 2021.
The trailer for Stella Murders teases the heart-wrenching story of Sharnelle and Marna’s deaths, which were initially believed to be suicides. The documentary features interviews with the families of both girls, police officers, private investigators, and the state prosecutor. Marizka Coetzer from Devilsdorp also appears in the documentary, having covered the Stella Murders case for Huisgenoot.
According to Yolisa Phahle, CEO of Showmax and Connected Video at MultiChoice, Stella Murders is a harrowing story that deals with every parent’s worst fear. The families of Sharnelle and Marna have cooperated with the production, with the hope that their story will prevent similar tragedies in the future.
The small town of Stella, with just over 4,000 residents, is still processing the deaths of the two girls. The documentary aims to become part of the nationwide conversation about the shameful levels of violence against women in South Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted this issue at the second Presidential Summit on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide in November 2022, stating that “ending violence against women and children cannot be anything but our foremost priority.”
The production team behind Stella Murders hopes to highlight red flags to look out for and help prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future. The documentary also serves as a reminder of the importance of emotional healing for families and communities who have experienced trauma. Showmax viewers can expect another powerful and thought-provoking true-crime documentary in Stella Murders.
