Discover the best of South African cinema, film, and television
Discover the definitive list of popular and critically-acclaimed movies and TV shows from South Africa. Find your next binge-watch, streaming on Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Prime Video, and other top services!
The cinema of South Africa
South African cinema tells one of the most dramatic transformation stories in film history. The industry exploded onto the international scene with Jamie Uys's "The Gods Must Be Crazy" in 1980, which became a global phenomenon despite the country's apartheid isolation. This success paved the way for a new generation of filmmakers who would use cinema to document and challenge social injustices. The real turning point came in the mid-1980s when directors began creating powerful anti-apartheid films like "Mapantsula" and "Place of Weeping," often filmed secretly and distributed through underground networks. These brave productions laid the groundwork for post-apartheid cinema that could finally tell authentic South African stories without censorship. Contemporary directors like Neill Blomkamp have achieved massive international success with films like "District 9," which cleverly used science fiction to explore themes of segregation and xenophobia. The film's $200 million worldwide box office proved that South African stories could resonate globally whilst maintaining their unique perspective. Television has been equally revolutionary. "Generations," which premiered in 1994 alongside democracy, became a cultural phenomenon that celebrated black South African aspirations for over three decades. Long-running soap operas like "Isidingo" broke new ground by featuring the country's first televised gay kiss and addressing contemporary social issues with unprecedented openness. What makes South African cinema special is its ability to transform painful history into compelling storytelling, creating films that educate, entertain, and inspire whilst showcasing the nation's incredible diversity and resilience.
Best South African series
Blood & Water 2020
After crossing paths at a party, a Cape Town teen sets out to prove whether a private-school swimming star is her sister who was abducted at birth.
Netflix71
Unseen 2023
A house cleaner desperately searches for her husband as a dreaded criminal syndicate dredges up past tragedies and ultimately drives her to violence.
Netflix66
Labyrinth 2012
Jumping back and forth between modern and medieval France, the lives of two women separated by centuries, are united in their search for an ancient artifact.
Channel 458
Fatal Seduction 2023
A married professor is pulled into a passionate affair with a younger man that uncovers a path of tragedy and betrayal from those closest to her.
Netflix60
Queen Sono 2020
A highly trained South African spy must face changing relationships in her personal life while taking on her most dangerous mission yet.
Netflix65
Penguin Town 2021
In a picturesque South African town, an eclectic group of endangered penguins flock together to find mates, raise families and mix with the locals.
Netflix71
Best South African movies
Chappie 2015
Every child comes into the world full of promise, and none more so than Chappie: he is gifted, special, a prodigy. Like any child, Chappie will come under the influence of his surroundings—some good, some bad—and he will rely on his heart and soul to find his way in the world and become his own man. But there's one thing that makes Chappie different from any one else: he is a robot.
70
Hotel Rwanda 2004
Inspired by true events, this film takes place in Rwanda in the 1990s when more than a million Tutsis were killed in a genocide that went mostly unnoticed by the rest of the world. Hotel owner Paul Rusesabagina houses over a thousand refuges in his hotel in attempt to save their lives.
79
My Octopus Teacher 2020
After years of swimming every day in the freezing ocean at the tip of Africa, Craig Foster meets an unlikely teacher: a young octopus who displays remarkable curiosity. Visiting her den and tracking her movements for months on end he eventually wins the animal’s trust and they develop a never-before-seen bond between human and wild animal.
78
The Gods Must Be Crazy 1980
A Coca-Cola bottle dropped from an airplane raises havoc among a normally peaceful tribe of African bushmen who believe it to be a utensil of the gods.
73
Action Point 2018
A daredevil designs and operates his own theme park with his friends.
61
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom 2013
A chronicle of Nelson Mandela's life journey from his childhood in a rural village through to his inauguration as the first democratically elected president of South Africa.
71