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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Charlie Jade 2005
Charlie Jade is a science fiction television program filmed mainly in Cape Town, South Africa. It stars Jeffrey Pierce in the title role, as a detective from a parallel universe who finds himself trapped in our universe. This is a Canadian and South African co-production filmed in conjunction with CHUM Television and the South African Industrial Development Corporation. The special effects were produced by the Montreal-based company Cinegroupe led by Michel Lemire.The show started in 2004 and was aired on the Canadian Space Channel. It premiered on the Space Channel April 16, 2005 and aired in Eastern Europe, France, Italy, on SABC 3 in South Africa, on Fox Japan, and on AXN in Hong Kong. The show began airing in the United Kingdom in October 2007, on FX. The Sci Fi Channel in the United States premiered the show on June 6, 2008, but after 2 episodes on Friday prime-time, moved it to overnight Mon/Tue.
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Best South African movies
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.
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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.
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Action Point 2018
A daredevil designs and operates his own theme park with his friends.
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The Pirates of Somalia 2017
After an inspiring chance encounter with his idol, rookie journalist Jay Bahadur uproots his life and moves to Somalia looking for the story of a lifetime. Hooking up with a local fixer, he attempts to get embedded with the local Somali pirates, only to quickly find himself in over his head.
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Zulu 2013
As a child, Ali Neuman narrowly escaped being murdered by Inkhata, a militant political party at war with Nelson Mandela's African National Congress. Only he and his mother survived the carnage of those years. But as with many survivors, the psychological scars remain.
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Khumba 2013
A half-striped zebra is blamed for the drought and leaves his herd in search of his missing stripes. He is joined on his quest by an overprotective wildebeest and a flamboyant ostrich; they defeat the tyrannical leopard and save his herd.
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