Africa

Best African Films

Africa is the heart of the world. Heaped with incredible cultural diversity the continent is a force in the film world that is destined to breach across to cinemas worldwide in the future. You may already have seen some of the best African films featured below already. For example, 2009’s District 9 – an ingenious documentary style science fiction set in South Africa made it big overseas. Africa also has it’s own Hollywood in Nigeria’s Nollywood, which churns out almost as many films as Bollywood every year.

Find the best African films below. My advice would be to start with Black Girl and work your way up to Timbuktu.

Or if you’re looking for the best films from a particular country, head straight to their country pages using the links below:

Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

*We’re still looking for the best African films from countries without pages. Send us your recommendations.

Downstream to Kinshasa – AFI Fest 2020

The story of Downstream to Kinshasa starts with the Six Day War from 2000. Unlike the more famous 6 Day War fought between Israel and Egypt, this one was fought between Uganda and Rwanda in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Everything centered on the town of Kisangani where approximately 4,000 people were killed and 3,000 injured.

Among the survivors was director Dieudo Hamadi. In the Q&A for the film, he mentions that he was 15 or 16 during the conflict and doesn’t remember much about it. But on one return to his hometown his memories of the war were triggered from meeting a group of people (who become the focus of this documentary) that were disabled by it. He was privileged in being able to reconstruct a normal life and forget about the war, whilst others were permanently scared by it.

He was not the only one that forgot. And if one man who lived the war had lost his memories of it, it’s not too surprising that the rest of the town and country have forgotten the war too and the victims of it.

In Downstream to Kinshasa, we follow a group of people disabled by the war. They travel to the capital to make their story heard after it seems to have fallen on deaf ears at home. They want reparations from the country that refused to protect them.

Throughout their time in Kisangani and through their journey to Kinshasa, they’re shot going about their lives. One of the most incredible sections is their journey on a flat topped cargo boat down the Congo river. It’s transformed into a moving village with makeshift protection against the elements. It’s a multi-day journey that reminded me of the desert crossing migrants in Tenere.

Whilst they’re journeying, the director cuts between their present reality on their journey and shots of the group performing on the stage. The present documents their hope for change and their disabilities as we see it, whilst the shots of them performing on stage shows their story as they tell it. Their stage play appears self-deriding and built for a popular audience, but intertwining it in the documentary empowers their story. Simply including their experiences, as they tell it, validates them. They’re heard by more people thanks to this film. And in the context of their journey to the capital, including their story as they tell it emboldens their storytelling before they face their ultimate test – convincing the politicians and public in the capital.

Head to our AFI Fest Hub for more reviews and short films from AFI Fest 2020.

Sunday in Brazzaville – Meet Some of the Capital’s Artists

Sunday in Brazzaville Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

Why Watch Sunday in Brazzaville?

See documentary of an African country that doesn’t focus on poverty or war
Meet 3 of the capital’s artists
To see how some of the Republic of Congo’s residents get down

From: Republic of Congo, Africa
Watch: IMDb, JustWatch, Tubi, Hoopla
Next: System K, Burkina Rising, Night of Calypso

50 years after colonialism, Sunday in Brazzaville takes a look at three artists contributing to contemporary Congolese culture in the former capital of Free France. Each of them reforms influences from the West into cultures that are uniquely Congolese.

The three artists in profile represent three different parts of culture:

The Fashion orientated Sapeurs – a group of men and women that live by a gentlemanly code and dress in bright suits. Their code of conduct rules that they must show good manners, be elegant, and always well dressed – deriving their characteristics from wealthy upper class Frenchmen. They’re surprisingly proud of their French heritage, but also sport brightly colored suits that feel uniquely Congolese.
The wrestler representing sport and entertainment. This wrestling has much more in common with the WWE in the U.S. than the greco-Roman wrestling you’ll see at the Olympics. It’s more focused on the spectacle than strength. The wrestler profiled, like the Sapeurs, mixes Congolese elements into the U.S. style wrestling, with magic and live animals becoming his secret weapons.
Lastly there’s our musician, a rapper uncovering life in Brazzaville in his rhymes. Like the Sapeurs and the wrestler, he has been influenced by culture from the West (in this case rap music from the U.S.) and adapted it to depict contemporary Congolese life.

Each of the three artists in Sunday in Brazzaville represent contemporary Congolese culture with all of them adapting elements of Western art for Congolese audiences to give a quick overview of life in Brazzaville. The only thing that would have been nice to see is more of a gender balance in the subjects as the characters profiled are all male.

What to Watch Next

Sunday in Brazzaville is a western made African documentary that doesn’t focus on the exploitative thematic trio of poverty, conflict, and AIDS. Narrated by a Congolese radio host, it reminded me a bit of PRI’s informative and diverse Afropop Worldwide podcast series which looks at a wide range of African music around the world. It also reminded me of some of the vibrant and colorful documentaries coming out of the Republic of Congo’s neighbor the DRC such as System K and Zombies. Or if you’re looking for more overviews of one country’s culture, check out Burkina Rising and Night of Calypso.

Bolot Feray – This Stage Adaption is the a Rare Seychellois Feature Film

Bolot Feray Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

Why should you watch Bolot Feray? Because it’s the only Seychellois feature film you’re likely to find to represent the country. It’s an adaption from a comedy theatrical play and will give you an insight into the customs of traditional society in the Seychelles even if you can’t find a copy with subtitles.

From: Seychelles, Africa
Watch: YouTube, Letterboxd
Next: The Grand Marriage, Hand of Fate, Gold Watch

Bolot Feray – The Breakdown

Disclaimer: We couldn’t find this film with English subtitles. If you speak French fluently, you might pick up a few words or phrases, but as the film uses the Seychellois Creole language, it won’t be too much of a help. We decided to watch the film anyway to be able to add the only film we could find from The Seychelles to this site. However, we’ll be looking out for a copy with English subtitles and also for any more films we can review in more depth from the country. If you know of any, please let us know.

It’s pretty obvious that Bolot Feray is adapted from a stage play. Firstly, the film is split into 3 parts with each one taking place in a different location – mimicking the set changes of a stage play. Secondly, there are a few moments where an actor gives an internal monologue to the audience – looking directly at the camera – something very rare in film, but fairly common on stage, particularly in comedies. Lastly, as is typical for stage plays, Bolot Feray focuses on the dialogue more than the visual elements, making the film dialogue heavy with no cinematic innovation. Watching the stage play (also available on YouTube) will likely be a pretty similar experience to watching the movie.

The story features a family getting ready for a wedding. There’s a lot of arguing and debating between both families of the future husband and wife. Unfortunately most of this will go over your head because of the language barrier. However, you get the idea that there is a lot of soapy gossiping and drama in what they’re saying. Despite this, the final part shows the wedding going ahead, complete with speeches and singing.

Whilst there’s not much you’ll be able to understand of this dialogue heavy film if you can’t find a version with subtitles you can understand, watching this film does allow you to see a little insight into the customs of Seychellois culture. Plus, if you’re trying to complete a World Film challenge, you’ll get to see a film from the Seychelles.

What to Watch Next

If you’re looking for more films that are adapted from stage plays, try Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom or Gold Watch. Or if you’re just after the set-piece drama style, you could also try Richard Linklater’s Tape.

Or if you’re after more films about marriage in Africa, there’s The Grand Marriage, a documentary that looks at marriage customs in the Comoros. Or, for more marriage drama, check out Hand of Fate from The Gambia, a family drama centered around the marrying off of a family’s young daughter.

Night of the Kings – Creating Unity through Storytelling

Night of the Kings Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

We all live our stories, then we die. This is the same for Roman, the latest arrival to an Ivory Coast prison in Night of the Kings; if he ends his story, his fellow inmates will end his life. This is storytelling at it’s most elementary.

From: Cote d'Ivoire, Africa
Watch: JustWatch
Next: Hyenas, Arabian Nights, Life of Pi

The Crossing (Burkina Faso) – Pan African Film Festival 2022

In 2021 there were an estimated 218,062 attempted crossings of the Mediterranean Sea from Northern Africa and Turkey to Europe. Whilst some make it undetected, many succumb to the perilous journey or are captured by border patrols and sent back to Africa. Djibi made the crossing 10 years ago. But he’s returned to Burkina after 10 years of toiling away in Italy. He knows how hard the crossing was and has paid the price of living far away from home. But, he’s returned home with full pockets and a mission to train a group of 6 young people to make the crossing to Europe.

You’d expect a drama called The Crossing that focuses on the often tragic Africa to Europe migration route would be tough to watch as African film’s that focus on the route usually contain tragedy – see The Pirogue, Atlantiques, or Tenere. However, The Crossing largely runs against expectations. Thanks to light humor and a leisurely pace, the movie is an easy to watch dramedy.

The relaxed tone of the movie is clear from the start as Djibi returns home to a warm welcome from his old friend Pronto. The camera follows them as Pronto tours Djibi around the city, introducing to his friends and neighbors. There’s no soundtrack, and very little sound from their environment, which gives the film a comforting silence that is only covered by their conversation. Each shot also seems to linger slightly longer than the length of their conversations, giving the viewer a bit of dead time for contemplation. Both these techniques emphasize Djibi’s immediate comfort back in Burkina Faso and set us at ease for the humor to come in the rest of the film.

The Crossing largely plays out as a hang-out movie from here as the focus turns to the 6 youngsters in training and the various tasks that Djibi sets for them that range from swimming lessons to provoking a local gang. Some scenes contain messages, but they never feel preachy or out of place. Plus, the overall message is a good pro-African one, even if film still feels strongly linked to Europe in its language (it’s mostly French). So if you’re looking for an African movie that looks at migration with a touch of humor, try The Crossing.

Check back to our Pan African Film Festival 2022 page for more reviews coming out of the 30th edition of the festival.