‘Ghost Elephants’ explores nature, myth and memory
A haunting journey into Angola’s wild highlands, ‘Ghost Elephants’ follows Steve Boyes and KhoiSan master trackers as they search for a mythical elephant
DOCUMENTARY
Top binge entertainment picks
From transformative books to binge-worthy series, these South African titles will keep you entertained this holiday season
Diary: Sobukwe film screening, Kwasuka Sukela a fun event for the whole family and Kwaito makes a komeback
Sobukwe film screened at jail where he was kept In celebration of Pan Africanist Congress founder Robert Sobukwe, who would have been 100 years old on 5 December, the multi-award-winning film, Sobukwe: A Great Soul, will be screened at Constitutional Hill in Johannesburg on 7 December. The film was made by Free Women Films’ Carolyn Carew […]
Encounters with Palestine and the environment
These subjects take centre stage at a festival showcasing nearly
50 documentaries
Bobi Wine, Uganda’s democracy hunter
The documentary, Bobi Wine, the People’s President, shows the confluence of music and art in the pursuit of freedom and democracy
Film explores people power
A Sri Lankan documentary about the overthrow of its despotic leader is being shown locally
Modern cowboys in crypto con
Documentary looks at how three Americans managed to steal millions by creating a currency
Trauma, silence and complicity
Matthew Robinson’s film ‘Conscripted Poet’ delves into the stories of former apartheid soldiers
The Marikana Massacre
The Marikana Massacre, which occurred on August 16, 2012, was a tragic and deeply unsettling event in South African history. In the town of Marikana, North West province, tensions between striking mine workers and the authorities reached a devastating climax when police opened fire on the protesters. The workers, primarily employed by Lonmin, a platinum […]
Milisuthando: A documentary that unpacks history, geography and love
Milisuthando Bongela’s self titled documentary forces some introspection
Ousmane Sembène 100 years later
Remembering the legacy and scrutiny of the ‘father of African film’
The best fashion documentaries to watch these holidays
Industry documentaries that show the good, the bad and the ugly of this stylish world
eSwatini’s country music cousins hit the screens in New York
The award-winning country music pair are the subject of a new documentary by filmmaker Jesse Rudoy, which premiered at the New York film festival
One Film, Two Takes: Sidney
This documentary tracks the life of an actor who walked a tightrope in white Hollywood
Meet Uganda’s first transgender citizen
Cleopatra Kambugu is the first Ugandan whose transition has been recognised by the state
Review: ‘Murder in Paris’: Who killed Dulcie September?
Fast-paced and densely structured, a new documentary retrieves Dulcie September from the confines of ‘forgotten apartheid hero’
Review: Restaging the history of Mansa Musa through ‘Sun of the Soil’
This performative documentary restores the historical record of the ‘great king’ of Mali
Exile, exhilaration and Jonas Gwangwa’s case of the ‘South African Blues’
The 1990 documentary ‘South African Blues’ offers insight into the effects of exile on Jonas Gwangwa’s psyche
Totally gone mad: Covid-19 and the Trump presidency
Tracing America’s bungling of the containment of the coronavirus, Totally Under Control unveils the deep rot in Trump’s presidency
Kamogelo Lebotse: The Portfolio
Photographer Kamogelo Lebotse has been documenting the effects of the national lockdown on the people of Mahikeng
In Softie, politics takes a personal toll on Boniface Mwangi – and his family
Softie is an intimate portrait of how political activism complicates family life
The List: Five films on the transition, selected by Sifiso Khanyile
Sifiso Khanyile, the maker of Uprize! and A New Country, selects five documentaries that influenced his latest film
The Portfolio: Ramadan Suleman
Ramadan Suleman’s documentary, ‘By All Means Necessary’ honours the struggle against colonialism. It will be showing at the Encounters Documentary Film Festival from August 20
Review: ‘Vukazithathe’, a portrait of the maskandi artist as a mentor and friend
Nthato Mokgata’s documentary ‘Vukazithate’, showing online at the National Arts Festival, tells an intimate story of his mentor and maskandi legend, Bhekisenzo “Vukazithathe” Cele
Moguls in their lifetime: The making of SA Hip-Hop Story
This new docu-series by Diliza Moabi, which began airing on SABC1 at the beginning of the month, allows the new generation to lead in telling their stories
Review: Dancing awkwardly around Michael Jordan’s legacy
The Last Dance, a Netflix documentary series about basketball player Michael Jordan, is a romantic reframing of his halcyon period that fails to engage with the politics of race in America
The parallel yet familiar world of Tjovitjo
With season two set to debut on Netflix at the end of the month, filmmaker Vincent Moloi opens up on his artistic choices and inspirations.
Too little too late for Malcolm
Doccie Who Killed Malcolm X? has led to a belated reopening of his murder investigation
On our lists this week: Deep House, the Global South and
"Shake the Dust goes beyond a focus on dancing styles and techniques, choosing instead to highlight the friendships forged during the communal acts".
Women’s struggle gets rare exposure
"Strike a Rock is quite clearly a broader exposition of the unglamorous slog that is organising women in impoverished, patriarchal communities".
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Sea of red
Taiji’s annual cull of bottlenose dolphins and pilot
whales continues despite growing international
condemnation.
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At the rainbow’s end
MOVIE OF THE WEEK: Shaun de Waal on the political documentary Behind the Rainbow and the disappointing Mr Bones II.
