Top 20 best South African movies ever made: Have you watched them all?

South Africa is one of the financially viable countries in Africa to produce high-quality movies that are celebrated both at home and abroad. South Africa boasts of a wide array of high-rated films that go back to as early as 1911 and 1916. Some of the best South African movies range from romance, thrillers, histories, social realism, comedy, wildlife to lyrical wildlife documentaries.

American tycoon Isidore W established Killarney Film Studios (the first film studio in SA) in Johannesburg in 1915. The industry has grown tremendously over the years, and many South African movie stars have secured jobs in Hollywood. Additionally, iconic Mzansi movies released at the Box Office decades ago are available on multiple online movie streaming sites.

Top 20 best South African movies on Netflix in 2022

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Mzansi movies add a unique African touch to the global film industry and promote the people's culture. Most films are also shot in beautiful natural environments to entice more foreigners to tour the continent. Below is a list of the best South African movies on Netflix, including the latest trending SA films.

20. The Gods Must Be Crazy

• Rating: PG-13
• Genre: Comedy
• Original Language: Afrikaans
• Director: Jamie Uys
• Producer: Jamie Uys
• Writer: Jamie Uys
• Release Date (Theaters): August 28, 1981
• Release Date (Streaming): January 1, 2015
• Box Office (Gross USA): $30.0 million

When villagers in a remote African desert fight over a strange object (a Coca-Cola bottle) that fell from a plane, the community's leader Xi (N!xau) decides to take it back to the gods to restore peace. N!xau meets a scientist (Marius Weyers) on his way to "the end of the world." The two save a schoolteacher (Sandra Prinsloo) and her class from guerrillas taking them hostage.

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19. Sarafina

• Rating: PG-13
• Genre: Musical, Drama
• Original Language: English
• Director: Darrell James Roodt
• Producer: Anant Singh, David M. Thompson
• Writers: Mbongeni Ngema, William Nicholson
• Release Date (Theaters): September 11, 1992
• Release Date (Streaming): June 4, 2002
• Box Office (Gross USA): $7.3 million

Sarafina can never be left out on any South African best movies list. The movie is about Black students opposing the government's directive for schools to use Afrikaans as the official teaching language. Teacher Mary Masombuka (Whoopi Goldberg) encourages student Sarafina (Leleti Khumalo) to lead her schoolmates into opposing the racist government.

18. Tsotsi

• Rating: PG-17
• Genre: Drama
• Original Language: Afrikaans
• Director: Gavin Hood
• Producer: Peter Fudakowski
• Writer: Gavin Hood
• Release Date (Streaming): July 18, 2006
• Box Office (Gross USA): $2.9 million

Tsotsi (Presley Chweneyagae) is a South African hoodlum. He leads his gang in prowling Johannesburg streets. Tsotsi shoots a woman and steals her car. He discovers a baby in the back seat and takes it home. Raising the child softens the gang's hearts and makes them change their ways.

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17. Blood Diamond

• Rating: PG-16
• Genre: Adventure, Drama
• Original Language: English
• Director: Edward Zwick
• Producers: Edward Zwick, Marshall Herskovitz, Paula Weinstein, Graham King
• Writers: Charles Leavitt, Marshall Herskovitz, Edward Zwick, C. Gaby Mitchell
• Release Date (Theaters): December 8, 2006
• Release Date (Streaming): March 20, 2007
• Box Office (Gross USA): $57.4 million

Blood Diamond enlightens people about diamond war zones in Sierra Leone, Congo, and Angola and finance conflicts between profit capitalists and diamond firms. A white Mzansi mercenary (Leonardo DiCaprio), an American journalist (Jennifer Connelly), and a black Mende fisherman (Djimon Hounsou) recover a rare diamond that changes their lives. The movie received 17 nominations and 5 Oscar Nominations.

16. Invictus

• Rating: PG-13
• Genre: Drama, Biography
• Original Language: English
• Director: Clint Eastwood
• Producers: Clint Eastwood, Lori McCreary, Robert Lorenz, Mace Neufeld
• Writer: Anthony Peckham
• Release Date (Theaters): December 11, 2009
• Release Date (Streaming): May 18, 2010
• Box Office (Gross USA): $37.5 million

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The Invictus was inspired by true events. The newly elected President Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) strives to unite the economically and racially divided Mzansi through sports. He partners with the national rugby team captain, Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon), to unite the country ahead of the 1995 World Cup Championship

15. District 9

• Rating: PG-18
• Genre: Sci-Fi
• Original Language: English
• Director: Neill Blomkamp
• Producer: Peter Jackson, Carolynne Cunningham
• Writer: Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell
• Release Date (Theaters): August 14, 2009
• Release Date (Streaming): December 22, 2009
• Box Office (Gross USA): $115.6 million

District 9 explores social segregation, humanity, and xenophobia themes. The film received numerous accolades, including 52 nominations, 4 Oscar Nominations and 14 wins overall. The story is set in 1982 when an alien water vessel appears in Johannesburg. The government confines the sick and malnourished insect-like creatures discovered on the ship to District 9 (an internment camp).

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14. Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema

• Rating: PG-18
• Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
• Original Language: English
• Director: Ralph Ziman
• Producers: Tendeka Matatu, Ralph Ziman
• Writer: Ralph Ziman
• Release Date (Streaming): September 28, 2010
• Box Office (Gross USA): $5000

Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema will put you in a good mood after a hectic day. The film is about a petty crook (Rapulana Seiphemo). A drug lord and the police threaten to shut down his criminal empire in Johannesburg.

13. Khumba

• Rating: PG-8
• Genre: Kids & Family, Adventure, Animation
• Original Language: English
• Director: Anthony Silverston
• Producers: Stuart Forrest, James Middleton, Mike Buckland, Jean-Michel Koenig
• Writers: Raffaella Delle Donne, Anthony Silverston
• Release Date (Theaters): December 6, 2013
• Release Date (Streaming): January 14, 2014
• Box Office (Gross USA): $28.4 million

Khumba is one of the best South African animation films. The film's title is a Zulu word for skin. It was made to inspire people to love their complexions. Khumba is about a half-striped Zebra named Kevin. His superstitious herd thinks he caused the chronic drought on their land. Kevin embarks on a mission to find a legendary water hole in the Karoo Desert where the other zebras get their distinctive markings.

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12. Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

• Rating: PG-13
• Genre: Biography, History, Drama
• Original Language: English
• Director: Justin Chadwick
• Producers: Anant Singh, David M. Thompson
• Writer: William Nicholson
• Release Date (Theaters): December 25, 2013
• Release Date (Streaming): March 18, 2014
• Box Office (Gross USA): $8.3 million

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is a remarkable film about Nelson Mandela (Idris Elba) bringing a historic revolution in South Africa. The film showcases Mandela rising from bring a herds boy in a rural village to an anti-apartheid activist.

He is imprisoned on Robben Island from 1964 to 1990 after co-founding the African National Congress Youth League. The film also shows Mandela becoming the fist president of the democratic South Africa in 1994.

11. How to Steal 2 Million

• Rating: PG-16
• Genre: Action, Drama
• Original Language: English
• Director: Charlie Vundla
• Producers: Jeremy Nathan, Mfundi Vundla, Michelle Wheatley, Karen E. Johnson
• Writer: Charlie Vundla
• Release Date (Streaming): March 11, 2017
• Box Office (Gross USA): $728,208

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Jack and his best friend Twala meet five years after their last failed robbery deal. Twala married Jack's former fiancée. Jack needs capital, but his loan application has been rejected. Twala persuades him to take an R2 million robbery deal, but the victim is Twala's father. Jack partners with Olive, unaware that she is more devious than Twala.

10. The Jackals

• Rating: PG-17
• Genre: Mystery & Thriller
• Original Language: English
• Director: Kevin Greutert
• Producer: Tommy Alastra
• Writer: Jared Rivert
• Release Date (Theaters): September 1, 2017
• Release Date (Streaming): October 3, 2017
• Box Office (Gross USA): $159.3 million

The Jackals is one of the best South African movies for thriller lovers. The Powells hire a cult deprogrammer to save their teenage son from a murderous cult. The decision lands the entire family in trouble. The cultists surround the cabin, demanding the boy back.

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9. Happiness is a Four Letter Word

• Rating: PG-12
• Genre: Drama
• Original Language: English
• Director: Thabang Moleya
• Producer: Junaid Ahmed, Bongiwe Selane, Helena Spring
• Writer: Busisiwe Ntintili
• Release Date (Streaming): January 19, 2018
• Box Office (Gross USA): $728,208

Happiness is a Four-Letter Word is one of the most romantic South African films. Three friends looking for happiness, career independence, and healthy love lives. Montsho believes she has a perfect life until things blow in her face a few months before her wedding. The movie attracted 45,000 views when it was released at Box Office.

8. Siembamba (The Lullaby)

• Rating: PG-16
• Genre: Horror
• Original Language: English
• Director: Darrell James Roodt
• Producer: Samuel Frauenstein
• Writer: Tarryn-Tanille Prinsloo
• Release Date (Streaming): February 27, 2018
• Box Office (Gross USA): $242,997

Siembamba (The Lullaby) is among the best South African horror films. No one believes Chloe when she claims a demonic spirit haunts her child because she has postpartum depression. Siembamba was voted the best Afrikaans movie in 2013, screened in almost 150 cinemas in the US, and received eight nominations during the 2018 Africa Movie Academy Awards.

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7. Keeping up with the Kandasamys

• Rating: PG-13
• Genre: Comedy
• Original Language: English
• Director: Jayan Moodley
• Producers: Junaid Ahmed, Helena Spring
• Writers: Jayan Moodley, Rory Booth
• Release Date (Streaming): July 1, 2018
• Box Office (Gross USA): $1 million

Keeping up with the Kandasamys is the first South African Indian film to receive a high screenplay in the cinemas. It grossed over R4 million at the Box Office in its first week and featured in North American film festivals. The storyline is about neighbouring families whose children want to marry despite the enmity between their mothers.

6. Ellen: Die storie van Ellen Pakkies

• Rating: PG-16
• Genre: Drama
• Original Languages: English, Afrikaans
• Director: Daryne Joshua
• Producers: Paulo Areal, Schalk Willem Burger
• Writer: Amy Jephta
• Release Date (Streaming): September 7, 2018
• Box Office (Gross USA): $416,835

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Ellen Die storie van Ellen Pakkies is among top Afrikaans movies you should watch in 2022. It is a true story about Ellen (played by Jill Levenberg). She has a strained relationship with her 20-year-old son Abie (Jarrid Geduld). Ellen is put on trial after Abie's death. Producer Daryne Joshua of Gambia Films is also the brains behind the local blockbuster Noem My Skollie.

5. Seriously Single

• Rating: PG-16
• Genre: Romance, Comedy
• Original Language: English
• Directors: Katleho Ramaphakela, Rethabile Ramaphakela
• Writer: Lwazi Mvusi
• Release Date (Streaming): July 31, 2020, on Netflix

A social media expert craves commitment. Her free-spirited best friend urges her to embrace singlehood, but she cannot stop spying on her former love. The film starrs Fulu Mugovhani, Bohang Moeko, and Tumi Morake.

4. Riding with Sugar

• Rating: PG-16
• Genre: Drama
• Original Language: English
• Director: Sunu Gonera
• Producers: Sunu Gonera, Helena Spring
• Writer: Sunu Gonera
• Release Date (Streaming): November 27, 2020, on Netflix

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Riding with Sugar is a South African drama film about a young refugee striving for BMX glory while looking for safety, an identity, happiness, and love. It features film stars Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Hlayani Junior Mabasa, Simona Brown, Paballo Koza, Charles Mnene, and Neo Munhenga.

3. Angeliena

• Rating: PG-13
• Genre: Drama, Comedy
• Original Language: English
• Director: Uga Carlini
• Producers: Dumi Gumbi, Uga Carlini
• Writers: Uga Carlini, Uga Carlini
• Release Date (Streaming): October 8, 2021, on Netflix

Angeliena is a 2021 South African comedy-drama film about a parking attendant chasing her dreams after making life-changing revelations. The film stars Tshamano Sebe, Euodia Samson, Colin Moss, Thapelo Mokoena, and Kuli Roberts.

2. Amandla

• Rating: PG-16
• Genre: Crime, Drama
• Original Language: English
• Director: Nerina De Jager
• Producers: Greig Buckle, Jarrod de Jong, Nerina De Jager
• Writer: Nerina De Jager
• Release Date (Streaming): January 21, 2022, on Netflix

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Amandla is among the latest South African movies. Two brothers survive a childhood tragedy. Years later, they find themselves fighting the law. A crime linked to a gang tests their loyalty to one another.

1. Silverton Siege

• Rating: PG-16
• Genre: Drama
• Original Language: English
• Director: Mandla Dube
• Producer: Walter Ayres, Mandla Dube
• Writer: Sabelo Mgidi
• Release Date (Streaming): April 27, 2022, on Netflix

Three Umkhonto weSizwe freedom fighters embark on a high-profile mission to sabotage a petrol depot but realize one of them has set them up to the cops. They hide in a bank after a deadly chase by the police and decide to negotiate for Nelson Mandela's release to save themselves from prison and getting killed.

Where to download South African movies

Stream or download South African movies from Netflix, Showmax, YouTube, Hulu, and other legit movie sites.

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Does Netflix have South African shows?

Find an extensive collection of South African films and TV shows on Netflix. Watch comedies, drama, action, thrillers, etc.

Which South African movie made the most money?

Many South African movies have hit millions of USD at the Box office. Some of them include:

• The Jackals - $159.3 million
• District 9 - $115.6 million
• Blood Diamond - $57.4 million
• Invictus - $37.5 million
• The Gods Must Be Crazy - $30.0 million
• Khumba - $28.4 million
• Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom - $8.3 million
• Sarafina - $7.3 million
• Tsotsi - $2.9 million

What's good on Netflix South Africa?

The most popular movies and TV shows on Netflix in South Africa in 2022 are:

• Riding with Sugar
• Seriously Single
• Angeliena
• Amandla
• Silverton Siege

What South African movies are on Showmax?

You can watch the following Mzansi films on Showmax:

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• Meet Melusi
• Sons of the Sea
• Moffie
• Kaalgat Karel
• Fiela Se Kind
• Down So Long
• Knuckle City
• Two Sides
• The Ghost and the House Of Truth

These top 20 best South African movies prove the country's film industry is destined for greatness. Moreover, the unique talents featured in these movies confirm that Mzansi can take over the world's entertainment platform in a few years.

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Source: Briefly News