The top 20 best Afrikaans movies you should stream in 2025

Afrikaans movies captivate audiences due to their high level of storytelling and acting. Whether you are after comedy, drama, adventure, or thriller, the best Afrikaans movies like Land of the BRAVE, Droomdag, Keeping Up with the Kandasamys and Moffie will have you on the edge of your seat.

Key takeaways

• Watching movies is good for you because laughter is one of the best medicines, and crying lowers anxiety.
• Afrikaans films are ideal for those who wish to explore Afrikaans culture and language.
• Pick an Afrikaans movie appropriate for your age and other factors.

The 20 best Afrikaans movies of all time

Explore the 20 best Afrikaans movies in 2025 from the list below. The films are listed based on their IMDb ratings.

20. Stroomop (Adventure drama)

• IMDb rating: 6.1/10
• Year: 2018
• Writer: Ivan Botha, DonnaLee Roberts, Sean Robert Daniels
• Director: Ivan Botha
• Starring: DonnaLee Roberts (as Dr. Lana Marais), Simoné Pretorius (as Vivian), Chanelle de Jager (as Adrie), Ilse Klink (as Diona), Carla Classen (as Nixie)

A support group of five women (a doctor, 2 mums, a daughter, and a suicidal woman) travels to the Orange River in search of healing. The veldskool trip takes them through many trials as shocking truths unfold. Stroomop was the second-biggest Box Office hit in 2018.

19. The Story of Racheltjie De Beer (History)

• IMDb rating: 6.1/10
• Year: 2019
• Writer: Matthys Boshoff, Brett Michael Innes
• Director: Matthys Boshoff
• Starring: Zonika de Vries (as Racheltjie), Johannes Jordaan (as Jamie), Stian Bam (as Herman)

The Story of Racheltjie De Beer is set in the South African wilderness in the 1800s. Five years after Herman's wife dies, he travels with his children, Rachel (preadolescent) and Jamie (5 years old), to the virgin goldfields to start a new life.

Jamie mysteriously goes missing later in the 19th century, and Rachel begins to search for him in the South African wilderness.

18. Sy Klink Soos Lente (Comedy)

• IMDb rating: 6.3/10
• Year: 2016
• Writer: Stiaan Smith
• Director: Corne van Rooyen
• Starring: Stiaan Smith (as Ben Pretorius), Amalia Uys (as Linda Scheepers)

Mechanic Ben and his boss' daughter, Linda, cross paths one evening. The two have an instant connection, but the man decides to hide his identity.

He lies that he is in a band and even creates one. Ben realises a music career is tough when his band joins the Battle of the Bands contest and Linda discovers his real identity. Does she break up with him?

17. Keeping Up with the Kandasamys (Comedy)

• IMDb rating: 6.3/10
• Year: 2017
• Writer: Rory Booth, Jayan Moodley
• Director: Jayan Moodley
• Starring: Alisha Authbehari (as Devani), Mariam Bassa (as Aya)

The South African Indian movie tells the story of two rival women from the same neighbourhood. Their children want to marry each other. Will the women support the lovebirds?

16. Meisies Wat Fluit (Romance)

• IMDb rating: 6.4/10
• Year: 2020
• Writer: Johan Cronje
• Director: Johan Cronje
• Starring: Leandie du Randt (as Sofia), Stiaan Smith (as Henk)

Henk and Sofia marry as soon as they fall in love. However, they filed for a divorce shortly after getting married. He loved her free spirit but ruined it, and she loved his security and stole it from him.

15. Liewe Lisa (Drama)

• IMDb rating: 6.7/10
• Year: 2019
• Writer: Hendrik Cronjé
• Director: Hendrik Cronjé
• Starring: Hendrik Cronje (as Daniel Cronjé), Zane Meas (as Tom Jooste), Elani Dekker (as Lisa)

Liewe Lisa is the first film in which Hendrik Cronjé (7de Laan) has written and directed. He also starred as Daniel Cronjé. Daniel flees to a small town to start a new life and meets fisherman Tom, who teaches him the simple lifestyle. He falls in love with Lisa, a role played by Elani Dekker (Binnelanders).

14. Inxeba (The Wound)

• IMDb rating: 6.8/10
• Year: 2017
• Writers: Thando Mgqolozana, John Trengove, Malusi Bengu
• Director: John Trengove
• Starring: Nakhane Touré (as Xolani), Bongile Mantsai as Vija, Niza Jay (as Kwanda)

Xolani and some men from his community travel to the rural mountains to initiate a group of teenage boys into manhood. Caretakers Xolani and Vija have a sexual relationship only allowed during this period.

13. Moffie (LGBTQ drama)

• IMDb rating: 6.8/10
• Year: 2019
• Writer: Oliver Hermanus, André Carl van der Merwe, Jack Sidey
• Director: Oliver Hermanus
• Starring: Kai Luke Brummer (as Nicholas van der Swart), Barbara-Marié Immelman (as Suzie van der Swart)

Moffie is among the most treasured Afrikaans movies. It won the Film Critics’ Special Jury Prize at the Dublin International Film Festival in 2020. The film is about a young gay man's tribulations during the Angolan war.

He must complete compulsory, brutal, and racist two years of military service while hiding his sexuality. The Moffie movie review often praises the film as one of the most treasured Afrikaans movies. Some of the Moffie movie cast include Kai Luke Brummer, Barbara-Marié Immelman, Michael Kirch and Remano De Beer.

12. Fiela se Kind (Drama)

• IMDb rating: 6.8/10
• Year: 2019
• Writers: Brett Michael Innes, Dalene Matthee
• Director: Brett Michael Innes
• Starring: Zenobia Kloppers (as Fiela Komoetie), Luca Bornman (as Benjamin Komoetie Jnr), Wayne Smith (as Benjamin Komoetie Snr)

Fiela se Kind is among the most touching Afrikaans movies you will ever watch. A woman of colour living in the arid Karoo finds a lost white child and raises him.

After nine years, a woodcutter's family claims the boy is theirs and brings him to their home in Knysna Forest. Although the woman does not give up on her adopted son, the white family tries to brainwash him.

11. The Gods Must Be Crazy 2 (Comedy)

• IMDb rating: 6.8/10
• Year: 1989
• Writers: Jamie Uys
• Director: Jamie Uys
• Starring: N!xau (as Xixo), Lena Farugia (as Dr. Ann Taylor), Hans Strydom (as Dr. Stephen Marshall)

Six very different people cross paths in the vast Kalahari Desert, leading to a series of comedic and heartfelt adventures. A female lawyer from New York, travelling in a tiny bush plane with a local zoologist-turned-pilot, finds herself stranded in the middle of nowhere.

At the same time, a Cuban soldier and an African soldier, caught in a ridiculous game of cat and mouse, end up taking each other as prisoners of war. Nearby, a stubborn Boer elephant poacher is up to no good, hunting illegally in the desert.

10. Thys en Trix (Crime comedy)

• IMDb rating: 6.9/10
• Year: 2018
• Writers: Frannie van der Walt, Robert Daniels, Quentin KrogSean
• Director: Quentin Krog
• Starring: Leandie du Randt (as Trix Benade), Bouwer Bosch (as Thys Bende)

Thys en Trix was the third most popular movie at the South African Box Office in 2018. Siblings Thys and Trix pretend to be a married couple while hunting down the leader of a smuggling ring in a luxury golf estate.

9. Lost in the Desert (Adventure)

• IMDb rating: 6.9/10
• Year: 1969
• Writers: Jamie Uys
• Director: Jamie Uys
• Starring: Wynand Uys (as Dirkie Hayes), Jamie Uys (as Jamie Hayes), Lady Frolic of Belvedale (as Lolly)

Lost in the Desert follows the harrowing journey of a young boy who, after surviving a plane crash, must navigate the vast and unforgiving Kalahari Desert with only his loyal dog by his side. Facing extreme heat, thirst, and isolation, their bond and will to survive are put to the ultimate test in this gripping tale of endurance and resilience.

8. Griekwastad (Crime)

• IMDb rating: 7.0/10
• Year: 2019
• Writers: Tertius Kapp, Jacques Steenkamp
• Director: Jozua Malherbe
• Starring: Alex van Dyk (as Don Steenkamp), Esther von Waltsleben (as Christelle Steenkamp), Jane de Wet (as Marthella Steenkamp)

Griekwastad is created from Jacques Steenkamp's bestselling true-crime novel. Deon Steenkamp, his wife Christelle, and teenage daughter Marthella are killed on their farm in Naauwhoek. The bitter truth is hard to find but must be exposed.

7. An Act of Defiance (Biography)

• IMDb rating: 7.2/10
• Year: 2017
• Writers: Dominic Morgan, Matt Harvey, Jean van de Velde
• Director: Jean van de Velde
• Starring: Peter Paul Muller (as Bram Fischer), Antoinette Louw (as Molly Fischer), José Domingos (as Percy Yutar)

Set in apartheid-ruled South Africa, An Act of Defiance tells the gripping true story of a renowned lawyer who leads a dangerous double life. By day, he is a respected member of the legal elite. By night, he is secretly aligned with the country’s chief resistance movement fighting against racial oppression.

6. Swaaibraai (Comedy)

• IMDb rating: 7.2/10
• Year: 2020
• Writer: Gerhard Pretorius
• Director: Gerhard Pretorius
• Starring: Cintaine Schutte (as Susan Smit), Johann Vermaak (as Lourens Smit)

A young couple joins a party through a new app to spice up their marriage. Each participant can go home with someone else’s spouse. Susan and Lourens realise later that they are playing with fire that might burn them.

5. Noem My Skollie: Call Me Thief (Crime)

• IMDb rating: 7.5/10
• Year: 2016
• Writers: John Fredericks
• Director: Daryne Joshua
• Starring: Dann Jaques Mouton (as Abraham Lonzi), Gantane Kusch (as Richard Carelse)

This is a powerful drama based on the true story of a young man growing up in the Cape Flats who ends up in prison. Amid the harsh realities of gang life, he uses his gift for storytelling to survive behind bars. His words become his shield, offering hope and humanity in a brutal world.

4. Kanarie (Drama)

• IMDb rating: 7.5/10
• Year: 2018
• Writers: Charl-Johan Lingenfelder, Christiaan Olwagen
• Director: Christiaan Olwagen
• Starring: Schalk Bezuidenhout (as Johan Niemand), Hannes Otto (as Wolfgang Müller), Germandt Geldenhuys (as Ludolf Otterman)

Kanarie was among the 14 Best LGBTQ International Films in 2018. During apartheid, a small-town boy is forced to join a two-year military training in the South African Defence Force choir. He discovers himself through hardship, first love, and music.

3. Ellen: The Ellen Pakkies Story (Drama)

• IMDb rating: 7.9/10
• Year: 2018
• Writer: Amy Jephta
• Director: Daryne Joshua
• Starring: Jill Levenberg (as Ellen), Jarrid Geduld (as Abie)

Ellen: The Ellen Pakkies Story is one of the most-watched Afrikaans movies. The film received numerous trophies at the SAFTAs and SilwerskermFees awards in 2018.

Ellen Pakkies (played by Jill Levenberg), a resident of Lavender Hill, made headlines in 2007 for killing her son Abie (played by Jarrid Geduld). The woman committed a mercy murder because she feared her drug-addicted son would someday rape her.

2. Land of the BRAVE film (Thriller)

• IMDb rating: 8.1/10
• Year: 2019
• Writer: Tim Huebschle
• Director: Tim Huebschle
• Starring: Elize de Wee (as Meisie Willemse), Armas Shivute (as Shivute), Pieter Greeff (as Piet Potgieter)

While a tough cop pursues a murderer during the Namibian winter, an adamant reporter ruthlessly exposes the police officer's dark past. Although the publication jeopardises the case, the cop is determined to catch the killer even if she breaks the law.

1. Die Kwiksilwers (The Quicksilvers) (Comedy)

• IMDb rating: 8.9/10
• Year: 2024
• Writers: Gabriella Blumberg, Jordy Sank, Marista van Eeden
• Director: Jordy Sank
• Starring: Ivan Abrahams (as Johan), Jacques Bessenger (as Wikus), Susanne Beyers (as Mienkie)

In Die Kwiksilwers (The Quicksilvers), Elsabe, an adventurous widow in her 80s, sets off on a comical road trip across the Karoo with her three spirited friends. Their goal is to witness a spectacular meteor shower in Sutherland.

Along the way, they must dodge Elsabe’s overprotective son, who is determined to bring them home. What follows is a heartwarming and hilarious journey of freedom, friendship, and second chances.

Are there any Afrikaans movies on Netflix?

Netflix offers a growing selection of Afrikaans-language films and series. Notable titles include Amandla, Ludik, and Liefling. Other Afrikaans-language films available on Netflix include Poppie Nongena, Hole in the Wall, and Seriously Single.

Where can you find Afrikaans movies?

You can watch these movies on platforms like YouTube, Netflix, IMDb TV, Hulu, eTV’s eVOD, TelkomONE, Showmax, and DStv.

What Afrikaans movies are on Showmax?

Showmax features a wide range of Afrikaans movies such as Moffie, Vaselinetjie, and Jagveld. Other popular titles include Liewe Lisa, Hollywood in My Huis, and Die Pro.

What do you call a movie in Afrikaans?

A movie in Afrikaans is called a "rolprent" or simply a "fliek" (a more informal term).

Where to download Afrikaans movies

For local movie downloads, you can check Showmax, YouTube, iTunes, or Google Play Movies.

What are some of Leon Schuster's popular movies?

Leon Schuster is known for his comedic Afrikaans films such as Mr. Bones, Mama Jack, There's a Zulu On My Stoep, and Frank & Fearless.

Where can you watch the full movie Poena is Koning?

Poena is Koning (2007), a South African Afrikaans-language comedy directed by Willie Esterhuizen, is available for streaming on Plex. Additionally, clips and versions of the film can be found on TikTok.

With all the recent

The above are among the best Afrikaans movies to download and watch with your family and friends. Your movie night will no longer be the same with some of these blockbusters depicting the Afrikaans culture.

Briefly.co.za also posted a list of legal and free movie download sites. Most Afrikaans movies mentioned above are accessible on these sites.

These platforms do not consume too much data. You also do not need a high-speed 5G internet connection to download movies on these sites. 2G or 3 G internet will work perfectly.

Source: Briefly News