Best African documentary movies

جحيم تحت الأرض - A Hell Beneath The Earth (2001)

Revolves around the Egyptian bedouin-man called "Ghazi" who works secretly in the Egyptian resistance against the British Army in Egypt, who is later try to get closer to the Major officer of the British Army "Collins" by getting closer to his Business partner, the avaricious weapon dealer called khawaga "Zaki" so he can access Major's office and steal the weapon treasuries and British stashes hidden in the desert by the help of his Bedouin folks and the resistance from Alexandria.

ZEF - The Story of Die Antwoord (2024)

South African producer / director JON DAY spent the last 5 years making a documentary about the mysterious rap-rave group, DIE ANTWOORD. Art directed by surrealist photographer, ROGER BALLEN. Narrated by NINJA & ¥O-LANDI'S daughter, 16 JONES.

Trances (1982)

A portrait of the groundbreaking Moroccan band Nass El Ghiwane, documenting a series of electrifying live performances in Tunisia, Morocco, and France; on the streets of Casablanca; and in intimate conversations. Storytellers through song and traditional instruments, and with connections to political theatre, the band became a local phenomenon and an international sensation, thanks to their rebellious lyrics and sublime, fully acoustic sound, which draws on Berber rhythms, Malhun sung poetry, and Gnawa dances.

Electro Shaabi (2013)

In the slums of Cairo, youth dancing to electro chaabi, new music that blends folk song, electro beats and freestyles chanted in the style of rap. The idea is to merge the sounds and styles so chaotic. One slogan mangling! Victim of corruption and social segregation, youth in neighborhoods exorcise partying. Release of body and a speech repressed transgression religious taboos: more than just a musical phenomenon, Electro Chaabi is a healthy outlet for youth oppressed by the prohibitions imposed.

Contradict (2020)

When two friends collect money for the so-called "suffering in America" in the streets of Accra, is it for fun, political provocation, or a prophecy? Two Swiss filmmakers will answer these questions with the help of seven musicians from Ghana-M3NSA, Wanlov The Kubolor, Adomaa, Worlasi, Akan, Mutombo Da Poet, and Poetra Asantewa-who have written new songs and produced video clips especially for the documentary film Contradict.

Flesh and blood (2022)

A person calls a taxi only to find himself entering a surreal world.

The Square (2013)

The Square looks at the hard realities faced day-to-day by people working to build Egypt’s new democracy. Cairo’s Tahrir Square is the heart and soul of the film, which follows several young activists. Armed with values, determination, music, humor, an abundance of social media, and sheer obstinacy, they know that the thorny path to democracy only began with Hosni Mubarak’s fall. The life-and-death struggle between the people and the power of the state is still playing out.

Mandela (1996)

A documentary that chronicles the life of South African leader Nelson Mandela. Mandela is probably best known for his 27 years of imprisonment, and for bringing an end to apartheid. But this film also sheds light on the little-known early period of Mandela's life.

Sembene! (2015)

Meet Ousmane Sembene, the African freedom fighter who used stories as his weapon.

Jerusalem: Center of the World (2009)

Jerusalem: Center of the World tells the epic story of the world s most incredible city, capturing the rich mosaic of the city s Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities. Covering a sweeping history of over 4,000 years, the film explores the founding of the city; the birth and convergence of the world s three major monotheistic religions; and the key events in Jerusalem s history as described in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles, the Talmud, the Hagaddah, the Koran, and the Hadith. Highlights include: Mount Moriah, the site of the First and Second Temples; the Church of the Holy Sepulcher; the Dome of the Rock; and the Western Wall. Directed by Andrew Goldberg, and hosted by Ray Suarez (The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer), the film includes interviews with locals, top scholars and clergy.

Halim (2006)

The Nine Muses (2010)

Part documentary, part personal essay, this experimental film combines archive imagery with the striking wintry landscapes of Alaska to tell the story of immigrant experience coming into the UK from 1960 onwards.

The Great Egyptians (1997)

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.

Brothers in Blood: The Lions of Sabi Sand (2015)

This is a powerful documentary, filmed over a 16 year span, about the rise of a Coalition of six lions, branded The Mapogo Lions, and their takeover of the largest territory by a pride.

Louis Theroux's African Hunting Holiday (2008)

Louis goes to South Africa where American tourists pay to hunt wild animals in privately owned reserves.

Pangolin: Kulu's Journey (2025)

Rescued from poachers, an endangered baby pangolin embarks on a journey back to the wild with help from a devoted human guardian in this documentary.

Banking on Africa: The Bitcoin Revolution (2020)

As the world races to lead the way in blockchain technology, could Africa have an advantage? This documentary follows the journey of Bitcoin pioneers as the continent seeks to leverage cryptocurrency to leapfrog standing world economic powers.

Labirint (2017)

Two halves split by the perseverance of a scorpion. Come on, feet.

Unhinged: Surviving Jo'burg (2010)

Unhinged: Surviving Jo'burg is an honest, quirky and sometimes frenzied documentary about Johannesburg, South Africa's biggest city and the world's gateway to Southern Africa. With rapid narrative, dry humour, trivial factoids, insightful observations and a highly enjoyable soundtrack, the film tells a slice-of-city-life story. It's a personal video snapshot of today's city, providing a unique opportunity for viewers to get a glimpse inside a place that the world has a very fuzzy sense of. Written by Adrian Loveland

DramaConsult (2013)

DramaConsult a film by Dorothee Wenner DramaConsult has initiated an ethnographic expedition from Africa to Europe. The protagonists are real life businessmen from Lagos: A spare parts dealer, a real estate developer and a young shoe manufacturer with high-flying plans. Accompanied by two smart business consultants, the group travels to Germany to link up with potential partners and investors. The film tracks the process of economic intervention as an adventure trip in the era of globalization.

YOLO (2015)

“Filmed in the remains of Soweto’s historic Sans Souci Cinema (1948-1998), YOLO is a makeshift structuralist mash-up created in collaboration with the Eat My Dust youth collective from the Kliptown district of Soweto, South Africa. Vibrating with mic checks and sine waves, resonating with an array of pre-roll sound—this is cause and effect shattered again and again, temporarily undone. O humanity, You Only Live Once!”—Ben Russell

Miners Shot Down (2014)

In August 2012, mineworkers in one of South Africa’s biggest platinum mines began a wildcat strike for better wages. Six days later the police used live ammunition to brutally suppress the strike, killing 34 and injuring many more. Using the point of view of the Marikana miners, Miners Shot Down follows the strike from day one, showing the courageous but isolated fight waged by a group of low-paid workers against the combined forces of the mining company Lonmin, the ANC government and their allies in the National Union of Mineworkers.

Africa Express Presents: EGOLI (2021)

Chronicling the creative process, intimate collaborations and the fascinating characters behind Africa Express' EGOLI album, recorded in one week in Johannesburg South Africa in 2018 with BCUC, BLK JKS, Blue May, Damon Albarn, DJ Spoko, Dominowe, Faka, Georgia, Ghetts, Gruff Rhys, Infamous Boiz, Mr Jukes, The Mahotella Queens, Moonchild Sanelly, Morena Leraba, Muzi, Nick Zinner, Nonku Phiri, Otim Alpha, Phuzekhemisi, Poté, Remi Kabaka Jr, Sibot and Zolani Mahola.

Too Early / Too Late (1982)

Inspired by a letter by Friedrich Engels and a 1974 account of two militant Marxist writers who had been imprisoned by the Nasser regime, Straub-Huillet filmed this film in France and Egypt during 1980. They reflect on Egypt’s history of peasant struggle and liberation from Western colonization, and link it to class tensions in France shortly before the Revolution of 1789, quoting texts by Engels as well as the pioneering nonfiction film Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory (1895).

Titanic: The Shocking Truth (2012)

TITANIC: THE SHOCKING TRUTH explores the conspiracy theory that the Titanic never sank to the bottom of the Atlantic/. Evidence is documented to support the theory that the Titanic and her sister ship, the Olympic were swapped and the weakened Olympic tragically sank. Were White Star Line and the British government responsible for possibly one of the greatest frauds and sea tragedies in living history?

What Comes Around (2018)

In Rod El Farag, one of the poorest residential areas in Cairo, obtaining meat, fruit and daily bread is a constant struggle. But the sense of community shared by the inhabitants there helps them to some extent overcome their hardships through a social practice known as ‘al Gami’ya’, or ‘the assembly’.

VHS - Kahloucha (2006)

Documentarian Nejib Belkadhi trails amateur Tunisian filmmaker Moncef Kahloucha as he makes his latest feature, Tarzan of the Arabs.

My Father the Mover (2020)

Alatha's father calls himself a Mover. Using African dance moves, he helps kids in Khayelitsha township to transcend their hardship (drugs, poverty and abuse) and "find their superpowers." The Mover is also a single father. And while he has helped many kids, he still has difficulty getting his own daughter to find her own powers. But in a tender moment together, this is all about to change.

Untitled (2017)

More than two years after the sudden death of Michael Glawogger in April 2014, film editor Monika Willi realizes a film out of the film footage produced during 4 months and 19 days of shooting in the Balkans, Italy, Northwest and West Africa. A journey into the world to observe, listen and experience, the eye attentive, courageous and raw. Serendipity is the concept - in shooting as well as in editing the film.