Portal:African cinema/DYK/23

Under the Hanging Tree (2023) is a supernatural noir Namibian film directed and written by filmmaker Perivi Katjavivi and starring Girley Jazama. The movie explores themes of historical trauma, identity, and cultural displacement, set against the backdrop of Namibia's colonial past. The film became Namibia's first-ever official submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature on the occasion of the 96th Academy Awards.

Joe Bullet (1973) starring Ken Gampu, Sol Rachilo, and Abigail Kubeka, was the first South African film to feature an all-black African cast. It was screened at the Eyethu Cinema in Soweto in 1973 before being banned by the apartheid government and never screened again. The 2024 documentary Banned directed by Naledi Bogacwi follows the story of the iconic film and the censorship that took place in Apartheid South Africa.

Subterranea (2024) is the first Kenyan sci-fi television series. Directed by Likarion Wainaina of Supa Modo fame, the series is described by the director as “Big Brother meets Survivor meets Silo” and was released on Showmax in September.

The Egyptian action film Sons of Rizk 3 (2024) starring Ahmed Ezz broke an Egyptian box office record on June 18, 2024 for the highest single day revenue, raking in EGP 23,113,000 (approximately $478,000). The film is the third installment of the popular franchise first launched in 2015 with Sons of Rizk and followed by the sequel, Sons of Rizk 2, which also broke a one-day box office record in 2019.

The short film Bazigaga (2020) by director by Joy Ingabire Moys was the first Rwandan film to be nominated for a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) award in 2023.