Some of the most captivating and remarkable films ever made have come from Africa. The continent’s rich and diverse cultures have influenced filmmakers to produce works of art that have withstood the test of time, ranging from heartbreaking dramas to hilarious comedies.
Since the idea of the ideal movie can vary from person to person, the top AI “favorite” chatbot, Chat GPT, was asked for a list of the top 10 African films. According to AI, these are the movies that have stood the test of time and have had a significant influence on the movie business.
Therefore, if your favorite film is left off the list, which is in no particular order, blame AI.
“Tsotsi” (2005)
This South African film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and tells the story of a young gangster in Johannesburg who has a moral crisis after stealing a car and discovering a baby in the backseat.
“Timbuktu” (2014)
This Mauritanian-French drama was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and tells the story of the occupation of Timbuktu by jihadist militants and the impact on the local people.
In town, the people submit, powerless, to the terror regime of the jihadists who have taken their faith hostage. No more music, laughter, cigarettes, or even football… Women have become shadows, attempting to resist with dignity. Every day, improvised tribunals deliver absurd and tragic sentences.
“Black Panther” (2018)
The first blockbuster starring a black superhero became a cultural phenomenon, grossing more than 1.3 billion dollars and earning an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.
T’Challa’s sister Shuri is played by Letitia Wright, Queen Ramonda is played by Angela Bassett, and Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, and Winston Duke star.
“The Gods Must Be Crazy” (1980)
Jamie Uys wrote and directed this film. It tells the story of a Kalahari bushman who discovers a Coca-Cola bottle dropped from an airplane and believes it is a gift from the gods. It is set in Botswana and South Africa.
The bottle causes strife in the tribe, and Xi is dispatched into the unknown world beyond the Kalahari to return the bottle to the Gods by tossing it off the world’s end.
“Lionheart” (2018)
The plot revolves around an ambitious woman, Adaeze, played by Genevieve, who works as a director in her family’s transport company, understudying her father, Chief Obiagu (Pete Edochie), a wealthy Igbo businessman. At the same time, she harbors personal ambitions of succeeding him as the company’s overall leader and passing down the family legacy to the next generation.
“Half of a Yellow Sun” (2013)
This Anglo-Nigerian drama film is based on the novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and tells the story of two sisters in Nigeria during the late 1960s Biafran War.Biyi Bandele directed the drama film, which stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandiwe Newton, Onyeka Onwenu, Anika Noni Rose, Joseph Mawle, Genevieve Nnaji, OC Ukeje, and John Boyega and was shot on location in Nigeria. The film premiered in the Special Presentation section of the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.
“The Wound” (2017)
This controversial South African film depicts the Xhosa tradition of male circumcision and the complications that arise.
“Sankofa” (1993)
This Ghanaian-American film is a historical drama about a modern-day African-American woman who is transported back in time to a plantation in the antebellum South.
“Moolaadé” (2004)
This Senegalese film won the Un Certain Regard award at the Cannes Film Festival and tells the story of a woman who refuses to allow her daughter to undergo female genital mutilation.
“Viva Riva!” (2010)
This Congolese film is a crime thriller set in Kinshasa that tells the story of a small-time criminal who steals a truckload of fuel and becomes entangled in a dangerous game of cat and mouse.
