Africa is a continent of 54 nations, 1.4 billion people, and extraordinary stories.
These films go far beyond stereotypes to show Africa as it really is — complex, beautiful, and deeply human.
Here are 10 films about Africa that deserve to be seen by the whole world.
1. Hotel Rwanda (2004) 7.7
Genre: Drama, History, War · Director: Terry George · Cast: Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo, Nick Nolte
Inspired by true events, this film takes place in Rwanda in the 1990s when more than a million Tutsis were killed in a genocide that went mostly unnoticed by the rest of the world. Hotel owner Paul Ru
2. Beasts of No Nation (2015) 7.6
Genre: Drama, War · Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga · Cast: Abraham Attah, Idris Elba, Emmanuel Nii Adom Quaye
Based on the experiences of Agu, a child fighting in the civil war of a West African country. Follows Agu’s journey as he’s forced to join a group of soldiers. While he fears his commander and many of
3. Blood Diamond (2006) 7.6
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Action · Director: Edward Zwick · Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly
An ex-mercenary turned smuggler. A Mende fisherman. Amid the explosive civil war overtaking 1999 Sierra Leone, these men join for two desperate missions: recovering a rare pink diamond of immense valu
4. District 9 (2009) 7.5
Genre: Science Fiction · Director: Neill Blomkamp · Cast: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, Nathalie Boltt
Thirty years ago, aliens arrive on Earth. Not to conquer or give aid, but to find refuge from their dying planet. Separated from humans in a South African area called District 9, the aliens are manage
5. Captain Phillips (2013) 7.5
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller · Director: Paul Greengrass · Cast: Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman
The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years.
6. Black Panther (2018) 7.4
Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction · Director: Ryan Coogler · Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o
King T’Challa returns home to the reclusive, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to serve as his country’s new leader. However, T’Challa soon finds that he is challenged for the throne
7. The Last King of Scotland (2006) 7.4
Genre: Drama · Director: Kevin Macdonald · Cast: Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy, Simon McBurney
Young Scottish doctor, Nicholas Garrigan decides it’s time for an adventure after he finishes his formal education, so he decides to try his luck in Uganda, and arrives during the downfall of Presiden
8. Tsotsi (2005) 6.9
Genre: Crime, Drama · Director: Gavin Hood · Cast: Presley Chweneyagae, Jerry Mofokeng, Terry Pheto
A young South African boy from the Johannesburg ghetto named Tsotsi, meaning Gangster, leaves home as a child to get away from his helpless parents. Now a teenage thug, Tsotsi finds a baby in the back
9. Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013) 6.9
Genre: Drama, History · Director: Justin Chadwick · Cast: Idris Elba, Naomie Harris, Tony Kgoroge
A chronicle of Nelson Mandela’s life journey from his childhood in a rural village through to his inauguration as the first democratically elected president of South Africa.
10. Machine Gun Preacher (2011) 6.7
Genre: Action, Thriller, Crime · Director: Marc Forster · Cast: Gerard Butler, Michelle Monaghan, Kathy Baker
The true story of Sam Childers, a former drug-dealing biker who finds God and became a crusader for hundreds of Sudanese children who’ve been kidnapped and pressed into duty as soldiers.
These films are just the beginning of Africa’s story on screen. Each one challenges what you think you know — and leaves you wanting to know more.