Afrikaans movies to stream now

Here are the top Afrikaans films to stream on Showmax right now.

Moffie (2019)

Adapted from an autobiographical 2006 novel by André Carl van der Merwe, Moffie is set in South Africa, 1981, with the white minority government embroiled in a conflict on the southern Angolan border. Like all white boys over the age of 17, Nicholas Van der Swart (Kai Luke Brummer) must complete two years of compulsory military service to defend the Apartheid regime.

The threat of communism and “die swart gevaar” is at an all-time high. But that’s not the only danger Nicholas faces. He must survive the brutality of the army – something that becomes even more difficult when a connection is sparked between him and a fellow recruit.

Fiela se Kind (2019)

Zenobia Kloppers takes over from Shaleen Surtie-Richards as tender-hearted coloured mom Fiela Komoetie, who finds a lost white boy in the Knysna forest – Benjamin Komoetie, played by Luca Bornman. But after raising him for nine years as her own, Benjamin is ripped from Fiela’s arms and taken “home to his own kind”. But she isn’t giving up.

Kanarie (2018) | First on Showmax

The apartheid military was a very rough and difficult place for any young man, thrown in as they were into the deep end of the pool of toxic masculinity. The bigger your muscles, the better. The bushier your beard, great. The meaner you were to anyone less masculine than you, spectacular. And that’s a problem for Johan Niemand, a delicate young man who’d prefer to dress in drag as his hero, 80s pop icon Boy George than shoot the enemy across the border.

Kanarie was nominated for a 2020 GLAAD Award in the category Outstanding Film: Limited Release. The award recognises work that is a fair and inclusive representation of LGBTQI characters and issues.

Droomdag (2016)

Tanya is desperate to find the man she will settle down with but always seems to end up with Mr Wrong. She takes a break from dating – only to meet the man of her dreams. But that’s just the start of her problems.

Die Stropers (2019) | First on Showmax

This critically acclaimed English-subtitled movie was released internationally with the title The Harvesters. It’s a coming of age tale about a youngster who’s forced to confront his personal choices when his family takes in a troubled young boy on their farm. The fact that the core theme is never overtly named by the characters makes the journey more intricate and involved, drawing you in as the two teens grow closer.

Meerkat Maantuig (2017)

Most children are afraid of monsters, the scary ones hiding in their closet or under their bed. But Gideonette De La Rey (Anchen du Plessis) has a different fear in Meerkat Maantuig: she fears death. Or rather falling victim to the De La Rey Curse, where everyone named Gideon dies at an early age.

After her father’s death, she’s sent to live with her grandparents. That’s where Gideonette meets the adorable deaf boy Bhubesi (Themba Ntuli), who is training to become an astronaut and fly into space with his Meerkat Maantuig (moon ship). But there’s more to this boy than Gideonette initially realises.

This sweet film was nominated for and won a slew of awards.

Vaselinetjie (2017)

A white girl is raised by her loving brown grandparents in a remote rural village. When the welfare services find out that she is not their biological grandchild, they send her to an orphanage in Johannesburg. This movie deals with the search for identity in South Africa’s fractured society.

Balbesit (2014)

Saartjie Botha’s acclaimed play uses rugby as a metaphor for exploring issues of masculinity. This film version, like the original play, was directed by Jaco Brouwer.

Die Seemeeu (2018)

Anton Chekhov’s classic play The Seagull is adapted and placed in 1990s South Africa. The characters grapple with inner fears, longings, doubts, regrets, recriminations and miseries of their own making.