Come to the party: stream the best local movies on Heritage Day

Showmax is bringing South Africa together with the Heritage Day Collection – it’s like the best bring-and-braai ever! We’re going to have fun trying all the dishes, from weird auntie salad, to classic family favourites. Here’s just a taste of what’s on the menu…

Umakoti Wethu

Does anyone still bat an eye at polygamy? It’s not taboo, it’s a way of life for some to accept a second wife or husband (polyandry) in their marriage. But what happens when Wife #1 develops more than a liking to Wife #2 and that love is reciprocated? That’s the situation in this drama starring Fulu Mugovhani as first wife Kathu, Melusi Mbele as husband Sizwe, and Kwanele Mthethwa as caught-in-the-middle newcomer Nobuhle, who’s hiding a secret from her new husband and sister-wife…

“Umakoti Wethu is about family matters,” says Fulu. “It follows a couple who are going through a transformation in their relationship. They want to grow their family in every way, but with that comes challenges.”

Executive producer Moeketsi Moeketsi adds, “This movie is an attempt to pay homage to a beautiful part of the isiZulu culture while in the same breath giving voice to those individuals that may not always be heard within that same culture. We’re hoping that this will creates more understanding about what queer people go through almost every single day of their lives.”

Welcome To The Family

Finding “the one” can be a tough ask because if you have cash – like, loads of it – gold diggers come in their hundreds. If you have no money, you could be walking into a situation in which you’re going to be controlled by your other half.

That’s not really a problem for Lerato (Nolo Seabi) in this romcom – she and her brand-new fiancé Vusi (Siphesihle Vazi) come from the same disadvantaged background, having grown up poor and built their lives through hard work.

But Vusi’s hiding a secret… which is going to come out when he takes Lerato back home to his “little” village. It turns out Vusi has two moms – they’re both momster-in-laws – and his family aren’t anywhere close to being poor. In fact, they’re filthy rich and Vusi is the heir to an empire… and he wants Lerato to be his wife. Will she make it through the momster test?

Induku

In many African cultures, sons are a sign of fertility and favour from the gods – though, of course, daughters aren’t shunned or hated. They’re there to hold the family fort while the men go out and work and provide.

But what happens when there are no sons and a father desperately needs someone to defend the family’s honour? Well, he’s not going to let his daughter take part in a stick-fighting tournament, is he? He should’ve thought things through, because Khethiwe (Kwanele Mthethwa) is as stubborn and defiant as he is and she’s armed and ready for action in this gender-deconstructing family drama movie.

One Night Kwa Mxolisi

Nothing gets South Africans down. Not Covid, not loadshedding, not sky-high petrol prices. And what brings people together? Food! This dramedy sees a former rugby star venturing into the foodie business now that he’s retired and needs an income.

And what better way to test his restaurant’s appeal (and the fancy-schmancy menu) than with a soft opening feeding all his mates. But there’s more to the story than just having a good time – secrets are going to come out the closet, laughs will be had, many beers and cocktails will be downed as the night descends into buddy-buddy fun and drama. Starring Sisanda Henna, Motlatsi Mafatse and Fulu Mughovani.

Klein Karoo 2

We’ve all been there with that horrible break-up that leaves us feeling like the world is weighing down on our chests. That feeling of confusion, helplessness and utter heartbreak. That’s kind of what 38-year-old Frans (Tim Theron) is experiencing in the romcom sequel to Klein Karoo. He’s been left at the altar for the second time (oh, not awkies at all) and he’s doing what some of us really need to do: taking a step back, inhaling deeply, exhaling and taking a look at where he is in life. Sometimes a fresh perspective is all that’s needed to find out what’s wrong, what’s right and what you need more of to be happy with things.

“I don’t feel there is a huge difference between situations in the country’s various cultures. Is there a difference when writing a story from a specific era or which mirrors people from specific backgrounds or cultures – yes, I do think there is when it comes to certain nuances and vocabulary,” says movie screenplay writer Lize Vosloo.

“But other than that I think the story is quite universal in terms of connecting an audience to a specific story world. I hope that viewers get to escape for 90 minutes, escape from their own lives, their own troubles and the pandemic in order to get lost in a beautiful love story which will make them laugh and feel uplifted again. And I hope Klein Karoo 2 gives everyone who watches it a warm fuzzy feeling in their hearts.”

Barakat

There’s no mom like a coloured Muslim mom from Cape Town. There’s no stepping out of line, there’s no arguing or backchatting. And there’s sure to be nothing but peace and calm in her house, right? Vinette Ebrahim stars in this comedy as ageing matriarch Aisha, whose family is torn apart. They’re fractured in the worst possible way, and their dysfunction only adds to their troubles.

So what’s a mother to do? Use the Muslim holiday celebration of Eid-Al-Fitr to not only reunite her offspring and their families, but to reveal that she has a new love interest and she doesn’t care what they have to say. They’ll nod their heads, smile and be happy for her or else… Also look out for Joey Rasdien (Zunaid), Mortimer Williams (Zaid), Keeno-Lee Hector (Yaseen) and Quanita Adams (Ra-eesah) among the cast list.

Poena

Robbie Wessels returns to his mad-cap shirtless speedo-wearing character who has been left unemployed and homeless by the Covid-19 pandemic. But he has a solution to at least one of those problems: he’s going to move in with his oupa in this hilarious Afrikaans comedy.

And to prove that he’s going to get back on his feet and get things back on track in his life, Poena gives his word and starts getting to work. But it’s not long before he gets sidetracked and realises that the world has changed, his oupa isn’t as fit and young as he once was, and Poena has to do a whole lot of growing up if he’s going to be an adult in this modern world.

New Material

Remember Riaad Moosa’s comedy movie Material, about his character Cassim who’s trying to get out of the family’s clothing and textile business and get into stand-up comedy? Now there’s a sequel and Cassim is trying to balance his comedy career and doing what so many of us are trying to do: have a family. But there’s a difference, because Cassim, his wife and their young child have moved in with his parents.

“We waited almost eight years to make this sequel,” says Riaad. “We took our time to get the script right, to have that family feeling. There are moments of slapstick but there are more genuine laughs than in the first movie. We did a lot of ad-libbing that made it into the movie and when you watch that, as a performer, you realise that you’ve had so much fun doing something you love.”

Sons Of The Sea

Life in SA is tough and sometimes we need a reminder that there are always people less fortunate than ourselves, people who’re going through struggles we can’t imagine. Like Roberto Kyle and Marlon Swarts’s characters (Gabriel and Mikhail, respectively) in this drama. They’re brothers living in a small fishing community in Cape Town. One morning Gabriel finds a body on the beach… next to two bags of valuable perlemoen.

What’s a poor young man to do when he spots an opportunity to make money and no one is going to lose out (because the poacher is dead already)? Gabriel and his brother Mikhail take the perlemoen and go on the run, unaware that they’re being hunted by a corrupt government official (also, such a local thing) who wants his stash…

The Kandasamy franchise

Two for the price of one! In Keeping Up With The Kandasamys, feuding neighbours Jennifer (Jailoshini Naidoo) and Shanti (Maeshni Naicker) don’t agree on the most simple of things. If one says the sky is blue, the other says it’s grey. They simply don’t get along and that’s okay… as long as their children don’t decide to date. And that’s exactly what they do, because what could be more South African than moms who’re strict, don’t get along, and just want their kids to lead successful lives… and the kids doing the opposite? But will Shanti’s son Prishen (Madhushan Singh) and Jennifer’s daughter Jodi (Mishqah Parthiephal) manage to date?

The sequel answers that. Kandasamys: The Wedding sees Jennifer and Shanti renew their war as their children make their way to the altar and prepare to get married. Throw in singing, dance numbers and flashy outfits and you have a proudly South African movie that’ll have you jiving, grooving and dancing until the last guests go home.

Expiry Date – from 24 September 2022

Unlucky in love, Musa decides to play Expiry Date with his brother, a game where they date and break up with multiple women. But when it turns serious, Musa is faced with a choice. This delightful romcom stars Mbulelo Katise, and lands on Heritage Day, 24 September 2022.