
6 May 2022
Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn (2020)
The topical HBO documentary film Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn examines the events surrounding the murder of Yusuf Hawkins, a Black American teenager who was killed by a group of white youths.
Yusuf, to whom Spike Lee’s 1991 film Jungle Fever is dedicated, was just 16 on August 23, 1989, when he and his friends were attacked by a mob of angry Italian youths in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, in New York City, sparking protests and a deep racial divide.
Drawing on archival footage and interviews with, amongst others, former New York City mayor David Dinkins, American civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton, who led many of the protests, Yusuf’s family and friends who were actually there that day, as well as Joseph Fama, the man convicted of firing the shots that killed Hawkins, the documentary tries to uncover the impetus behind the tragedy, and highlight the systemic racism still existing today.
Nominated for a 2021 Image Award for Outstanding Directing in a Documentary, Storm Over Brooklyn has an 87% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Salon.com saying, “Voices past and present give Storm Over Brooklyn a piercing relevance in the here and now, whether by what they’re saying or what they represent.”
More Mzansi gold

Glam pics: Inside the star-studded Showmax Roast of Helen Zille
A look at the unforgettable moments from the Showmax Roast of Helen Zille at the Laugh Africa Comedy Festival, streaming from 16 May on Showmax.

Ntombee Ngcobo-Mzolo to host The Mommy Club S3 reunion
TV presenter, actress and singer Ntombee Ngcobo-Mzolo to host The Mommy Club reunion for the second consecutive year. The two part reunion streams on Showmax on 17 and 24 May 2025.

The Catch S1
In a high-stakes dating reality show, eight ladies are on a quest to find their suitor. Little do they know, among them lurk six secret imposters ready to break hearts and steal the prize.

Faizon Love joins Laugh Africa Comedy Festival as new headliner
Laugh Africa Comedy Festival announces Faizon Love as the festival’s new international headliner, following Deon Cole’s withdrawal due to an unforeseen medical emergency.