South African filmmaker Sibs Shongwe-La Mer's 'Necktie Youth'
Straight Outta Compton
Unless you were living under a rock last year, there’s a good chance you’ve heard about or seen F. Gary Gray’s N.W.A. biopic. Its cast may very well prove to be a wealth of young, gifted and black talent. Just last week, Corey Hawkins (who plays the part of Dr. Dre) was officially announced as the lead in FOX’s 24 reboot.
You can purchase Straight Outta Compton on iTunes here.
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Necktie Youth
24-year-old filmmaker Sibs Shongwe-La Mer‘s directorial debut, one of our favorites of 2015, paints a portrait of disaffected post-apartheid youth in the affluent Johannesburg suburb of Sandton. The movie picks up in the aftermath of a teenager’s live-streamed suicide.
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Concussion
The Will Smith-starring football medical drama biopic tells the true story of a Nigerian surgeon who single-handedly uncovered the devastating link between head trauma and the NFL. If you can get past Smith’s questionable attempt at a Nigerian accent, which understandably drew the ire of Nigerian Twitter last year, Concussion is a compelling big-screen story of a Nigerian hero.
You can pre-order Concussion on iTunes here.
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Out Of My Hand
Another film picked up by Ava DuVernay’s Array, this Takeshi Fukunaga-drama follows one man’s journey from a Liberian rubber plantation to the “Little Liberia” community of Staten Island, New York, where he’s haunted by ghosts of his wartime past.
Out Of My Hand is available to stream on Netflix as of last month.
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Chi-Raq
Another divisive project, Spike Lee’s poetic drama paints a portrait of gang violence in the city of Chicago and the fictionalized story of a group of women trying to put an end to it. Teyonah Parris stars as Lysistrata, the girlfriend of gang leader Chi-Raq (Nick Cannon), who, inspired after hearing of Leymah Gbowee’s mass action for peace in Liberia, calls for a “sex strike” until Chicago’s gangs put down their guns.
You can download Chi-Raq on iTunes here.
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Beasts Of No Nation
The Cary Fukunaga-directed film adaptation of Uzodinma Iweala’s West African-set child soldier drama was certainly one of the most divisive films of 2015. While some feel it was deserving of the year’s best picture, including Okayafrica’s own CEO, Abiola Oke, a number of commentators have criticized the film for continuing to promote a single version narrative of the African continent.
Regardless of where you land, it’s hard to deny that the acting was superb. The movie’s star, 14-year-old newcomer Abraham Attah, has received much acclaim for his portrayal of Agu. Idris Elba meanwhile won a Screen Actors Guild Award over the weekend for his supporting role as the brutal Commandant.
Beasts Of No Nation is currently streaming on Netflix, where it made history as the first fictional feature to be released by the streaming platform.
