The Best African Films and TV Shows To Watch This Month

The most compelling stories this May are coming straight from the source: the African continent. From Sudanese historical dramas like Cotton Queen to a powerful Rwandan feature premiering at Cannes (Ben’Imana) and a Nigerian rom-com (Call Of My Life), this is your definitive guide to the essential films, documentaries, and series lighting up screens across North, West, East, and Southern Africa this month.

North Africa - By Amuna Wagner

‘Cotton Queen’ (Sudan) 

“Once you have cotton, you have all the dynamics around it,” Sudanese Russian director Suzannah Mirghani told OkayAfrica in an interview about her debut feature Cotton Queen which is set to be released in cinemas across Egypt. Set in a cotton-farming village in Sudan, the story follows teenage Nafisa, who is raised on heroic tales of resistance against British colonizers, told by her grandmother, the village matriarch Al-Sit. When a young businessman arrives from abroad with a development plan and genetically engineered cotton, Nafisa finds herself at the center of a power struggle over the future of her community.

Where to watch: Egyptian cinemas starting May 6, German cinemas, UK and Ireland soon.

‘Asad’ (Egypt)

This historical drama tells the story of Ali “Asad” bin Muhammad al-Farsi (Mohamed Ramadan), the man behind a massive slave revolt that shook the Abbasid era for over a decade. Set in 19th-century Egypt, Asad falls in love with a free woman and enters into a heroic struggle against his masters that goes beyond himself and has the potential to end slavery once and for all. The film is directed by Mohamed Diab, best known for his socially driven storytelling in Cairo 678 and Moon Knight, and co-written by Diab and his siblings. 

Where to watch: Egyptian cinemas starting May 14, cinemas across the region May 21.

100 Years of Youssef Chahine (Egypt)

Youssef Chahine (1926-2008) is widely considered to have been the Arab World’s most significant and influential film director. In honor of the centennial of his birth, several institutions in Cairo are celebrating his extraordinary body of work. Curators Yasmine Zohdi and Ahmed Refaat have selected his best films and are screening them alongside select works by filmmakers from various countries and cinematic traditions, placing Chahine’s cinema within a global context and a broader political and cultural landscape, and exploring how his work engaged with the defining questions of its time. This April and May, the first installment focuses on his early films. 

Where to watch: Zawya Cinema Cairo until May 16.

West Africa - By Nelson C.J.

‘Call Of My Life’ (Nigeria)

The first thing that will likely get your attention is the amber softness which Call Of My Life is shot with. The cinematography gleams with a dreaminess that mirrors the story being told. The film’s writer and star Uzoamaka Power plays Soluchi, a hopeless romantic reeling from a breakup while trying to make sense of herself and her wants. Power has shown herself to be an exceptional writer with recent credit for My Body, God’s Temple, a short film she wrote, directed and starred in opposite Andrew Bunting. Call Of My Life is produced by Blessing Uzzi and directed by Dammy Twitch, best known for his work with music videos, and was shot across three Nigerian cities - Lagos, Enugu and Abuja. Call Of My Life follows in the tradition of timeless rom-coms such as Isoken and Phone Swap. The cast includes Zubby Michael, Andrew Bunting, Beverly Osu, Nkem Owoh, Patience Ozokwor and more. 

Where to watch: In Nigerian cinemas May 15.

East Africa - Paula Adhis

‘Widow Champion’ (Kenya)

In Widow Champion, a powerful documentary by director Zippy Kimundu, widow Road is thrown off her land by her in-laws and forced to fight for what is rightfully hers. What begins as a personal struggle grows into something larger as she becomes a fierce advocate for other widows facing similar issues of dispossession in a patriarchal community. Released in 20215 the documentary went on to enjoy a solid festival run that included Tribeca and the NBO Film Festival.

Where to watch: Unseen Cinemas in Nairobi during the month of May.

‘Ben’Imana’ (Rwanda)

Rwandan filmmaker Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo makes history with Ben’Imana, her debut feature and the first film by a Rwandan director to premiere in Cannes’ Official Selection. Set in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, the drama follows Veneranda (played by Clémentine U. Nyirinkindi), a survivor who has built her life around reconciliation and community healing. But when her teenage daughter becomes pregnant, buried memories rise to the surface, forcing her to confront the past.

Where to watch: Premiering at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival on May 12–23.

Southern Africa - By Tseliso Monaheng

‘TUTU’ (South Africa)

A statesman, an anti-apartheid activist, a preacher, a father, a comedian-in-waiting — Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize winner and former Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, was many things to many people. He stood toe-to-toe with police officers in the heady '80s when apartheid's iron fist was killing mercilessly, and presided over one of the most consequential instruments of the state, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. According to the press release, the film is based on an archive collected over a twenty-year period by South African journalist Roger Friedman and photographer Benny Gool, who both appear in the film and are consulting producers. The film won the Peace Film Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival, and shall screen at Encounters in June. 

Where to watch: Encounters Film Festival.

‘The Trials of Winnie Mandela’ (South Africa)

Mama Winnie Madikizela-Mandela is a divisive figure, perhaps one of the most incendiary in the South African social and political sphere. She carried the hopes of Black people during periods of intense political upheaval, when apartheid-era officials had eliminated, banished, and imprisoned all the leaders — from Steve Biko to her own husband, Nelson Mandela. So it's understandable that any film, any book that attempts to deal with her legacy should at least attempt to grapple with the realities of the time — a time of war, a time when the country was burning. Netflix's six-part documentary The Trials of Winnie Mandela promises to expose how "power, race, and struggle decide whose violence is forgiven, whose suffering is erased." Feedback online has been scathing, with many arguing that it flattens what was a complex figure, and does her life a disservice by including people who aren't really clued up on the full scope of who she was to South Africans. All the more reason to watch and make up your own mind.

Where to watch: Netflix

‘Apart’ (South Africa/USA)

Written by Spike Lee in collaboration with Tim Jones, Jeff Leisawitz, and Lubabalo Mtati, Apart follows Themba and Joel, two boys who form a dangerous friendship amid the harsh realities of South African apartheid. "As hate and fear threaten to pull them apart, their bond faces its greatest challenge in the form of a life-saving gesture," reads part of the synopsis. Directed by South African artist Pola Maneli, the animated short will have its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in June during the animation shorts by Whoopi G programme.

Where to watch: Tribeca Film Festival.