OkayAfrica presents our monthly list of the best shows, films, and series to watch across the continent in June.
OkayAfrica StaffOkayAfricaStaff
Amadou et Mariam: Sons du Mali chronicles the life and times of the blind Malian duo.by Ryan Marley
Here are the most captivating film and TV stories coming this June from the African continent. From a documentary on Mali’s incredible musical duo Amadou and Mariam to Truck Mama, a portrait that follows one of Kenya’s only long-haul female truck drivers, this is your definitive guide to the essential films, documentaries, and series lighting up screens across North, West, East, and Southern Africa this month.
Les Trois Lascars 2 is the sequel to Les Trois Lascars, which was released in 2021.from Les Trois Lascars 2
Directed by Boubakar Diallo, Les Trois Lascars 2 is the sequel to 2021’s Les Trois Lascars. The buzzy comedy is a rib-cracking yet socially sensitive story around marital complications and the realities that come with it. A group of married friends visits a resort with their wives, where they find themselves in a series of often hilarious, usually chaotic situations. The film also makes multiple references to gender and gendered roles, while showcasing the power and subconscious loyalty of friendships.
Where to watch: Majestic Cinema, Abidjan
Iyaloja (Nigeria)
Kehinde Bankole offers a triumphant and enthralling performance in this story.from Iyaloja
In this gripping story directed by Oluseyi Asurf, the riveting screen goddess Kehinde Bankole takes on a dazzling role as Teju, a shifty woman who vies for the coveted position of Iya Oloja with intentions darker than they initially appear. Iyaloja is a story of familial expectations, the weight of cultural responsibilities, and the jostle for agency and power. The story also unravels the politics that often trail many Nigerian market centers while posing a question of what we become in the process of getting what we want by force. Bankole brings her quietly convincing charm to this role, elevating the story's complexity into an unforgettable performance.
Where to watch: Nigerian cinemas
Amadou et Mariam: sons du Mali (Mali)
Amadou et Mariam: Sons du Mali chronicles the life and times of the blind Malian duo.by Ryan Marley
Amadou et Mariam: Sons du Mali (Amadou & Mariam: Sounds of Mali) chronicles the life and times of Mali's most bankable duo and one of the African continent's most successful pop exports. Mariam lost her sight to untreated measles at five; Amadou lost his to congenital cataracts in his teens. They met as students at the Bamako Institute for the Young Blind in the mid-1970s, and from there learned to navigate the world with heart and intention, picking up more than a handful of admirers along the way. Amadou's passing is announced in the film's opening minutes, and we are transported through five decades of life, an archive of memories. The film doesn't shy away from the political context that informs the music, sketching the troubled landscape of a home country fractured, since 2012, by jihadist insurgency.
A still from the documentary Notes from the Underground.by Azani Rizing
Cape Town's contribution to the South African hip-hop landscape can never be overstated. It's where the early tapes, music, and films alike first arrived, carried home by seamen returning from months-long voyages overseas. In Notes from the Underground, directors Adrian van Wyk and Chris Kets link the griot work of modern-day emcees to deeper ancestral entry points — from the era of chattel slavery back to when the Khoi and San still walked the land. The film features interviews with leading figures in the scene, including DJ Ready D, Isaac Mutant, DJ Real Rozzano, and more.
Where to Watch: Encounters Film Festival
Marxism and Period Pains (South Africa)
The film is woven from honest interviews with a cross-section of South African women — educators, medical professionals, and school students.by Mmabatho Montsho
In Marxism & Period Pains, director Mmabatho Montsho takes a considered look at how women experience menstruation, situating those experiences within the broader context of global capitalism and the gendered structures of labor. The film is woven from honest interviews with a cross-section of South African women, from educators and medical professionals to school students. All speak eloquently about how male-dominated structures dismiss period pain, and how the same structures that uphold patriarchy also suppress attempts to speak freely about menstruation. Montsho conveys complex ideas with clarity, never flattening them. Worth a watch.
Where to Watch: Encounters Film Festival
East Africa — Paula Adhis
Truck Mama (Kenya)
A still from Truck Mama shows a pregnant woman seated alone inside a truck cabin during a quiet moment on the road.from Truck Mama
Kenyan filmmaker Zipporah Nyaruri’s Truck Mama is a moving documentary that follows Evaline, one of Kenya’s few female long-haul truck drivers, as she navigates dangerous East African routes while balancing motherhood, ambition, and the emotional toll of life on the road. Truck Mama is the opening-night film at the 2026 Encounters South African International Documentary Festival, where it will have its African premiere.
Where to watch: Screening at the Encounters South African International Documentary Festival from June 4–14, 2026.
Longing to Belong (Uganda)
A still from Longing to Belong captures a tense confrontation unfolding inside a bedroom.from Longing To Belong
From celebrated Ugandan actor, writer, and director Mariam Ndagire Kizito, Longing to Belong is a domestic drama starring Laura Kahunde and Henry Kabanda. The film navigates emotionally charged disputes over child custody, turning intimate family conflict into a broader reflection on belonging. The film has generated strong regional buzz while earning eight nominations at the Uganda Film Festival.
Where to watch: Screening as part of the 29th Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) from June 24–28, 2026.
Kilwa Kisiwani (Tanzania)
A movie poster for Kilwa Kisiwani.by Kilwa Kisiwani
Tanzanian filmmaker Sultan Tamba’s Kilwa Kisiwani will premiere at the Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) and stands out as one of the festival’s most talked-about experiments because it is a short film created entirely with AI-generated imagery. Built without traditional cameras or physical sets, the project uses prompt-based tools and generative software to reimagine historical storytelling through a technological lens. Positioned around the festival’s theme of “AI and the Art of Storytelling,” the film is a case study in how emerging African filmmakers are using new tools to tell ambitious stories on their own terms.
Where to watch: Screening as part of the 29th Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) from June 24–28, 2026.
North Africa — Amuna Wagner
Brotherhood (Tunisia)
For his #AfricaMonthFilmChallenge, Kevin Kriedemann has unearthed great African films that are available on YouTube. Written and directed by Meryam Joobeur, the Tunisian short Brotherhood was nominated for an Oscar in the category Best Live Action Short in 2020. It tells the story of Mohamed, a Tunisian shepherd and father of two sons, who is shaken when his son returns from fighting in Syria with a mysterious new wife.
Where to watch: YouTube
Butterfly (Algeria)
This film is based on real-life events that Miailhe found out after she took swimming lessons with Alfred Nakache’s younger brother.from Butterfly - 2026 Oscar nominee | SHORT FILM | ARTE.TV Culture on YouTube
Florence Miailhe’s Butterfly is inspired by the true story of “the swimmer from Auschwitz,” Alfred Nakache, a Jewish-Algerian swimmer who competed at the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany. Nominated for an Oscar in the Best Animated Short category, this animated film is inspired by oil paintings and traces his life through memories as he swims in the sea.
Where to watch: YouTube
Youth (Egypt)
With Youth, Farida Zahran became a finalist of the #IFP Student Short Film Showcase.from Youth Dir. Farida Zahran | IFP Student Short Film Showcase Finalist on YouTube
Egyptian director Farida Zahran, who wrote the Emmy-nominated comedy series Ramy, first made waves with her coming-of-age short film Youth, in which a teenage girl is pushed to consider her own boundaries. Youth was a Vimeo Staff Pick and Short of the Week.
