The Best African Films and TV to Watch This Month

July is packed with stories that cross genres, generations, and borders. This month’s picks include psychological thrillers, political dramas, romantic comedies, documentaries, and long-awaited series, with filmmakers exploring everything from family secrets and social movements to love, ambition, and survival. 

Whether you’re heading to the cinema or settling in at home, OkayAfrica’s list of African films and TV shows is worth adding to your watchlist this month.

North Africa — Amuna Wagner

Ezma (Egypt) 

On his 30th birthday, Issa (Ahmed Dawood) receives a box from his old friend Sera (Salma Abu Deif). Inside the box, he finds videotapes from his 18-year-old self (Hamza Diab) explaining a game called “Ezma,” which consists of a series of instructions leading to symbolic treasures. Issa and Sera decide to play the game, and with every clue he finds, he rediscovers who he once was: a passionate filmmaker. The story is based on Mohamed Sadek’s bestselling novel; the writer directed the film, and Hani Osama produced it. 

Where to watch: Egyptian and Tunisian cinemas

The Stories (Egypt)

Ahmed is a young man who dreams of becoming a pianist in the Cairo of the 1960s. Living in a cramped Cairo apartment with his family, his life changes when he starts a pen-pal romance with Elisabeth, an Austrian woman, during the 1967 war with Israel. Written and directed by Abu Bakr Shawky, this film impresses with the star-studded cast of Nelly Karim, Amir El Masry, and Karim Qassem and traces the shifting socio-political landscape of the second half of the 20th century in Egypt. 

Where to watch: Zawya Cinema Cairo 

Southern Africa — Tšeliso Monaheng

Wrong Generation (Namibia)

Inspired by Namibia’s #ShutItAllDown protests of October 2020, and adapted from You Fucked with the Wrong Generation, a book by Ndiilokelwa Nthengwe, Wrong Generation follows three estranged friends who reunite to stage a major protest in post-apartheid Namibia. Produced by Lavinia Kapewasha and Jenny Kandenge, the film features a cast including Hazel Conchata, Gloria del Mar, and Ngunde Mazeingo. It recently extended its cinema run in Windhoek.

Where to watch: Cinemas in Namibia

Dear Sis Dolly (South Africa)

Dear Sis Dolly was a renowned advice column in the legendary Drum magazine, offering life guidance to readers who wrote in. Director Twiggy Matiwana reimagines this cultural touchstone as an endearing South African comedy-drama featuring a heavyweight cast. “Rather than telling the life of the original Sis Dolly, we wanted to imagine a young modern woman named Khethiwe, who dreams of becoming the next Sis Dolly,” Matiwana said in an interview. Khethiwe’s ambition places her in direct conflict with traditional family expectations. The film stars Didintle Khunou as Khethiwe, Sthandiwe Kgoroge (The Polygamist) as Drum’s formidable editor-in-chief Malody “MM” Makaringe, and Natasha Thahane as Abo.

Where to watch: Cinemas in South Africa

The Deadly Quest for Gold (South Africa)

In 2024, a government crackdown on illegal mining in the South African town of Stilfontein turned into a deadly humanitarian crisis. Hundreds of zama zamas — informal miners working underground — became trapped in abandoned mine shafts for months, surviving without adequate food or access to rescue services. Bloomberg Investigates follows the survivors of the Stilfontein mine tragedy as they recount their terrifying experiences underground, the struggle to stay alive, and their desperate attempts to escape.

Where to Watch: YouTube

East Africa — Paula Adhis

Anam’s Wake (Kenya)

Likarion Wainaina’s Anam’s Wake is a Kenyan psychological thriller about grief, family secrets, and the pain we carry for too long. The film follows Anam, a professional mourner, as she leads a ritual at the powerful Ebale family home. But as the wake unfolds, hidden truths begin to surface, forcing Anam to face both the family’s past and her own buried grief.

Where to watch: Premiering July 31, 2026, at Nairobi’s Prestige Cinema through August 2.

West Africa — Nelson C.J

On Different Grounds (Nigeria)

In Mildred Okwo’s latest offering, familial conflict sets the tone for a rom-com that cuts across generations and ethnicities. The story follows a spectated billionaire couple who are forced to reunite for their eldest daughter’s wedding. In the course of bringing the wedding to life, buried secrets surface, personalities clash, and a truth that threatens to alter the very dynamics of this family’s relationship is set loose. This film is gorgeously directed, with many funny moments that even out its grounded emotional core. On Different Grounds stars Jennifer Eliogu (I Do Not Come To You By Chance, Out In Darkness, Single and Married), Bob-Manuel Udokwu (Living in Bondage, Games Women Play), and many others.

Where to watch: Showing in cinemas across Nigeria

Blood Sisters S2 (Nigeria)

It’s hard to imagine that there is anything left to say after the riveting and satisfying end to the first installment of Blood Sisters, a bone-chilling social thriller directed by Biyi Bandele and Kenneth Gyang. But Blood Sisters S2, directed by Kayode Kasum and Daniel Oriahi, takes the story into new territory that deepens our understanding of the characters' emotional states. This new season finds Sarah (Ini Dima-Okojie) and Kemi (Nancy Isime) at the hands of the Nigerian justice system. From a difficult period in prison to heart-racing action scenes, Blood Sisters S2 makes for an utterly satisfying watch, expanding the possibilities of a story that explores the weight of class, money, agency, and social pressure on everyday people.

Where to watch: Netflix