What to Watch in February 2026

As the end of award season ushers in the new month, OkayAfrica has once again curated a carefully crafted list of films, TV shows, and documentaries you must watch in February. A man must work through his fractured relationship with his son after he spent 6 months in a coma. The triumphant MTV Shuga returns with a new season, expanding on themes of masculinity and sexual violence among young adults. A two-part documentary about the most mocked town in South Africa. Find these and more in OkayAfrica’s What To Watch for February 2026:

North Africa — Amuna Wagner

Colonia (My Father’s Scent) (Egypt)

Colonia (My Father’s Scent) takes place over one tense night on the eve of Eid al-Adha, when a father (Kamel El Basha) returns home from the hospital after having spent six months in a coma. He has a difficult relationship with Farouk (Ahmed Malek), the younger of his two sons, and the drama captures their attempts to work through their memories and grievances as they try to reconcile with what has been broken over time. Written by Mohamed Siam and Ahmed Amer, directed by Siam. 

Where to watch: Egyptian cinemas

Calle Malaga (Morocco)

Moroccan director Maryam Touzani’s third feature and Spanish-language debut, following the acclaimed The Blue Caftan, invites audiences into Tangier’s Spanish quarter, the home of independent senior María Ángeles (Carmen Maura). Calle Malaga tells the heartfelt and humorous story of a daughter in need of money, who tries to sell her mother’s apartment against her will. The film had its world premiere in the Venice Spotlight section of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival and won the section's Audience Award.

Where to watch: North African and Spanish cinemas

50 Meters (Egypt)

Egyptian writer and director Yomna Khattab makes her documentary debut with 50 Meters, an intimate story about her father that gives elderly men the spotlight. Set in the waters of a community swimming pool in Cairo, she uses her filmmaking process as a tool to spend more time with him and explore questions surrounding career, parenthood, and mortality.

Where to watch: Zawya Cinema Cairo

East Africa — Paula Adhis

MTV Shuga Mashariki (Kenya)

After a successful debut season, the hit youth drama returns with a powerful new chapter at the fictional Enkare University, exploring the complexities of consent, ambition, identity, and digital life among East African youth (“Mashariki” means East in Kiswahili). Produced by the MTV Staying Alive Foundation, Season 2 builds on the show’s reputation for using authentic storytelling to spark social change, with themes like toxic masculinity, sexual violence, and viral fame. MTV Shuga was the show that first introduced Lupita Nyong’o to Africa, and with some new and returning cast members, there’ll be much to tune into.

Where to watch: Premieres February 10 on Citizen TV, with new episodes available globally on YouTube from February 11.

Mizani (Kenya)

Created by award-winning filmmaker Daudi Anguka, Mizani is a dark, high-stakes thriller set in the gritty underworld of the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa. Known for his popular Swahili dramas and Mvera, Kenya’s 2024 Oscar submission, Anguka brings his signature coastal lens to this thriller of a journalist whose daughter is kidnapped by an organ trafficking syndicate. 

Where to watch: Premieres February 5 on Showmax.

Southern Africa — Tšeliso Monaheng

Brakpan Chronicles (South Africa)

Showmax has dropped the hard-hitting trailer for Brakpan Chronicles, premiering Friday, 20 February 2026. This two-part documentary from Rian van Heerden and Provoco — the SAFTA-winning team behind Sex in Afrikaans and Tiek Tok Boem! — dives deep into South Africa's most mocked and memed town. The documentary traces Brakpan's fascinating history from its 1888 coal discovery on the Eloff family's Weltevreden farm to its gold rush glory days, when it boasted mine dumps higher than Egypt's pyramids. As resources depleted, fortunes shifted, but the town's character endured. Brakpan Chronicles tours landmarks like Carnival City, Maskell's Hotel, and Ziggy T's Roadhouse while introducing unforgettable locals: viral TikTok sensation Ratkas, who funneled a liter of Richelieu brandy; one-legged slapfighter Terence "Supra" Labuschagne; and former cop Jan "Stolla" Stols, recalling when the army had to break up a local brawl.

Where to Watch: Showmax

Shaka iLembe (South Africa)

Shaka iLembe has changed the landscape of South African television, introducing a high production standard unheard of until now for local productions. Season 2 opens with Shaka's pivotal arrival at KwaNobamba alongside his mother Nandi, ready to claim his rightful place as the new Zulu king. Produced by Bomb Productions, the powerhouse behind Yizo Yizo and Isibaya, season 2 swept the National Film and Television Awards with four major wins: Best Scripted TV Series, Best Director for Oscar nominee Angus Gibson, Best Producer for Emmy nominee Desireé Markgraaff and Nomzamo Mbatha (who also stars as Nandi), and Outstanding Performance for Wiseman Mncube's commanding portrayal of Zwide. Shaka iLembe's cultural impact extends beyond awards. The series made history as the only TV show to crack Google's Year In Search 2025 Top 10 Trends for South Africa, proving that South African audiences are hungry for authentic, locally-told stories of their heritage.

Where to Watch: Showmax

Ultimate Girls Trip: Africa (South Africa)

Following the record-breaking success of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: South Africa, which shattered post-relaunch seven-day viewing records and became one of Showmax's 10 most-streamed titles in 2024, Ultimate Girls Trip: Africa has arrived to raise the stakes even higher. This pan-African edition unites the continent's most iconic Housewives under one roof. The premise is simple but explosive: take strong personalities from different cities, cultures, and franchises, throw them together in luxury accommodation, and watch the sparks fly. With language barriers, cultural differences, and competing egos in the mix, this is reality TV with a twist. 

Where to Watch: Showmax

West Africa — Nelson C.J

Love and New Notes (Nigeria)

Following up with last year’s heartwarming rom-com Reel Love, actor and producer Timini Egbuson returns with a compelling, romantic drama, Love and New Notes, directed by longtime collaborator Kayode Kasum. Set in 1984 and centered around Nigeria’s period of currency change, Love and New Notes is a gripping story of ambition, love, sacrifice, and the line between loyalty and collective good. The story follows a couple who find themselves thrown into a tough choice between building an honest life and finding illicit ways to make their lives better. The film stars Sophie Alakija, Odunlade Adekola, Eniola Badmus, and others.

Where to watch: Nigerian theatres, February 13

Un Village Instruit (Côte d’Ivoire)

In this quaint Ivorian village held hostage by traditional beliefs, Bakaba attempts to correct a society’s regression, which has resulted in the closure of the village school for years now. Bakaba, who is an untrained educator but passionate about change, takes it upon himself to make education reinvigorating for the children of the village by any means necessary. And so through invented words, incorrect grammar, and manufactured curriculum, he manages to bring a sense of joy and thirst for learning to a village that had once turned its back on such practices. Although his ruse is finally revealed, this film manages to hold moments of hope and excitement. It poses an important question about who decides customs and what change can look like when communities stick together. Un Village Instruit is directed by Djoblé Edgar Ahoune and stars Diangone Dramane, Gongo Val Antoine, and others.

Where to watch: Majestic Cinema Abidjan