Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

6 local classics to stream this Women's Day

09/08/2018

9 August, 2018 - 08:01

Thursday, 9 August 2018 is Women's Day in South Africa, when we commemorate the 1956 march of approximately 20 000 women to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to petition against the country's Apartheid pass laws. We've curated six South African classics just released on Showmax that capture the courage of South African woman - and the issues they still face.

Sink

Premise: Rachel, a Mozambican domestic worker living in Johannesburg, is forced to make a life-changing decision after her daughter dies while under the care of her employers: return to poverty-stricken Mozambique or continue working for the people responsible for the death of her child. Things become even more complicated when she finds out that her employers are expecting their first child.

Why you should watch: As Theresa Smith wrote, it's an uncomfortably close look at the smothering maid/madam relationship as it plays out in so many South African homes. It tracks the relationship between these two women who live in each other's space, know each other's intimate details, but have a very uneven power dynamic. It makes you question your own relationships long after the flickering images are gone from your retina.

Accolades: Sink won five SAFTAs last year, including Best Film, Best Actress (Shoki Mokgapa), Best Script (Brett Michael Innes), Best Edit (Brett Michael Innes and Nicholas Costaras) and Best Score (Chris Letcher). Sink also won five Silwerskerm awards: Best Actress, Best Script, Best Editor, Best Score and Best Cinematography (Trevor Calverley).

Trailer: https://youtu.be/QqFSK_n7mZc

Dis Ek, Anna

Premise: Based on a true story told in an award-winning book of the same name, Dis Ek, Anna is a courtroom drama about the case of a woman who killed her stepfather after suffering years of sexual abuse.

Why you should watch: Because 109.1 rapes were recorded each day in 2016/2017 - and that's just what was reported. Because children are the victims of 41% of reported rapes.

Accolades: Dis Ek, Anna won six SAFTAs, including Best Film, Best Director (Sara Blecher), Best Supporting Actor (Marius Weyers), and Best Screenplay (Tertius Kapp). It also won Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor (Morn Visser) at Silwerskermfees.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/w92F2NBHiyM

Tess

Premise: Sassy 20-year-old Tess sells her body on Cape Town's streets. She survives by popping painkillers and through her wry humour. But her life turns upside down when she falls pregnant.

Why you should watch: 1. Director Meg Rickards coaxed an award-winning performance from rising star Christia Visser in the title role 2. It's set in Muizenberg, which really doesn't feature in enough films. 3. It's based on Tracey Farren's acclaimed novel Whiplash - and Farren wrote the SAFTA-nominated script.

Accolades: Best South African Film, Best Actress and Best Editing (Linda Man) at Durban. Best Actress, Best Editing and Best Cinematography (Bert Haitsma) at Silwerskerm. Best Actress and Best Screenplay nominations at the SAFTAs.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/Sr5sK0PQYlY

Elelwani

Premise: After her University graduation, Elelwani (Florence Masebe) returns to her rural family to introduce her boyfriend and announce their plans to emigrate and spend the rest of their lives together, but her father has promised her to the local king instead.

Why you should watch: 1. It's billed as the first Venda feature film. 2. Tsotsi cinematographer Lance Gewer captures the glorious green backdrop of the Thohoyandou area of Limpopo. 3. It's written and directed by Ntshavheni Wa Luruli (Berlin-winner The Wooden Camera), who captures the urban-rural tensions so many South Africans live with.

Accolades: Florence Masebe won Best Actress at the Africa Movie Academy Awards, where Elelwani also took home Best Production Design from its 11 nominations.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbErhA8k_4U

Little One

Premise: A six-year-old girl is left for dead outside a township in Johannesburg but is found by a woman (Lindiwe Ndlovu) who takes her to hospital and then oversees her recovery.

Why you should watch: Darrell Roodt's film Little One is a poignant, moving, and minimalist narrative which is unapologetically South African, said the South African Academy Award Selection Committee, who chose Little One as our 2013 Foreign Film Oscar entry. It is a universal story made local, with brilliant performances.

Accolades: Lindiwe Ndlovu won the Best Actress SAFTA for her role.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/Yt_lI1dMWlg

Get More Film Business South Africa

Select your Membership

u-Carmen eKhayelitsha

Premise: In this update of George Bizet's classic opera, Carmen, Pauline Malefane plays a township woman who will not be tamed, who seduces a religious policeman into a fatal affair.

Why you should watch: 1. It's one of the world's great operas, in Xhosa, in a township. 2. The New York Times hailed it as brilliantly acted and praised the the decision to cast two leads with actors who aren't svelte, then insist upon their sexiness.

Accolades: u-Carmen eKhayelitsha became the first South African film to win the Golden Bear at Berlin - the top award at one of the world's top film festivals. It has a 95% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Village Voice saying that the adaptation was basically the best decision ever.

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/119117735

Check out everything coming to Showmax in August at https://blog.showmax.com/everything-coming-to-showmax-sa-in-august/

About Showmax

Showmax is an internet TV service. For a single monthly fee, get all-you-can-eat access to a huge online catalogue of TV shows, movies, kids' shows and documentaries. Start and stop when you want. No ads. Cancel anytime - there's no contract.

Stream Showmax using apps for
LINK: http://www.filmcontact.com/news/south-africa/6-local-classics-stream-w...
See more stories from filmcontact

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

12/05/2026

G&D and CT Square Launch New Joint Venture in India

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/05/2026

Congress Urged to Protect Live Sports on Broadcast TV

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/05/2026

Roku to Stream Inaugural Enhanced Games in North America

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/05/2026

Austrian Broadcaster Selects Lawo, SLG Broadcast for Studio Upgrade

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/05/2026

NUGEN Audio Debuts Enhanced DialogCheck at MPTS 2026

NUGEN Audio will debut Version 1.1 of DialogCheck, its intelligent dialog intelligibility and compliance tool, at the 2026 Media Production & Technology Show (S...

12/05/2026

Disguise Powers Interactive LED Castle for Laura Pausini

The reactive visuals can adapt to any stage or screen setup and comprise 50 layers of Notch content Today, Disguise announced that its high performance GX 3 m...

12/05/2026

DoPchoice Intros Light-Shaping Accessories for ARRI Omnib...

Snapgrid , Snapbag & Airglow Expand Creative Control for the ARRI Modular LED BarFollowing the launch of the ARRI Omnibar, DoPchoice introduces a dedicated li...

11/05/2026

Ross Production Services 48-Foot HyperMax-1 Truck Quickly in Demand

New production unit features not only wealth of Ross gear but also Sony cameras, Canon lenses, and a Calrec Argo S audio board...

11/05/2026

Solid State Logic Launches TCA Tour Portable Audio Production System

Solid State Logic (SSL) has announced TCA Tour, a portable fly-away audio production system built from System T components for broadcast, touring, and live prod...

11/05/2026

Riedel Communications Named Official Connectivity Integration Provider for Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games

Riedel Communications has announced it will serve as Official Connectivity Integ...

11/05/2026

G&D and NETGEAR AV Launch KVM-over-IP Plugin for Automated Network Configuration

Guntermann and Drunck (G&D) and NETGEAR AV have announced a plugin that automates network configuration for G&D KVM-over-IP deployments on NETGEAR AV Line infra...

11/05/2026

The Famous Group and Elite Edge Announce Unified Ownership

The Famous Group (TFG) and Elite Edge, a production studio specializing in live-action production, show opens, set design, and fabrication for sports and live e...

11/05/2026

SVG All-Stars: Odair Auger, Tech Project Manager, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises

The native of S o Paulo, Brazil, will play a crucial role in the broadcaster'...

11/05/2026

Cobalt Digital to Showcase IPMX/ST 2110 Ecosystem at BroadcastAsia 2026

Cobalt Digital will exhibit its IPMX/ST 2110 product lineup at BroadcastAsia 2026 (Stand 5D2-4), anchored by the COBALT blueCORE family of standalone signal pro...

11/05/2026

Interra Systems to Demonstrate QC, Monitoring, and Captioning Solutions at BroadcastAsia 2026

Interra Systems will exhibit at BroadcastAsia 2026 (Stand 5C1-10), demonstrating...

11/05/2026

T-Mobile Deploys 5G and AI Tools Across 2026 PGA Championship

T-Mobile is serving as a technology partner for the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, deploying 5G connectivity and ...

11/05/2026

Vizrt Named Official Technical Supplier of Eurovision Song Contest 2026

Vizrt has announced it has been named an Official Technical Supplier of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, in partnership with host broadcaster ORF. The 70th edi...

11/05/2026

WNBA and AWS Announce Multi-Year Partnership

The WNBA and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have announced a multi-year partnership making AWS the Official Cloud and Cloud AI Partner of the WNBA. AWS is also joini...

11/05/2026

NAB 2026: kronehit Awards Lawo and SLG Broadcast Contract for Full Studio Modernization

Austrian private broadcaster kronehit publicly awarded SLG Broadcast AG and Lawo...

11/05/2026

Behind The Mic: PGA Championship Changing Weekday Announcer Lineup for 2026 Tournament

Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...

11/05/2026

Eurovision at 70: The Biggest Hits, Artists, and Trends From the Iconic Song Competition

As Eurovision fans gear up to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the iconic song ...

11/05/2026

Pelo Spotify, artistas brasileiros geraram aproximadamente R$ 2 bilhes em royalties em 2025

Pela primeira vez na hist ria, o Brasil figura entre os oito maiores mercados de...

11/05/2026

Bastl Instruments showcase the Kalimba

New desktop instrument focused on tactile performance Bastl Instruments have announced the Kalimba, a new desktop instrument that combines physical modellin...

11/05/2026

1010music release the blackbox 2

Compact sampling workstation gains new features 1010music have announced the blackbox 2, a new version of their compact standalone sampler designed for DAWl...

11/05/2026

KOMA Elektronik Monoplex Eurorack sequencer

Performance-focused sequencer with microtonal control Berlin-based KOMA Elektronik have announced Monoplex, a new 42HP Eurorack sequencer designed for hands...

11/05/2026

IK Multimedia launch the Tonex One+

Boasts wireless control from mobile devices The latest iteration of IK Multimedia's compact amp and effects modelling pedal expands on the capabilities ...

11/05/2026

Transfigured Orchestra Vol 3: Cinema Brass from Sonora Cinematic

Spans traditional orchestral and experimental sounds Sonora Cinematic have recently released the third instalment in their Transfigured Orchestra series, de...

11/05/2026

SUPERBOOTH 2026 Video Show Reports

Our exhibition coverage Watch all our SUPERBOOTH 2026 video coverage in one place. Check back to this page regularly as we will be updating with more video ...

11/05/2026

You're not meant to look at an Eclipse, but you won't be able to take your eyes off Delta's Eurovision staging

You're not meant to look at an Eclipse, but you won't be able to take yo...

11/05/2026

L3Harris Reaches Over 50% in FAA Telecommunications Modernization

L3Harris has completed more than 50% of a nationwide effort to rebuild the invisible backbone of America's airspace....

11/05/2026

aconnic presents at Equity Forum German Spring Conference 2026, Frankfurt to engage with investors and analysts

aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, is participating in the Equity Forum Ge...

11/05/2026

CBS Sacramento Debuts New AR/VR Studio

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/05/2026

Gray Media Advances James Fitch to Senior VP, News Services

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/05/2026

Smarter Monetization Stronger Retention and PurposeDriven...

As Asia Pacific's streaming market continues to evolve, operators across the region are rebalancing their strategies and shifting their focus from subscribe...

11/05/2026

QuickLink to Highlight Latest StudioEdge Models StudioPr...

LONDON, MAY 11, 2026 QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will showcase its latest innovat...

11/05/2026

Cobalt Digitals BroadcastAsia Line up Highlights Flexible...

Cobalt Digital's BroadcastAsia Line-up Highlights Flexible End-to-End IPMX/ST 2110 Ecosystem Award-winning blueCORE standalone signal processors at the he...

11/05/2026

Encompass and VideoMagic Launch Altitude Intelligence to...

Encompass Digital Media, in partnership with VideoMagic International, announced at NAB 2026 the launch of Altitude Intelligence, an AI-powered platform designe...

11/05/2026

Louis Libin Preps for the World Cup's Spectrum Crunch

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/05/2026

Report: Broadcast Employment Hard Hit by AI

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/05/2026

Alfalite installs 150 LED panels in Torre Iberdrola audit...

Alfalite, the only European manufacturer of LED screens, has completed a major new corporate installation in Spain with the upgrade of the auditorium at Torre I...

11/05/2026

VEON Shareholders Re-elect Board and Chairman, Reaffirming Confidence in Digital Growth Strategy

11 May 2026 VEON Shareholders Re-elect Board and Chairman, Reaffirming Confiden...

11/05/2026

Fox Corporation Reports Third Quarter Fiscal 2026 Financial Results

Fox Corporation Reports Third Quarter Fiscal 2026 Financial Results NEW YORK, NY, May 11, 2026 - Fox Corporation (Nasdaq: FOXA, FOX; FOX or the Company ) t...

11/05/2026

Arvato Systems becomes a member of InsurLab Germany

Arvato Systems Becomes a Member of InsurLab Germany Collaboration in the insurance industrys leading innovation network G tersloh - Arvato Systems has joine...

11/05/2026

A Predator in Plain Sight: New true-crime podcast reveals definitive story of pirate radio DJ and abuser Eamon Cooke

Pirate Predator uncovers new information from victims and survivors of abuse on ...

10/05/2026

Berklee Honors Jacob Collier, Jill Scott, and Vinnie Colaiuta at 2026 Commencement

Berklee Honors Jacob Collier, Jill Scott, and Vinnie Colaiuta at 2026 Commenceme...

10/05/2026

RT ALL-IRELAND DRAMA FESTIVAL WINNERS ANNOUNCED

RT ALL-IRELAND DRAMA FESTIVAL WINNERS ANNOUNCED DURING GALA AWARDS STREAMED LIVE ON RTE.IE/CULTURE Kilmeen Drama Group hailing from Rossmore, Co. Cork Scoops ...