The long read · South African cinema
The Rebirth of South African Cinema and Its Global Stars
South Africa has given cinema Oscar winners, a Hollywood superstar and a city that international productions love. Here is the story of South African film, and where to watch in Cape Town.
Updated October 2026
From The Gods Must Be Crazy to Tsotsi
Zoltan Korda’s Cry, the Beloved Country (1951), with Sidney Poitier, brought South Africa to the world’s screens, and Jamie Uys’s comedy The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980) became a worldwide hit. Under apartheid, censorship and an international boycott held much of the industry back.
After 1994 a new cinema emerged. Darrell Roodt’s Yesterday became the country’s first nominee for the foreign-language Oscar, and Gavin Hood’s Tsotsi its first winner. Neill Blomkamp’s District 9, an alien story set in Johannesburg, earned four Oscar nominations, including best picture, and in 2021 My Octopus Teacher won the Oscar for best documentary.
Must-watch films
To understand South African cinema, start with these.
- Cry, the Beloved Country (1951): Zoltan Korda’s adaptation of Alan Paton’s novel, with Sidney Poitier.
- The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980): Jamie Uys’s gentle comedy of a Coke bottle that falls from the sky.
- Tsotsi (2005): Gavin Hood’s Johannesburg drama, winner of the Oscar.
- District 9 (2009): Neill Blomkamp’s science fiction, nominated for four Oscars.
- My Octopus Teacher (2020): Craig Foster’s year in a kelp forest off Cape Town, winner of the Oscar.
The stars
South Africans have been stars of British and American cinema for a century.
- Charlize Theron: born in Benoni, winner of the Oscar for Monster and star of Mad Max: Fury Road.
- Basil Rathbone (1892–1967): born in Johannesburg, the screen’s classic Sherlock Holmes.
- Glynis Johns (1923–2024): born in Pretoria, Mrs Banks in Mary Poppins.
- John Kani: the great stage and screen actor, from Sizwe Banzi Is Dead to Black Panther.
- Sharlto Copley and Thuso Mbedu: from District 9 to The Woman King.
Where to watch in Cape Town
The Labia on Orange Street, opened in 1949 in the ballroom of the former Italian embassy, is the oldest independent art-repertory cinema in the country and the home of Cape Town’s film lovers, with festival films, South African cinema and classics. The city’s malls have modern multiplexes for new releases.
Our advice: see a South African film at the Labia, then dine in the Gardens neighbourhood.
Hidden on the silver screen: international productions filmed in Cape Town
Cape Town’s light, mountains and modern studios have made it a favourite of international productions.
- Safe House (2012): Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds on the run through the city, which plays itself.
- Chronicle (2012): Cape Town stood in for Seattle in the superhero thriller.
- Dredd (2012): the first production at Cape Town Film Studios.
- My Octopus Teacher (2020), False Bay: the Oscar-winning documentary was filmed in the kelp forests off the Cape.
South Africans in Hollywood
From Basil Rathbone and Glynis Johns to Sid James of the Carry On films, South Africans have long thrived abroad. Today Charlize Theron is one of Hollywood’s biggest stars and producers, Neill Blomkamp and Gavin Hood direct Hollywood films, and Arnold Vosloo and Sharlto Copley are familiar faces in action cinema.
Questions and answers
Which South African films have won the Oscar?
Tsotsi won the Oscar for best foreign-language film in 2006, and My Octopus Teacher won best documentary feature in 2021.
Where can I see art-house films in Cape Town?
At the Labia on Orange Street in Gardens, the oldest independent art-repertory cinema in South Africa.
Join the conversation
Which South African film or star do you love most? Share your favourite scenes and the films we should add.
- Loading the conversation…
Sources: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the National Film and Video Foundation, the Labia and Cape Town Film Studios, checked on 6 November 2026. The trailers are from ARTHAUS’s, Sony Pictures’ and Netflix’s official channels.