10 South African films to watch
As 2025 draws to a close, South African cinema and streaming have served one unforgettable reel, from laugh-out-loud comedies to globe-trotting festival darlings and pulse-pounding action thrillers. From Khaki Fever dominating Showmax viewership charts and sparking cultural conversation to Love & Wine redefining romance on Netflix, and The Heart Is a Muscle snagging accolades at Berlin and becoming South Africa’s official Oscars entry, 2025 has been nothing short of cinematic fire. TV Mzansi takes a look at the Top 10 SA Films of 2025 you absolutely need to know.
Whether it was world premieres at prestigious international film festivals, standout streaming hits, or official Oscar selections flying the South African flag, this top 10 SA films of 2025 defined the year and left a lasting mark on local cinema and streaming.
Khaki Fever
The raunchy Showmax Original follows a group of game rangers who make a bet to see who can hook up with the most tourists during a season. After launching on Showmax, Khaki Fever had the biggest opening weekend of any Afrikaans film on Showmax ever. SAFTA-nominated Top Billing presenter Christopher Japhta leads the cast, with Francois Jacobs stealing the show, and his first Silwerskerm award, as Albie. Liam Bosman and Ilse Klink were also nominated for Khaki Fever at Silwerskerm. Also look out for 2025 Silwerskerm nominees Anja Taljaard and Trix Vivier, singer Abel Knobel, Sean Brebnor, Izette Blignaut and Juanita de Villiers. Khaki Fever is the second comedy from director Brett Michael Innes, building on the success of Daryn’s Gym, which competed at Rotterdam. Innes has won the SAFTA for Best Film twice, for Sink and Fiela Se Kind, and wrote this year’s Silwerskerm Audience Prize winner My F*k Marelize and produced the Best Film winner, The Heart Is A Muscle.
Love & Wine: Netflix
Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Cape Winelands, Love and Wine is an adaptation of the Brazilian hit Ricos de Amor. The story follows Ovee, a privileged heir determined to prove that his name does not define him. Unimpressed by his family’s success, Ovee has always carved his own path with wit and charm. In a bold move, he ropes in his best friend and driver, Nathi, to test whether love and grit can triumph over social status. The film stars Ntobeko Sishi as Ovee, and breakout talent Thandolwethu Zondi as Nathi, three times SAFTA winner Bongile Mantsai, Hollywood sensation Masali Baduza, heartthrob Bohang Moeko and SAFTA winner Thando Thabethe. It shot to #1 on Netflix SA and debuted at #9 globally. The film is produced by Quizzical Pictures, with Amanda Lane directing. Stream now on Netflix
The Heart is a Muscle
The film explores bonds between fathers and sons through the lens of inter-generational healing and forgiveness and draws on experiences specific to the South Africa’s Cape Flats neighbourhood yet speaks to the universal search for reconciliation and belonging. Written and directed by Imran Hamdulay, this Cape Flats-set drama about family, masculinity and redemption premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, winning the Panorama Ecumenical Jury Prize and was selected as South Africa’s official entry for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars, a massive global milestone for local cinema. The cast includes Keenan Arrison, Loren Loubser, Melissa De Vries, Ridaa Adams, Lincoln Van Wyk, Danny Ross and Dean Marais, amongst others.
Finding Optel
Made as part of the Showmax’s first-time director slate to open up the industry in partnership with Joburg Film Festival, the film follows Teenager Claire Abrahams who runs a lost and found service where she locates anything and everything that has been misplaced. When Optel, the community dog, goes missing, Claire must confront her brother’s painful disappearance in order to solve her biggest case yet. Finding Optel had its South African premiere at the kykNET Silwerskerm Festival in August, where the whimsical detective story received a standing ovation, a nomination for Paul Guyeu’s cinematography, and the Best Production Design award for Sumaya Wicomb. The film, co-directed by 25-year-old Mikayla Joy Brown and her 30-year-old brother Jesse Brown, had its international premiere at the prestigious BFI London Film Festival.
Semi-Soeter: Netflix
Semi-Soeter is an Afrikaans-language romantic comedy directed by Joshua Rous and produced by Anel Alexander and Zandré Coetzer. Semi-Soeter, the sequel to the 2012 hit Semi-Soet, sees Jaci and JP return with higher stakes and sharper laughs. Now married, their careers and family pressures push their relationship to breaking point. A harmless lie spirals into chaos, forcing them to confront love, ambition, and legacy. Can their marriage survive, or is it time to rewrite the fairy tale? Starring Anel Alexander as Jaci and Nico Panagio as JP, alongside Neels van Jaarsveld, Diaan Lawrenson, Louw Venter, Sandra Vaughn and Hélène Truter. The long-awaited sequel to the 2012 South African hit Semi-Soet secured a spot in the Top 10 list in South Africa and also cracked the Netflix Global Top 10. Stream now on Netflix
Sabbatical: Prime Video
The electrifying feature directorial debut from Karabo Lediga, Sabbatical follows Lesego — a brilliant corporate climber groomed to be the next CEO of elite firm LouwFin. But her meteoric rise crashes when she’s implicated in a devastating financial scandal involving the looting of a miner’s pension fund. The film stars Mona Monyane in her career-defining role alongside SAFTA winning actress Clementine Mosimane. The cast also includes Loyiso Gola, Seputla Sebogodi, Tsholofelo Maseko, Craig Urbani, Masello Motana, Tinah Mnumzana, Nupi Makhobo, Moditle Pholo, and Kedibone Manyaka, amongst others. The film had its world premiere at International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) in February 2025, where it landed in the Top 20 Audience Choice List. Other prestigious film festivals include BlackStar Film Festival in Philadelphia, where it got shortlisted for the Jury Prize and Lichter Film Festival in Germany. Stream now on Prime Video
Kites: DStv Stream
Kites follows Sihle, who reluctantly agrees to chauffeur his DJ friends around Joburg for their big audition at the city’s hottest club. Their night takes a wild turn when they end up having to get rid of a dead body. Craig Nobela stars as Sihle, with Africa Movie Academy Awards nominee Aphiwe Mkefe and Marcus Molemane as the DJs Links and Neo. Also look out forSAFTA nominee Wanda Zuma. Part ofShowmax’s first-time directors slate in partnership with the Joburg Film Festival, Kites is helmed by Menzi Mzimela and produced by multi-award winners Urban Brew. Stream now on DStv Stream
Hunting Jessica Brok: Prime Video
Hunting Jessica Brok tells the story of a former Black Ops operative, played with raw force by Danica De La Rey Jones, who must tap into her brutal past to save her daughter. The film is as emotionally gripping as it is action-packed, with standout performances from Clyde Berning, Richard Lukunku and Hlubi Mboya rounding out the cast. Released in Ster-Kinekor and Nu Metro cinemas in South Africa this year and later made available for streaming on Prime Video. The adrenaline-charged action-thriller officially released in North America through Quiver Distribution, one of the leading independent film distributors. Stream now on Prime Video.
Masinga – The Calling
Masinga – The Calling explores an exiled detective’s return to his homeland, where he is forced to confront the demons of his youth and the trauma of the ritual murder of his young albino brother, while rescuing an Asian girl from a similar fate. In the title role,SAFTA winner Hakeem Kae-Kazeem leads a star-studded cast that includes Shamilla Miller as his rookie partner, plus SAFTA winners Abdul Khoza, Fana Mokoena,Warren Masemola, and Brandon Auret, as well as Sean Cameron Michael and Mbuso Khoza, who took home Best Supporting Actor at the 2025Simon Mabhunu Sabela Awards. Filmed in KwaZulu-Natal and London, Masinga – The Calling won Best Director and Best Screenplay for Mark Engels at both the 2025 Simon Mabhunu Sabela Awards in Durban and the Palermo Independent International Film Festival in Italy. The gripping crime thriller also won Best Produced Feature Film Screenplay at the Writers’ Guild of South Africa Muse Awards for Engels and co-writer Vicki Bawcombe.
Red Zone: eVOD
Set against the backdrop of Westbury’s notorious gang territories, Red Zone follows Wade Jacobs, a young man who has defied the odds to escape the cycle of violence by becoming a paramedic. However, his commitment to his new path is tested when his uncle Sean Jacobs, leader of the feared ‘Red Bones’ gang, falls victim to a drive-by shooting. The film stars rising talent Cantona James as Wade Jacobs, alongside veteran actor Roderick Jaftha as gang leader Sean Jacobs, and Carla Classen as paramedic partner Zahra Ahmed. This action thriller directed by acclaimed filmmaker Christo Davids and is produced by Clive Morris Productions.
*This Top 10 SA Films of 2025 is curated with love and appreciation. It’s not gospel, not law, but just films that genuinely had critics and lots of viewers talking.
