A monthly roundup of the best of African cinema.
The holiday season holds a lot of memories for everyone. From the twinkling of Christmas lights to road trips back to the village, the smell of food in and out of the neighbourhood, and most importantly, the reunions between families and friends. Thankfully, the Christmas content library seems to be getting much bigger this festive period and so It was easy to find some of the best holiday films made for your optimal enjoyment.
This month, we have compiled a mix of brand new family comedy-dramas, alongside several returning TV shows including the long-awaited reboot of Aki and Paw Paw currently showing in cinemas this December.
Below, you’ll find our picks for the best films and TV shows dropping on Netflix, Showmax, Cinemas, and more, over the next few days.
Baba Twins (2021)
The First Kenyan Showmax Original film, Baba Twins is a coming-of-age comedy-drama released this December. It tells the story of Wamz (Violetta Ngina), a young carefree airline hostess who is thrust into motherhood and has to navigate nanny drama, and Tony(Morris Mwangi), her socialite baby daddy who is not ready to be a dad.
Directed by Lawrence Murage, the project also stars other cast members like Kui Kabala (Njoro wa Uba) as Doris, Annstella Karimi (Kina, Sue na Jonnie) as Eva, Brian Ngaira (One in A Million) as PC, and Shix Kapienga (Nairobi Half-Life, Shuga), with celebrity cameo appearances from radio personalities King Kalala, Kalekye Mumo, Maqbul Mohammed (Crime and Justice), and Ian Mbugua (House of Lungula, Changes).
WHERE TO WATCH: SHOWMAX
How to Ruin Christmas: The Wedding (2020)
South African Netflix’s original three-part series ‘How to ruin Christmas: The wedding' was a sleeper hit for Netflix in 2020 because it was a traditional “crazy family at the holidays” story with a unique cultural perspective. The mini-series follows the tale of two families who are about to get joined together through a wedding.
What was supposed to be a beautiful three-day Christmas wedding turns into a disaster when drama breaks out between the Sello and Twala family, and the person at the center of it all is Tumi Sello, the bride’s eldest sister.
This South African comedy-drama takes you through the funny side of each family as they navigate through the complexities of trying to get ready for "the wedding of the century".
WHERE TO WATCH: NETFLIX
How to Ruin Christmas: The Funeral (2021)
With the second season of How to Ruin Christmas prefixed with "The Funeral", we see the lead character Tumi Sello (Busi Lurayi) after ruining the wedding of her sister Beauty (Thando Thabethe) the previous Christmas, return to cause more havoc for the Twalas. The first season ended with a cliffhanger, making the audience anticipate what’s next for Tumi and the ensemble casts of the popular series. If there is one thing you will enjoy this season, it is the chemistry between the characters and their dynamic families. The fact that their family drama permeates another Twala holiday event is just fun to watch. As a unit, they bring the circus with them wherever they go.
WHERE TO WATCH: NETFLIX
A Naija Christmas (2021)
Premiering on Netflix as the first Nigerian Christmas original, this rom-com is about three brothers trying to honour their mother’s wish by bringing home a wife.
On a journey with these characters, we see a happily-ever-after story about family and love. Director Kunle Afolayan takes you on a worthwhile journey by telling an authentic Nigerian family tale mixed with some twists and turns and eventually winning a place on the Christmas wish list of films that touch your heart as a viewer.
A Naija Christmas is long but not boring, so If you want to have a good laugh with family and friends this festive season, you should definitely stream it.
WHERE TO WATCH: NETFLIX
Christmas in Miami (2021)
Christmas in Maimi sees popular Nigerian Comedian Ayo Makun reprises his role as Akpos following his adventures in ‘30 Days in Atlanta’, ‘A Trip to Jamaica’ and 10 Days in Suncity. This time, he travels with his family to the exotic city of Miami, Florida, to represent Nigeria at the “Intercontinental Christmas Fiesta Show”, a unifying Fiesta that brings together 6 families from 6 diverse nations across 5 continents to spend the week leading up to Christmas together, on an exotic Island in Miami, USA.
The story which was created by AY, produced by Darlington Abuda, and directed by Robert O Peters is the fourth instalment in the Akpos series.
WHERE TO WATCH: Showing in cinemas nationwide.
Aki and PawPaw Reloaded (2021)
Nineteen years after the release of the first Aki and Pawpaw film, Play Network has produced a sequel of the classic reprising the main characters Aki (Chinedu Ikedieze) and Pawpaw (Osita Iheme). This time, we see Aki and Pawpaw, relocating to Lagos, where their uncle, Uche, lived.
Aki and Pawpaw are no strangers to trouble all in a bid to survey the hustles of the city. But it seems as though every move they made landed them in a fresh stalk of difficulty. The project which is directed by ace Nollywood director Biodun Stephen creates a nostalgic feeling for fans of Aki and Pawpaw who have always wanted to see them back together on screen.
WHERE TO WATCH: Showing in cinemas nationwide.
SuperStar (2021)
Superstar is a romantic drama about the rise to stardom of an up-and-coming actress, Queen(Nancy Isime). The film explores her life as she navigates love in 21st century Nollywood. As the story evolves, She must find the balance between artistry and stardom, whilst surviving the demons of her past.
Produced by Inkblots production, Superstar is directed by fast-rising Nigerian director, Akhigbe Ilozobhie popularly known as Akay Mason, who also shared writing duties with Uyoyou Adia and Inkblot co-founder Chinaza Onuzo.
WHERE TO WATCH: Showing in Cinemas Nationwide.
