10 Great African Films Made by Women

Women are pushing the boundaries and expanding the scope of African cinema. Perhaps, it’s a result of pushing back against society’s dictates, especially in the African societies where women are to be seen but barely heard from.

In telling stories, of even the most quotidian events, women’s filmmaking choices take on a greater significance, to the point where insufficient depth is rarely an applicable critique. Below, we’ve highlighted ten films that emphasize the inventive and striking excellence, a consistent hallmark of many of the films that have been helmed by African women.

‘Four Daughters’ - Kaouther Ben Hania

Four Daughters – Official U.S. Trailerwww.youtube.com

A familial tale, Four Daughters pulls real-life inspiration from the lives of a middle-aged woman and two of her daughters, who rebel and disappear after moving to the Islamic State of Libya. A heady blend of fiction and nonfiction, the Oscar-nominated feature sees writer and director Ben Hania return to her documentary-making roots, albeit with a reconstructive edge. Four Daughters features real-life testimonies and great acting performances, a balancing act that adds to the film’s profoundness.

‘The Mother of All Lies’ - Asmae El Moudir

THE MOTHER OF ALL LIES Trailer | TIFF 2023www.youtube.com

Photos weren’t a part of Asmae El Moudir’s upbringing, to the point where she’s unsure about the person that’s really captured in her only picture from her childhood. In her debut feature, The Mother of All Lies, El Moudir sets about the task of trying to recapture her family’s past, leaning into patience, meticulous craftsmanship and difficult conversations. The result of the 8-year odyssey is a captivating documentary that extends outward to tell the story of an entire generation of Moroccans, while being an intensely personal piece of art.

‘King of Boys’ - Kemi Adetiba

King of Boys - Official Trailer (HD)www.youtube.com

There’s a magnetic quality to Eniola Salami that makes it difficult to pull your eyes away from her, whether she’s taking things too far or groaning from the cruelty she’s been meted out from one of the many enemies she’s made along the way. Played by the Nollywood great, Sola Sobowale, Salami is a hall-of-fame character in Nigerian film, inhabiting a role that is often reserved for men and amping up both the madness and the charisma to a compelling max. In the hands of any other director, Salami would be a caricature or a lesson, but in the hands of Adetiba, who believes a “King Woman” always comes out on top, her main character is glorious even in her fallibility.

‘Our Father, The Devil’ - Ellie Foumbi

Our Father, The Devil - Official Trailer (2023)www.youtube.com

Every new beginning has an old ending. In many circumstances, starting over doesn’t just mean letting things go, it also means giving oneself the grace to embrace redemption. That’s the universal truth Ellie Foumbi portrays in her debut film, Our Father, The Devil, which follows the travails of a former child soldier trying to reconcile her past with her present. Through Foumbi’s enveloping script and great acting performances, a bar set by lead actor Babetida Sadjo, the film continues to resonate with viewing audiences years after debuting at the 2021 Venice Film Festival.

‘Milisuthando’ - Milisuthando Bongela

Tráiler MILISUTHANDO | Milisuthando Bongela | Sudáfrica, Colombia | 2023www.youtube.com

There’s no exploration of personal identity that doesn’t happen in conversation with cultural and historical context. For Milisuthando Bongela, what started off as an exploration of hair and identity, eventually evolved, out of necessity, into a visual essay about how the past frames our understanding of our own selves. Digging into her upbringing in her homeland of Transkei and her life in post-Apartheid South Africa, the eponymous documentary feature is an engaging representation of the people, places and situations that have informed her sense of self over the years.

‘A Tribe Called Judah’ - Funke Akindele

A TRIBE CALLED JUDAH - OFFICIAL TRAILER - Showing In Cinemas From the 15th Decwww.youtube.com

Earlier this year, Funke Akindele’s A Tribe Called Judah became the first film to net over a billion naira at the box office in Nigeria. As much as that figure is historic, it was also a reminder that no one quite does blockbusters like Akindele. Making the success even more gratifying, it can be argued that A Tribe Called Judah might be Akindele’s best work so far. In addition to sitting in the director’s chair, she also acts in the lead role of Jedidiah Judah, the matriarch of a low-income household, whose five sons band together to pull off a robbery to help her afford an expensive health procedure. Of course, things go sideways and amidst all the drama, it’s the near-impeccable comedic timing that makes the film a great watch.

‘Banel & Adama’ - Ramata-Toulaye Sy

BANEL & ADAMA | Official Trailer UK & Ireland | In Cinemas 15 Marchwww.youtube.com

In Banel & Adama, Senegalese French filmmaker Ramata-Toulaye Sy crafts an epic fable that sets the purity of a romantic relationship against the strong pull of duty. The titular characters are young lovers with an ideal vision of the future, until fatal occurrences are affected by Adama’s unwillingness to take on his very important, spiritually-essential role as the chief of his remote village in northern Senegal. Banel’s fierce personality is searing, Adama’s relative breeziness makes him charming, and Sy’s visually layered handling of the story is simply masterful.

‘Sira’ - Apolline Traoré

SIRA Trailer | TIFF 2023www.youtube.com

Across her filmography, Apolline Traoré has constantly borne witness to the least heralded narratives, exploring the interiors of entire groups with each shared story. In Sira, she delivers arguably her most visceral work yet, following its titular character as she dares to not bend or break in the throes of insurgency, mirroring the real-life situation in Burkina Faso. Traoré uses graphic depiction to embellish the film’s details without tipping into excess, and the result is a film that bears the mark of the meticulous labor and unique circumstances it was created in.

‘Mambar Pierrette’ - Rosine Mbakam

Mambar Pierrette Trailer #1 (2023)www.youtube.com

Rosine Mbakam has often centered women who make personal sacrifices and commit themselves to the good of those closest to them. Marking her shift from solely making documentaries, Mambar Pierrette shares thematic kinship with Mbakam’s past work, but its tone is more uplifting and its general effect is bracing. Set in Douala, Cameroon, the titular seamstress Pierrette braves several hurdles, including a robbery and a workshop flooding, meeting every bout of adversity with an inspiring vigor — for herself and for her family.

‘Atlantics’ - Mati Diop

ATLANTICS Trailer (2019) Netflixwww.youtube.com

Five years after its release, to deem Mati Diop’s Atlantics as a classic African film doesn’t give into hyperbole. In her breathtaking debut feature film, Diop weaves themes of young romance, yearning, migration and stolen youth into a film that balances surrealist and earthy tones. Ada, a teenager who lives in suburban Dakar, near the edge of the Atlantic coast, is visited by the spirit of her lover, trying to make the most of their time while other issues unfold around them. It’s a masterfully executed film with a captivating plot, wonderful acting and the deft helming hand of Diop making sure that every single second commands viewers’ attention.