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Connie Chiume, the South African actor known for her role as tribal leader Zawavari in Marvel Studios’ Black Panther and 2022 sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, died Tuesday at a Johannesburg hospital. She was 72.

Her family announced the death on social media. A cause has not been disclosed.

The South African government paid tribute to Chiume on X: “Our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of multi-award winning and legendary actress Connie Chiume. Her outstanding work will always be remembered.”

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Born June 5, 1952, as Gabisile Connie Chiume in South Africa’s Free State province of Welkom. She later studied to be a nurse and then a teacher – two of the limited options open to Black South Africans under apartheid.

In the late 1970s she joined a traveling musical group before being cast in the South African stage musical Ipi Ntombi. Subsequent stage credits would include roles in...

Netflix’s director of content for Africa Dorothy Ghettuba laid out the streamer’s strategy for the continent this week at the Durban FilmMart, telling a standing-room-only session that the key to launching the next global sensation is to first capture the hearts of local audiences.

“We want to entertain the world. We want to tell them African stories,” said Ghettuba. “But our focus first has got to be local, and then it goes global. We don’t aim for global hits. Shows like ‘Casa de Papel,’ ‘Burning Body,’ ‘Squid Game’ — those are local shows.”

The Netflix exec appeared in conversation in Durban with South African producers Jayan Moodley (“Keeping Up With the Kandasamys”) and Katleho Ramaphakela (“How to Ruin Christmas”), who used their personal experience as case studies for how to launch a hit on the global streaming giant.

Ghettuba pointed to titles like “Kandasamys,” a comedy franchise set...

The anticipated goldrush for African creators sparked by Netflix’s 2016 entry into the market hasn’t entirely come to fruition, though the influx of investment from local and global streaming platforms has nevertheless been transformative for Africa’s screen industries. Budgets, production values and outputs are rising, and breakout hits — such as Netflix’s Nigerian thriller “The Black Book” and South African teen drama “Blood & Water” — highlight the power of global streaming services to deliver African stories to audiences around the world.

Yet as evidenced by Amazon Prime Video’s abrupt pullout from the African market in January, when the streaming giant announced it was shifting course to focus on “emerging” markets in Europe, a continent that was gearing up for the windfalls of blockbuster deals with deep-pocketed platforms also finds itself at the mercy of those companies’ sometimes fickle streaming strategies. “It feels much more like a studio system,...

Akin Omotoso, the filmmaker behind Disney Plus’ Giannis Antetokounmpo biopic “Rise,” has been attached to direct “The Plot to Save South Africa,” an adaptation of Justice Malala’s gripping book about a 1990s white supremacist plot that almost plunged the young democracy into civil war.

“The Plot to Save South Africa” will be produced by Johannesburg-based production outfit Ochre Moving Pictures, which signed a deal with Netflix last year to adapt multiple books for the streaming service alongside Omotoso. “Plot,” however, is not included in that deal, and is part of an existing partnership between Ochre and Omotoso that includes a crime drama adaptation of Nigerian playwright Femi Osofisan’s novel “Pirates.”

The story begins in 1993, as Nelson Mandela has just been released after 27 years in prison and is in power-sharing talks with President F.W. de Klerk. After decades of resistance, the apartheid regime seems poised to fall, until a...

As the Berlinale Series Market celebrates its 10th anniversary, series continue to stand “side by side” with films at the German fest, observes EFM director Dennis Ruh.

“Bsm continues to be a beacon for all aspects of serialized content, even in years where space feels tighter with less films and series, giving selected titles more exposure,” he says, mentioning a “vibrant influx” of international professionals eager to showcase their shows.

Although the sidebar for series has been discontinued, they are present in Berlinale Special and Panorama sections. Apart from Netflix’s “Supersex” and “Dostoevskij” by Damiano and Fabio D’Innocenzo, Berlinale Series Market Selects will spotlight 15 new shows.

“We prioritize narratives that captivate with their originality, championing diversity in representation, genre and geography. The goal is to amplify these stories, ensuring they receive the global attention they deserve,” explains Ruh, pointing out another important trend: comedy. “This might be a reaction...

The Netflix original, Soon Comes Night, is based on a series of true events. The antagonist, Alex Shabane, was considered to be the ‘Robin Hood’ who was stealing money from the rich and feeding the lower segments of society. The Dutch influence in South African society looms large throughout the series, and Alex, who had once fought as a freedom fighter, was still helping his society recover from the pangs of colonialism. Soon Comes Night is also replete with grotesque scenes of murder, theft, robberies, and betrayals. A constant rat race between the police officials and Alex is explored in the series. Will Alex be able to elude the police for long? Will he finally yield to the law? Let’s find out!

Spoilers Ahead

What Was Alex’s Motive?

Alex Shabane, a freedom fighter turned Robin Hood in South Africa, was seen embarking on heists to steal money and...

Martin Scorsese is going down as one of the most consistent directors ever, for no matter how you receive a movie of his, he still maintains his vision and his passion for the craft. The director has cemented himself in film culture with movies like Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Raging Bull, etc. At 81 years old, Scorsese is still garnering acclaim and accolades for his latest film, Killers of the Flower Moon, which is also featuring a breakout performance by Golden Globe-winner Lily Gladstone. Scorsese would recently receive a special Best Director Award from the National Board of Review, which would bring his former Gangs of New York star, Daniel Day-Lewis, into the public spotlight.

Variety is reporting that Scorsese is set to be honored at the Berlin Film Festival next month with a Golden Bear Award. His ceremony will also be screening his film The Departed. Interestingly, The Departed is also...

When Martin Scorsese is lauded with Berlin Film Festival’s Honorary Golden Bear next month, the awards ceremony will be accompanied by a screening of his 2006 film “The Departed.”

The crime thriller, which won four Oscars including best picture and director, stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg. The film tells the story of an Irish mob boss who plants a spy within the Massachusetts State Police just as the police assign an undercover cop to infiltrate the gang. What follows is a race to expose the other’s identity first.

The Berlinale on Wednesday also announced that Levan Akin’s “Crossing” will open this year’s Panorama section, which will focus on “bridges between lived experiences and cinematic possibilities.” “Crossing” follows an unlikely duo who travel “from Batumi, Georgia to the urban, labyrinthine Istanbul in search of a young trans woman named Tekla,” according to the fest’s description.