Showmax has a particularly strong local line-up across the board in March 2023! A special shout-out goes to their documentaries, which are on a roll at the moment. There are some really good ones on this list of local hits to stream in the third month of 2023.
Here are the Best Local Hits To Stream on Showmax in March 2023
Rise: The Siya Kolisi Story – Available To Stream on Showmax
Rise: The Siya Kolisi Story reveals a different side to the Springboks’ first black African captain, who led South Africa to victory at the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
In addition to documenting his improbable rise to international stardom, the intimate documentary also sees Kolisi share the story of his complicated relationship with his father, his struggle with alcoholism, and his journey with wife Rachel.
An Orange Films and Star Films production for Supersport, Rise is directed by Tebogo “Tebza” Malope, who’s won Gold at Cannes Lions and the Grand Prix at the Loerie Awards, among other honours. The documentary boasts a soundtrack by Mandisi Dyantis and Haezer, who also edited the feature.
Blind Ambition – Already available to stream on Showmax
Blind Ambition tells the inspiring story of four Zimbabwean refugees who conquered the odds to become top South African sommeliers at the likes of The Test Kitchen and La Colombe. The heartwarming documentary film won the Audience Award at the Tribeca and Sydney film festivals, among others.
Forming Zimbabwe’s first-ever wine tasting team, the four set their sights on the coveted title of World Wine Tasting Champions and, from the moment they arrive in France to compete, this team of mavericks turns an establishment of privilege and tradition on its head.
Blind Ambition has a 100% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw writing, “It’s impossible not to smile along with this feelgood documentary.”
The Elon Musk Show – Binge from 15 March 2023 on Showmax
The three-part documentary series The Elon Musk Show gets to the heart of who Pretoria-born billionaire Elon Musk really is, by interviewing the people that know him best.
From his mother to his employees, his close friends to his enemies, the documentary series tells the intimate story of Musk’s incredible, controversial journey to become the world’s richest man.
Using extensive archive footage taken throughout his life, from South Africa to Silicon Valley, the series analyses the key moments in Elon’s career, from his first tech start-ups through to Tesla and SpaceX.
As The Independent (UK) says, “The Elon Musk Show is extremely well-made … beautifully and painstakingly blended together with real care and craft … Such is the attention to detail, it’s worthy of Musk himself.”
Stella Murders – Available to stream on Showmax from 17 March 2023
Stella Murders investigates the deaths of best friends Sharnelle Hough (17) and Marna Engelbrecht (16) at their hostel at Stella High School in North West. On Saturday morning, 26 May 2018, Sharnelle was found hanged by the staircase and Marna was discovered in a bathroom, with both deaths initially looking like suicides.
The 90-minute documentary features interviews with Ronnie and Sonja Hough, Sharnelle’s parents; Stefaans, Rianet, and Riané Engelbrecht, Marna’s father, mother and sister; Captain Zagaries Human, the Stella South African Police Services station commander; Captain Markus Ferreira, the investigating officer; private investigator Chris Saunders; and Advocate Johan Smit, the state prosecutor, now retired. Also look out for Marizka Coetzer from Devilsdorp, who covered the Stella Murders case for Huisgenoot.
Home to just over 4 000 people, Stella is a small, quiet cattle-farming dorpie near Vryburg in North West. “In such a close-knit community, danger is expected to come from the outside,” says clinical psychologist Elmarie Claassens in the trailer. “But the thing about danger is: it doesn’t come exclusively from the outside.”
Stella Murders is a new true-crime documentary from David Enright and IdeaCandy, the director and production company respectively behind the breakout hit Devilsdorp, one of Showmax’s 10 most streamed titles of 2021, which sold internationally and won the 2022 SAFTA for Best Made for TV Documentary.
Girl, Taken – Available to stream on Showmax
Named Best South African Documentary Film at the 2022 Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), Girl, Taken is the incredible story of two parents whose baby was stolen at birth, who miraculously found her 17 years later, and who then lost her again…
Girl, Taken was co-directed by multi-award-winners Francois Verster and Simon Wood, whose previous collaboration, Scenes From a Dry City, was nominated for a News and Documentary Emmy, earned a Special Mention at AFI Docs, and was named World Press Photo Online Video of the Year.
My Name is Reeva – Available to stream on Showmax
My Name Is Reeva revisits the story of Reeva Steenkamp, who was murdered ten years ago, on Valentine’s Day in 2013, at the hands of her then-boyfriend Oscar Pistorius, the first double-leg amputee to participate at the Olympics.
The documentary also follows her parents, Barry and June, as they decide whether to take part in a Victim-Offender Dialogue with Pistorius, facilitated by the Department of Correctional Services.
My Name is Reeva is directed by Warren Batchelor who also made the SAFTA-nominated Brett Kebble documentary 204: Getting Away With Murder, which is also available on Showmax.
Superworm – Available to stream on Showmax
Directed by South Africans Sarah Scrimgeour and Jac Hamman, Superworm recently won Best One-Off, Special or TV Movie at the Kidscreen Awards, where it was competing against Luck and Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas. It was also nominated for Best Special Production at the Annie Awards.
An animated adaptation of the bestselling picture-book of the same name by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, Superworm was hailed as “an instant classic” by The Sun; “one of Christmas TV’s greatest delights” by The Daily Telegraph; and “the BBC’s standout offering” by The Guardian.
Superworm is super-long and super-strong, and always saves the day. But who can save him when he gets too full of himself and is captured by the evil Wizard Lizard?
Superworm’s voice cast includes Oscar winner Olivia Colman (The Crown) as the narrator, Emmy nominee Matt Smith (House of the Dragon) as Superworm, and Ghanaian-British actor Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Paddington 2, Mary Poppins Returns) as the Wizard Lizard.
Ted K
Based on the true story behind the biggest manhunt in US history, Ted K stars South African Teen Choice and MTV Movie Award nominee Sharlto Copley (District 9, Beast) as the notorious Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski. Kaczynski lived deep in the Rocky Mountains, where he sought refuge from modern society.
As the outside world encroached on his mountain sanctuary, he slowly became radicalised with rage, escalating from small acts of sabotage to deadly bomb attacks. Ted K has an 85% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Copley receiving widespread critical acclaim for the role. The Hollywood Reporter calls the film “unsettlingly intimate” and “a haunting vision of vengeful obsession.”
Well, there you have it, the best local hits streaming on Showmax in March 2023. If you don’t have an account yet, sign up HERE.
Watch this space for updates in the Entertainment category on Running Wolf’s Rant.
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