Everything on Showmax in March - Showmax

International series

Zac & Mia, based on the novel by AJ Betts, centres on two teenagers battling cancer in the same hospital. In the everyday world, Zac and Mia would have nothing in common, but in the hospital, where they're the only two teens on the ward, they develop an unbreakable bond.

In season two, Zac looks forward to things going back to normal as he returns home but soon discovers that normal is not what it once was. Mia embarks on physiotherapy and is learning to adjust to life after her operation, but she has a long, hard road ahead of her. The one thing they have is each other, but could what bring them together become the thing that tears them apart?

The first season won two Emmys: for lead actress Anne Winters (Chloe from 13 Reasons Why) and its script, which also won a Writers Guild of America award. The show was also nominated for four more, including Outstanding Digital Daytime Drama Series, Outstanding Directing and Outstanding Lead Actor for three-time Teen Choice winning YouTuber Kian Lawley (superkian13, with 3.35million followers).

Common Sense Media rates the show as 13+, saying Zac and Mia “examines the inner turmoil that comes with having a serious illness, but also the hope and clarity that can be found when people get real with one another.”

They also give the show kudos for “showing the mental health repercussions that come along with trying to be ‘strong’ for your family and friends, and how even the most stoic among us need the permission to fully express and experience our emotions.”

8.1/10, IMDB; Winner of two Emmys (for Outstanding Lead Actress and Outstanding Writing in a Digital Drama Series); Writers Guild of America winner; 4m views and counting for the three series trailers

Emergence S1 | 2 March

Long Island police chief Jo Evans (Golden Globe nominee Allison Tolman from Fargo) investigates a case involving a young child found unscathed at the site of a mysterious plane accident. The girl has no memory of who she is or how she got there, but her arrival is marked by unexplained phenomena and electronic disruptions.

The sci-fi drama co-stars child actress Alexa Swinton (who also plays Eva Rhoades in Billions), Donald Faison (BET Comedy Awards winner and Teen Choice nominee for Scrubs), and Emmy winner Terry O'Quinn (Lost, Perpetual Grace), among others.

It’s Tolman’s performance the critics are raving about though, with Variety saying, “Tolman brings to the role the warmth and shrewdness she did to a similar part in FX's Fargo; it's a pleasure simply to watch her think through the case.”

#48 Rotten Tomatoes’ Best TV Shows of 2019, and one of five best-reviewed TV sci-fi and fantasy shows of 2019, with a 94% critics' rating; 4.6m views for the trailer.

Superstore S4 | 2 March

The popular comedy about the employees at an American superstore returns. Amy and Jonah are back at Cloud 9 after being suspended, but now they have to deal with all the comments, jokes and questions about their sex video... and their relationship status. Both Amy and Dina are getting ready to have their babies this season, and while Amy wonders how she’ll juggle things between her, Adam and Jonah, Dina can't wait to hand the baby over to Jerusha and Garret.

The cast includes Golden Globe winner America Ferrera (Ugly Betty) in a Teen Choice-nominated role, Emmy nominee Ben Feldman (Silicon Valley, Mad Men), and Nico Santos (Crazy Rich Asians), in a Critics Choice-nominated role.

Superstore has a 100% critics’ score for every season since season 2 on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics' consensus says: “Superstore remains a furtively fearless riot in its comedic approach to heavy, timely issues.”

“It's a riot,” says Entertainment Weekly. “I live for sequences in the break room when laugh lines pinball through the brilliant ensemble.”

100% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes for every season since season 2; Teen Choice Award nominee for Choice TV Actress: Comedy (America Ferrera); Nico Santos was nominated for two consecutive Critics Choice Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards.

The Orville S2 | Binge from 2 March

Series creator Seth McFarlane (the Oscar-nominated creator of Family Guy and Ted) is Ed Mercer, captain of the exploratory space vessel The Orville. He faces intergalactic challenges and interpersonal dynamics along with his crew, 400 years in the future.

Inspired by classic series like Star Trek and The Twilight Zone, the irreverent space adventure has grown a following eager for more. Season two promises more character-driven drama (and comedy), with dark matter cartographer Janel Tyler (Michaela McManus from Awake and The Village) upping the ante between Ed and Kelly; Bortus returning home to complete a sacred rite; and the revelation of a dark secret about Isaac’s homeworld. Meanwhile, The Orville is on course to make the first contact with new alien civilisations, return to Moclus, and confront the Krill.

The cast includes Adrianne Palicki (Bobbi from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Emmy winner Peter Macon (Shameless), Scott Grimes (ER’s Archie Morris), Penny Johnson Jerald (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), and Chad L. Coleman (The Expanse, The Walking Dead).

Also look out for Emmy nominee Victor Garber (Alias’ Jack Bristow), Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham (Amadeus), Golden Globe nominee Jason Alexander (Seinfeld), Leighton Meester (Gossip Girl’s Blair) and Golden Globe winner Ted Danson (The Good Place).

Season 2 has a 100% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics' consensus says, “Fun, focused, and surprisingly thoughtful, The Orville's second season makes good use of its talented crew.”

2019 Emmy nominee for Best VFX; 8/10, IMDB; 100% S2 critics' score for Rotten Tomatoes

Press S1| First on Showmax | Binge from 2 March

Staffers at two newspapers – a left-leaning broadsheet and a right-leaning populist tabloid – fight for truth, entertainment and the ultimate scoop as two British newspapers go head-to-head in a press world fraught with scandals, under pressure from the 24-hour news cycle, and constantly evolving in the digital age.

The BBC drama mini-series is created by Bafta-nominated writer-producer Mike Bartlett (Doctor Foster).

Priyanga Burford (Avenue 5) won the Eastern Eye Award for Best Actress for her role as Amina Chaudury opposite Bafta nominee David Suchet (Poirot), Charlotte Riley (Trust, Peaky Blinders), Ellie Kendrick (Meera from Game of Thrones), and Ben Chaplin (The Thin Red Line), whom the London Evening Standard hailed as “bloody marvellous... the absolute star of this show”.

95% critics' rating and 100% audience rating, Rotten Tomatoes; Priyanga Burford won the 2019 Eastern Eye Award for Best Actress.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine S6 | Binge from 2 March

Snapped up by NBC and renewed for at least two more seasons in response to the collective superfan meltdown after Fox axed the show, police station comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine is back with the sixth season that’s as warm and off-the-wall funny as ever. Which means we get to find out whether Captain Holt got the job as NYPD Commissioner, how that’s going to affect the 99th precinct, and whether Jake and Amy will get their Mexican honeymoon.

The series stars Golden Globe and Emmy winner Andy Samberg (Saturday Night Live) and Golden Globe nominee and Emmy winner Andre Braugher (Homicide: Life on the Street). Created by Emmy winning writers Daniel J. Goor (Parks and Recreation and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah) and The Good Place creator Michael Schur, the series has won two Golden Globes (for Best Comedy Series and Best Actor), as well as two Emmys for its stunts, and been nominated for a further seven Emmys.

Entertainment Weekly says Brooklyn Nine-Nine is “smart, silly, good-natured, and very Brooklyn.”

Won two Golden Globes, for Best Comedy Series and Best Actor (Andy Samberg); Won two Emmys for its stunts and was nominated for a further seven, including three for Outstanding Supporting Actor for Andre Braugher; 100% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes; 8.4/10, IMDB

Noughts + Crosses | 12 March, weekly express from M-Net

The highly anticipated BBC sci-fi adaptation of the first book in Malorie Blackman’s best-selling young adult novel series is set in a dystopian alternate history where black "Cross" people rule over white "Noughts". Against a backdrop of prejudice, distrust and rebellion, childhood friends Sephy and Callum must fight for more than simply the right to be together.

An iconic love story of two families separated by power and prejudice but forever entwined by fate, Noughts + Crosses stars South African Masali Baduza (Trackers) and Bafta Cymru winner Jack Rowan (Peaky Blinders). The cast also includes Paterson Joseph (The Leftovers), Helen Baxendale (Midsomer Murders), Ian Hart (Professor Quirrell from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone) and South African Bonnie Mbuli (Catch a Fire), with a guest appearance by rapper Stormzy.

Exec produced by multi-award-winning director Kibwe Tavares, with a writing team, headed up by Being Human and Doctor Who writer Toby Whithouse, Noughts + Crosses was shot in South Africa with mostly South African crew, including award-winning cinematographers Jamie Ramsay and Giulio Biccari, and production designer Shane Bunce.

Westworld S3 | Weekly same time as M-Net, express from the US from 16 March

Sci-fi drama Westworld is a dark wild west odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the birth of a new form of life on Earth. And this season, they’re knocking it “out of the park”.

Returning for season three are Golden Globe nominees Evan Rachel Wood (Dolores) and Thandie Newton (Maeve), Golden Globe winner Jeffrey Wright (Bernard/Arnold), People’s Choice nominee Tessa Thompson (Charlotte), Screen Actors Guild nominees Luke Hemsworth (Ashley) and Rodrigo Santoro (Hector), and Oscar nominee Ed Harris as The Man in Black.

New faces this season include Golden Globe nominee Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), Vincent Cassel (Ocean’s Twelve, Black Swan), Emmy winner Lena Waithe (Ready Player One), Tommy Flanagan (Sons of Anarchy) and Grammy winner Kid Cudi. (Psst! Early trailers also feature certain as-yet-unannounced actors ... Are they? Aren’t they? With Westworld, seeing is never believing.)

Winner of seven Emmys, including Best Supporting Actress (Thandie Newton) in 2018; Nominated for 4 Golden Globes, including Best Drama Series, #69, IMDB’s Top Rated TV of All Time, with an 8.7/10 rating, 86% critics' rating, Rotten Tomatoes

Movies

The Sun is Also a Star | 12 March

If you’re a romantic at heart, if you believe in destiny, or if you just need a good ol’ dose of the feels, this one’s for you.

Jamaica-born pragmatist Natasha isn’t in the market for romance. In fact, she doesn’t even believe in love. Also, she’s about to be deported. Then a stranger saves her life on the street and, over coffee, tells her they’re meant for one another. It’s never going to happen, obviously, but Natasha’s willing to give him an hour of her time. Are they star-crossed, or was their meeting just a random coincidence?

The Sun is Also a Star is a coming-of-age love story based on the best-selling young-adult novel by Nicola Yoon, who also penned Everything, Everything.

It stars BET YoungStars Award-winner and People’s Choice, Teen Choice and Black Reel nominee Yara Shahidi (Zoey from Black-ish and Grown-ish) and Teen Choice nominee Charles Melton (Reggie from Riverdale, Mr Wu from American Horror Story: Hotel). Also look out for Golden Globe nominee John Leguizamo (When They See Us, Moulin Rouge), and Gbenga Akinnagbe (The Deuce’s Larry Brown).

It’s rated 13+ by Common Sense Media, and teens are sure to love it, but, says Washington Post, you “don't have to be a lovesick adolescent to fall, just a little, for its goofy energy,” while RogerEbert says “The leads are so lovely and the city is so shimmery that it's hard not to get caught up in its spell.”

2019 Teen Choice Awards nominee for Choice Summer Movie Actor (Charles Melton) and Actress (Yara Shahidi).

Pet Sematary | 12 March

Dr Louis Creed and his wife, Rachel, move to rural Maine with their two young children. When their daughter Ellie discovers a mysterious burial ground hidden deep in the woods near their new home, Louis is quick to put her at ease. But these woods belong to something else. Something that brings things back from the dead.

This 2019 adaptation of the Stephen King novel stars Jason Clarke (John Connor in Terminator Genisys), Oscar nominee John Lithgow (The Crown, 3rd Rock from the Sun), and Amy Seimetz (Eleven’s aunt Becky in Stranger Things), with Jeté Laurence (Sneaky Pete) as Ellie.

"Although the changes to the source material are guaranteed to polarize some Stephen King fans, Pet Sematary bucks the remake trap of simply paying homage to an iconic piece of horror,” says Consequence of Sound. “Instead, it makes drastic changes to the plot so it can ultimately go more complex with its themes. That’s a hell of a trick to pull off. Sometimes, different is better."

"The movie honours King by raising fresh hell for a new generation,” says Rolling Stone. ”It will make you jump out of your seat, but what matters are the provocations you take home and can’t shake. That’s the stuff of nightmares."

Grossed $112.4m worldwide; Nominated for three 2019 Saturn Awards from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, for Best Horror Film, Best Supporting Actor (John Lithgow) and Best Make-Up

The House with a Clock in its Walls | 19 March

Somewhere between Harry Potter and Goosebumps, there’s The House with the Clock in its Walls.

Ten-year-old orphan Lewis Barnavelt (Owen Vaccaro) goes to live with his strange uncle in a creaky old house whose walls contain mysterious tick-tocking magic. When Lewis accidentally disturbs the dead, the sleepy town comes alive with dark witchery.

Based on the 1970s John Bellairs children's book of the same name, the movie stars Oscar winner Cate Blanchett and Golden Globe nominee Jack Black, as well as Golden Globe winner Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks).

Common Sense Media recommends this spookfest for ages 11+. It’s the first younger-audience film from award-winning horror filmmaker Eli Roth (Hostel, Cabin Fever), who’s called it a "starter horror movie".

Junior – and grownup – fans of magical adventure, dark fantasy and comedy horror will love it, but sensitive viewers be warned: The House oozes creep factor and there are a good few jump scares that’ll put the heebies into you.

Rotten Tomatoes’ critics consensus calls it, “An entertaining PG detour for gore maestro Eli Roth,” saying, “The House with a Clock in Its Walls is a family-friendly blend of humour and horror with an infectious sense of fun.” “A bullseye,” says Slate, “perfectly balanced between funny and scary.”

Opened at #1 and grossed $131m at the global box office

The Hustle | 23 March

In this gender-flipped remake of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Anne Hathaway (doing a wonderful toff) and Rebel Wilson (doing, well, Rebel Wilson) are lady con-artists, one high-brow, one low-rent, both masters of the fleece.

Josephine Chesterfield (Hathaway) has used her cunning and class to secure a stunning villa and a safe full of diamonds in the south of France, while Aussie Penny Rust (Wilson) flies by the seat of her pants – and the stacks of cash she liberates from gullible marks. They have almost nothing in common, but when tech billionaire Thomas Westerburg (Alex Sharp from How to Talk to Girls at Parties) comes onto their radar, the pair team up for the scam of the year.

2019 People’s Choice nominee for Favourite Comedy Movie

Juliet, Naked | 26 March

Juliet, Naked is the story of Annie (the long-suffering girlfriend of Duncan) and her unlikely transatlantic romance with once revered, now faded rocker, Tucker Crowe, who also happens to be the object of Duncan's musical obsession. When the acoustic demo of Tucker's hit record from 25 years ago surfaces, its release leads to a life-changing encounter with the elusive rocker himself in this comic account of life's second chances.

Directed by Emmy nominee Jesse Peretz (Glow), Juliet, Naked stars Golden Globe nominee Rose Byrne (Damages), Emmy winner Chris O'Dowd (State of the Union, The IT Crowd), and four-time Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke (Before Sunset, Boyhood).

The film is based on the novel by Nick Hornby, who also wrote About a Boy and High Fidelity.

“Open-hearted and sure to resonate... Juliet, Naked roms and coms in the most charmingly honest ways,” says Globe and Mail, while the Los Angeles Times says, “A charming film… about two very different people trying to press reset in their lives, it is comic, heartfelt and smart as they come - a rare combination these days.”

83% critics' score, Rotten Tomatoes

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part | 29 March

It's been five years since everything was awesome and the citizens of Bricksburg – or should we say, Apocalypseburg? – are facing a huge new threat: Lego Duplo invaders from outer space, wrecking everything faster than they can rebuild.

The highly-anticipated Lego Movie sequel brings all our favourite heroes back to save their beloved city in a new action-packed adventure. Their quest will take them to unexplored (and occasionally musical) worlds, testing their courage, creativity and loyalty. And be warned, the new earworm is even more “catchy” than Everything Is Awesome.

The unbelievable all-star cast is once again headed up by Star-Lord himself, Chris Pratt, who voices both Emmet Brickowski and Rex Dangervest, and Elizabeth Banks as Lucy/Wyldstyle. Will Arnett is Batman, Alison Brie is Unikitty, Will Ferrell plays President Business, Richard Ayoade is Ice Cream Cone, and Jonah Hill voices Green Lantern. Tiffany Haddish joins the cast as Queen Watevra Wa'Nabi, and listen out for the voices of Channing Tatum as Superman, Cobie Smulders as Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Ralph Fiennes as Alfred Pennyworth, and Bruce Willis as... Bruce Willis.

It’s written by, among others, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the same mad geniuses who brought us the first smash-hit instalment.

Rated 6+ on Common Sense Media, this is one of those rare, tons-of-fun gems that the whole family can watch, repeatedly, and enjoy together. High action, with awesome LEGO characters the kids will love, it’s packed wall-to-wall with so many lightning fast jokes and pop culture references, you’ll want to watch it two, three, four times just to catch those hidden gems you laughed over last time.

“It's a bunch of plastic blocks that have an adventure, and it's basically insane,” says The Seattle Times. And really, that’s what we came for.

“It's a hell of a ride,” says the Times (UK), “with poignant things to say about the earnestness of adolescence and the frustrations of sibling conflict.” Wall Street Journal calls it, “a hugely ambitious sequel, joyous and genuinely complex, that's charged with dramatic and musical energy to the very last frame,” while the Guardian says it’s “even better than the original”.

Opened at #1 at the box office and grossed $192.3m worldwide; #4 Best Reviewed Animated Movies of 2019, with an 85% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes; nominated for two 2019 People’s Choice Awards, for Favorite Family Movie and Favorite Animated Movie Star (Chris Pratt); nominated for three Kids' Choice Awards this year: Favorite Animated Movie, Favorite Female Voice Actor (Tiffany Haddish) and Favorite Male Voice Actor (Chris Pratt)

Non-fiction

Three Identical Strangers | 5 March

On the first day of college in New York in 1980, a young man who’d been adopted at birth discovered he had an identical twin. Then the boys learned there was a third. And then, after the fairytale reunion that made feel-good headlines across the world, the triplets started asking questions - and their quest to find out why they’d been split in the first place revealed an increasingly bizarre and sinister mystery.

The true story of Robert Shafran, Edward Galland and David Kellman has captivated audiences and critics alike. Newsday calls it “a riveting, stranger-than-fiction documentary that plays out like a mystery novel,” while Times (UK) says “it never loses sight of the three scarred subjects at the core of the tale, and of the sense of profound injustice inflicted on blameless children. Unmissable.”

Three Identical Strangers won the Special Jury Prize at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and has garnered a further 11 wins, including a Critics' Choice Documentary Award, and a further 53 nominations, including three Emmy and one Bafta nominations.

Won the Special Jury Prize at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival; won a Critics' Choice Documentary Award; nominated for three Emmys and a Bafta; #3 Best Documentaries of 2018 and #9 Best Limited-Release Movies of 2018, with a 97% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes; 81/100 aggregated critics' rating, Metacritic; 5.2m views across two trailers on Youtube.

The Planets | Binge from 5 March

If you like your viewing epic, it doesn’t get much bigger than this.

Across five one-hour episodes, the wonderful Professor Brian Cox explores the dramatic history of the eight planetary siblings in our solar system, as it unfolded over 4.5billion years. Using extensive computer-generated imagery and footage from space missions, including Nasa’s Cassini–Huygens mission and the New Horizons probe, the series reveals the spectacular landscapes, apocalyptic weather systems and unbelievable science (on Saturn, it rains diamonds) of our neighbouring worlds.

“The cutting-edge visuals are worthy of a space movie, not least the cosmic round of ten-pin bowling at the dawn of the galaxy,” says the Times (UK), and the Guardian reviewer Rebecca Nicholson says, “The wonder of Cox's arguments, which take in the staggering, incomprehensible vastness of time and space, provides the kind of television that made this particular viewer stop and say ‘whoa’ every few seconds.”

Starlust listed it among the eight Best Space Documentaries to Binge Watch in 2020, saying The Planets is “one of our favourite space documentaries of 2019 thanks to Brian’s ability to explain the most complex mechanism at work for planets to form and develop. The production and filmography are outstanding and the show has some of the best CGI we have ever seen in space documentaries. The BBC clearly went all-out budget-wise and it shows!”

9.1/10, IMDB; 100% critics' score, Rotten Tomatoes

Local

Potato Potahto | 5 March

A divorced couple who decide to share equal space in their former matrimonial home soon realise that the ingenious idea is easier said than done.

This charming Ghanaian-Nigerian romantic comedy is written and directed by acclaimed director Shirley Frimpong-Manso (Rebecca, Devil in the Detail). It stars multi-award-winners Joselyn Dumas (A Northern Affair), OC Ukeje (Alan Poza) and Joke Silva (White Waters), who was nominated as Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the 2018 Africa Movie Academy Awards. The cast also includes Chris Attoh (Tinsel), Adjetey Anang (Things We Do for Love), Kemi Lala Akindoju (Dazzling Mirage) and multi-award-winner Blossom Chukwujekwu.

Won Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Joke Silva) and nominated Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Screenplay at the 2019 Africa Movie Academy Awards

Skemerson | 2 March

Sometimes it’s okay to not be okay. A young man battling mental illness decides to take his own life. But as Sella stands on the 216m-high Bloukrans bridge, ready to end it all, he hears her laugh... This is the beginning of a weekend that changes three lives forever.

Screenwriter Pietie Beyers wrote the script about his own struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder and stars as Sella, opposite two-time Safta nominee Anneke Weidemann (Die Wonderwerker, Die Ongelooflike Avonture van Hanna Hoekom) as Emma. Look out for Elise Cawood in a Safta-nominated performance as Emma’s frail mother.

In their four-star review of Skemerson, Channel24 says “The cinematography is hauntingly beautiful and if you or a loved one are going through the difficulties of mental illness, it might just make you feel a little less alone… A profound film.”

Nominated for four Saftas this year: for Best Cinematography, Best Sound Design, Best Original Score and Best Supporting Actress for Elize Cawood

Matwetwe| First on Showmax | 5 March

Matwetwe (Wizard) is a hilarious coming-of-age adventure directed by comedian Kagiso Lediga (Queen Sono), with Black Coffee as executive producer. It follows Lefa (the late Sibusiso Khwinana) and Papi (Tebatso Mashishi), best friends and recent high school graduates, on the hustle of their young lives. Over the course of one action-packed New Year’s Eve in the iconic township of Atteridgeville, the boys try to score a huge deal, dodge a kingpin gangster and his violent minions, get the girl and ultimately save their own lives…

The second biggest local film at the South African box office in 2019

3 Days to Go | First on Showmax | 5 March

Following the sudden death of their father, four estranged siblings – and their own extended families – must survive three days under the same roof as they return to their childhood home to lay their father to rest.

The directorial debut from Bianca Isaac (co-producer of The Jakes Are Missing, Getroud Met Rugby), 3 Days To Go stars Bollywood actress Lillete Dubey (Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Leeanda Reddy (Cape Town, Isidingo), Kajal Bagwandeen (Aasha from 7de Laan), Jailoshini Naidoo (Jennifer Kandasamy in Keeping Up with the Kandasamys and Kandasamys: The Wedding) and Rahul Brijnath (The Indian Detective).

The Citizen calls it “an enjoyable romp and funny to boot,” while Channel24 says, “3 Days to Go is the perfect movie to go see with your mother, brother, sister or cousin and it will be fun to see - and point out - your own family members in the characters on screen.”

South African Stand-Up Comedy Specials | 5 March

Showmax reaffirms its position as the home of South African stand-up comedy this month, with one-man shows like So Naïve by Tsitsi Chiumya (winner of the 2019 Comics Choice Next Level Award and 2018 Best Newcomer); Iyeza by Robby Collins (nominated for the 2019 Comics Choice Headliner of the Year); Snorseun and Schalkie by Schalk Bezuidenhout (two-time Comics Choice winner); and Cancelled by Tats Nkonzo (named the 2012 Comics Choice Breakthrough Act). These join an ever-growing library of the funniest comics in South Africa, from 2018 Comic of the Year Carvin Goldstone to 2018 Comedy G winner David Kau to Celeste Ntuli, winner of both the Comedy G and Flying Solo awards at Comics Choice 2019. Also look out for Laugh at First Sight, where Lazola Gola, Kate Pinchuck and Dave Levinsohn open up about their love lives, and their love of making people laugh.

Frank & Fearless | 23 March

When rhino calf Reini is orphaned by poachers, ten-year-old Fearless decides to take action. Teaming up with unlikely compatriots Dog (a big black dog) and Sonny Frank (a lovable and possibly certifiable rogue), Fearless and Reini set out to find justice for Africa’s last remaining rhinos, gangster-style. But their quest goes horribly wrong when they run into a platoon of merciless poachers. Fortunately, Africa itself seems to be on their side.

Leon Schuster is back in this new comedy adventure filled with action, terror, tears, triumph and a whole lot of heart.

Newcomer Themba Ntuli plays Fearless and Safta winner Kenneth Nkosi (Tsotsi, White Wedding) is head-poacher Dolf. The cast also includes Khanyi Mbau (Happiness is a Four Letter Word), Safta nominee Jennifer Steyn (Goodbye Bafana, Madam and Eve) and Safta winner David Dennis (Soul City, The World Unseen).

The highest-grossing South African film at the local box office in 2018

Also streaming on Showmax this March

2 March

5 March

9 March

12 March

16 March

19 March

Yim' lo S1-2 | The Children Act | The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature

23 March

26 March

The Festival | Welcome Home | Puppy Swap | Pony with a Broken Wing

30 March

31 March

Parable