By Tolulope Omotunde of Afrik Digest presents his monthly list of the best shows, films, and series to watch across the continent in June.
Here are the most captivating film and TV stories coming this June from the African continent. From a documentary on Mali’s incredible musical duo Amadou and Mariam to Truck Mama, a portrait that follows one of Kenya’s only long-haul female truck drivers, this is your definitive guide to the essential films, documentaries, and series lighting up screens across North, West, East, and Southern Africa this month.
Les Trois Lascars 2/The Three Rascals (Côte d’Ivoire/Burkina Faso):
The premiere of Les Trois Lascars 2 has generated considerable excitement among artists and film enthusiasts. This new installment follows in the footsteps of a body of work that has left its mark on the West African cinematic landscape. It highlights the growing importance of African and international co-productions. Directed by Boubakar Diallo, Les Trois Lascars 2 is the sequel to 2021’s Les Trois Lascars. The buzzy comedy is a rib-cracking yet socially sensitive story around marital complications and the realities that come with it. A group of married friends visits a resort with their wives, where they find themselves in a series of often hilarious, usually chaotic situations. The film also makes multiple references to gender and gendered roles, while showcasing the power and subconscious loyalty of friendships.
Iyaloja (Nigeria):
In this gripping story directed by Oluseyi Asurf, the riveting screen goddess Kehinde Bankole takes on a dazzling role as Teju, a shifty woman who vies for the coveted position of Iya Oloja with intentions darker than they initially appear. Iyaloja is a story of familial expectations, the weight of cultural responsibilities, and the jostle for agency and power. The story also unravels the politics that often trail many Nigerian market centers while posing a question of what we become in the process of getting what we want by force. Bankole brings her quietly convincing charm to this role, elevating the story’s complexity into an unforgettable performance.
Amadou et Mariam: sons du Mali (Mali):
Amadou et Mariam: Sons du Mali (Amadou & Mariam: Sounds of Mali) chronicles the life and times of Mali’s most bankable duo and one of the African continent’s most successful pop exports. Mariam lost her sight to untreated measles at five; Amadou lost his to congenital cataracts in his teens. They met as students at the Bamako Institute for the Young Blind in the mid-1970s, and from there learned to navigate the world with heart and intention, picking up more than a handful of admirers along the way. Amadou’s passing is announced in the film’s opening minutes, and we are transported through five decades of life, an archive of memories. The film doesn’t shy away from the political context that informs the music, sketching the troubled landscape of a home country fractured, since 2012, by jihadist insurgency.
Notes from the Underground (South Africa):
Cape Town’s contribution to the South African hip-hop landscape can never be overstated. It’s where the early tapes, music, and films alike first arrived, carried home by seamen returning from months-long voyages overseas. In Notes from the Underground, directors Adrian van Wyk and Chris Kets link the griot work of modern-day emcees to deeper ancestral entry points — from the era of chattel slavery back to when the Khoi and San still walked the land. The film features interviews with leading figures in the scene, including DJ Ready D, Isaac Mutant, DJ Real Rozzano, and more.
Truck Mama (Kenya):
Kenyan filmmaker Zipporah Nyaruri’s Truck Mama is a moving documentary that follows Evaline, one of Kenya’s few female long-haul truck drivers, as she navigates dangerous East African routes while balancing motherhood, ambition, and the emotional toll of life on the road. Truck Mama is the opening-night film at the 2026 Encounters South African International Documentary Festival, where it will have its African premiere.
