Welcome to What’s Hot On The Screen, a weekly round-up of some of the new and interesting releases in the world of online, film and television; based in South Africa.

Streaming Releases and Highlights Include

The Letter Reader – Netflix

This is a beautiful award-winning South African short film, that finds Bahle Mashinini providing an incredibly promising performances in one of our few child-led pieces. Set in the 1970’s, The Letter Reader follows Siyabonga, a 12 year-old city boy who’s visits his grandmother in rural KZN. Whilst there he becomes the village’s letter reader, translating and reading letters sent to community members who can’t read, things get interesting when he falls for one of them.

Hatchet Hour – Showmax

Erica Wessels and Petronella Tshuma star in this highly-stylized SAFTA-Nominated crime drama. Hatchet Hour follows a lawyer at a top firm who accidentally kills her gardener. Fearing for her career, she asks her best friend to help her get rid of the body.

Freedom Street – Telkom Plus (MzansiTV)

This is for those looking to see more of South Africa’s web-series scene. 4 men’s lives take a turn for the worst when one of them is killed mysteriously, a twisted plot of events is revealed about what happened that night on Freedom Street.

Nimbe – Netflix

Netflix adds another Nollywood selection into it’s growing catalogue with this crime drama. A bullied teenager gravitates towards a street gang, where he finds solace, but quickly winds up in a world of drug abuse and organized crime.

Rooted – Showmax

For those of you looking for more of a doccie, Showmax has this 5-part wildlife docu-series. Rooted unpacks the rich history of five iconic trees in found in a Southern Africa. Each tree is located in a completely unique habitat, and hosts, feeds and shelters an array of insects, birds and animals in the bows of its branches.

Local Film This Sunday

She Is King – Mzansi Magic at 20h00

This Sunday sees Mzansi Magic airing one of South Africa’s latest musicals in She is King. A talented young woman from a rural village travels to the “Big City” of Johannesburg, South Africa to become a Star. She lands a role in a musical play about Zulu Queen Mkabayi, Shaka’s Aunt and searches for her identity as a Performer, a Zulu, a Woman and a Daughter.