Encounters South African International Documentary Film Festival may have ended this weekend, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop devouring documentaries for the rest of the year.
2023 is turning into a bumper year for African documentaries on Showmax, from inspirational, award-winning true stories like Rise: The Siya Kolisi Story and Blind Ambition, to true-crime heart-breakers like Girl, Taken and Stella Murders, to jaw-dropping, so-crazy-it-must-be-true stories like Rosemary’s Hitlist.
While we’re delighted local stories are taking centre stage, the world is a big, big place. So, here are the best international documentaries to stream on Showmax right now.
100 Foot Wave S1-2 | First on Showmax | Binge now
Big-wave surfing pioneer Garrett McNamara, his surfing peers, and some surprising newcomers continue to push the boundaries of their sport and the limits of their minds and bodies in Season 2 of the HBO documentary series 100 Foot Wave.
Watch the official trailer below.
Love, Lizzo | Stream now
Listen up, Lizzbians! The HBO documentary film Love, Lizzo is the story of a trailblazing superstar and body-positive icon who has become the movement the world desperately needed, just by being herself.
Watch the trailer below.
I Love You, You Hate Me | First on Showmax | Binge now
I Love You, You Hate Me is a two-part documentary series chronicling the rise and fall of Barney the Dinosaur’s furious backlash — and what it says about the human need to hate.
From Barney-bashing to frat parties to homicidal video games, something in American society broke into a million pieces, and it’s never been put together again… or is this just who Americans were all along?
Watch the trailer below.
Women Who Rock S1 | Binge now
Women Who Rock is a four-part docuseries that pays homage to the legion of female pioneers in music who have stormed the stage, wielded their instruments, amplified their voices, and sung the soundtrack of our lives.
The series celebrates female artists and their stories of fame, power, truth, defiance, and hard-won success.
Watch the trailer below.
Janet Jackson. | Binge now
In the five decades since she first stepped on stage, Janet Jackson has won five Grammys and sold over 100 million records, but she’s also experienced incredible tragedy and endured a tumultuous private life in the face of extraordinary public scrutiny.
In the four-part documentary series Janet Jackson., the iconic pop star lifts the lid on her private life for the first time, speaking candidly about growing up in the spotlight as a member of one of the biggest musical families of all time and, of course, about her brother Michael.
Filmed over five years, the docuseries also features archival footage, never-before-seen home videos and interviews with the likes of Mariah Carey, Samuel L Jackson, Whoopi Goldberg, Regina King, Debbie Allen, Janelle Monáe and Tyler Perry.
Watch the trailer below.
Subjects of Desire | Stream now
Subjects of Desire is a timely documentary film that examines the cultural shift in North American beauty standards towards embracing Black female aesthetics and features.
A top 10 audience favourite at HotDocs, Subjects of Desire is told from the point of view of women who aren’t afraid to challenge conventional beauty standards, featuring the likes of four-time Grammy winner India Arie; Canada’s Queen of R&B, Jully Black; and former Miss Black America winners including activist Brittany Lee Lewis and tech entrepreneur Ryann Richardson.
Watch the trailer below.
Julia | Stream now
Julia tells the story of Julia Child, the legendary cookbook author and television superstar who changed the way Americans think about food, television, and even women.
Using never-before-seen archival footage, personal photos, first-person narratives, and cutting-edge, mouth-watering food cinematography, the documentary film traces Child’s surprising path, from her struggles to create and publish the revolutionary Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961), which has sold more than 2.5 million copies to date, to finding her calling as an unlikely television sensation in her 50s.
Watch the trailer below.
Kingdom of Dreams | Binge now
Kingdom of Dreams follows the meteoric rise of designers John Galliano, Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen and Tom Ford as luxury emperors Bernard Arnault (LVMH), Francois Pinault (Gucci Group) and Anna Wintour (US Vogue) reshape the fashion world, conquering its four great kingdoms – Paris, Milan, London and New York.
Watch the trailer below.
