The Best About Africa Movies and TV Shows on Hoopla

What it's about: Secret agent OSS 117 foils Nazis, beds local beauties, and brings peace to the Middle East.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (PopcornFlix), stream on a subscription service (Fandor, Hoopla & Kanopy) & rent or buy from $1.99 on 3 services (iTunes, Google Play & Vudu).

What it's about: Jackie Chan stars as Asian Hawk, an Indiana Jones-style adventurer looking to make a fortune in exotic antiquities. After Hawk discovers a mysterious sword in Africa, a band of Satan-worshipping monks kidnap his ex-girlfriend Lorelei, demanding the sword as ransom as well as other pieces of the legendary Armour of God - a magical outfit dating back to the Crusades.

Where to Watch: Available to stream on a subscription service (CBS All Access & Hoopla).

What it's about: A young girl from London moves to Africa with her parents where she befriends a lion cub.

Where to Watch: Available to stream on a subscription service (Hoopla) & rent or buy from $2.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Prime Video & 3 others).

What it's about: Three women seek justice due to the difficult daily situation which sexual harassment causes in the streets of Cairo, Egypt.

Where to Watch: Available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video, Fandor & Hoopla) & rent or buy from $3.99 on 1 service (Prime Video).

What it's about: A South-African preacher goes to search for his wayward son who has committed a crime in the big city.

Where to Watch: Available to stream on a subscription service (Hoopla) & rent or buy from $2.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: The plot centers on students involved in the Soweto Riots, in opposition to the implementation of Afrikaans as the language of instruction in schools. The stage version presents a school uprising similar to the Soweto uprising on June 16, 1976. A narrator introduces several characters among them the school girl activist Sarafina. Things get out of control when a policeman shoots several pupils in a classroom. Nevertheless, the musical ends with a cheerful farewell show of pupils leaving school, which takes most of act two. In the movie version Sarafina feels shame at her mother's (played by Miriam Makeba in the film) acceptance of her role as domestic servant in a white household in apartheid South Africa, and inspires her peers to rise up in protest, especially after her inspirational teacher, Mary Masombuka (played by Whoopi Goldberg in the film version) is imprisoned.

Where to Watch: Available to stream on a subscription service (CBS All Access & Hoopla).

What it's about: The sudden death of Michael Jackson sends a former King of Pop devotee — now a young imam — into a tailspin, in this tender and comedic film from Egyptian filmmaker Amr Salama.

Where to Watch: Available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video, Hoopla & Kanopy) & rent or buy from $2.99 on 4 services (iTunes, Google Play & 2 others).

What it's about: The story of humankind's last stand against a cataclysmic alien invasion. Set in the war-ravaged African countryside, a U.S. soldier and a French foreign aid worker team up to survive the alien onslaught. Their bond will be tested as they search for refuge across a crumbling world.

Where to Watch: Available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix & Hoopla) & rent or buy from $2.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: Upon his father's sudden death, a talented medical student returns to his home village in Ghana to fight for his family's survival.

Where to Watch: Available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video, Hoopla & Kanopy) & rent or buy from $0.99 on 1 service (Prime Video).

What it's about: The time is the late '80s, a crucial period in the history of South Africa. President P.W. Botha is hanging on to power by a thread as the African National Congress (ANC) takes up arms against apartheid and the country tumbles toward insurrection. A British mining concern is convinced that their interests would be better served in a stable South Africa and they quietly dispatch Michael Young, their head of public affairs, to open an unofficial dialogue between the bitter rivals. Assembling a reluctant yet brilliant team to pave the way to reconciliation by confronting obstacles that initially seem insurmountable, Young places his trust in ANC leader Thabo Mbeki and Afrikaner philosophy professor Willie Esterhuyse. It is their empathy that will ultimately serve as the catalyst for change by proving more powerful than the terrorist bombs that threaten to disrupt the peaceful dialogue.

Where to Watch: Available to stream on a subscription service (Fandor, Hoopla & Kanopy) & rent or buy from $2.99 on 1 service (Prime Video).

What it's about: Krotoa, a feisty, bright, 11-year-old girl is removed from her close-knit Khoi tribe to serve Jan van Riebeeck, her uncle’s trading partner and the first Governor of the Cape Colony. She is brought into the first Fort established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652. There she grows into a visionary young woman who assimilates the Dutch language and culture so well that she rises to become an influential translator but ends up being rejected by her own people as she tries to bridge the gap between the two cultures about to collide.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi & Plex) & stream on a subscription service (Hoopla).

What it's about: A 25 year old young man with dreams of becoming a dancer despite the fact that he's paralyzed from the waist down. His dreams are shattered when his uncle falls seriously ill. To save him, he decides to go work for petrol traffickers.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi), stream on a subscription service (Hoopla & Kanopy) & rent or buy from $3.99 on 2 services (iTunes & Prime Video).

What it's about: An idealistic British drama school teacher, Jodi Rutherford, persuades a cynical South African farmer to prepare her for a role in a major film as an Afrikaans war heroine. In return Jodi undertakes to direct the annual concert on the Willemse farm. Jodi's interaction with the quirky small town citizens and the stubborn Kobus, teaches her that: "there is more to life than lights... camera... and action!"

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi, PlutoTV & Vudu), stream on a subscription service (Hoopla) & rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: Found footage of an expedition into the Congo jungle where a team of explorers stumbles upon a colony of Dinosaurs.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi & Vudu), stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video & Hoopla) & rent or buy from $1.99 on 4 services (iTunes, Google Play & 2 others).

What it's about: Henry Louis Gates Jr. takes a look at the history of Africa, from the birth of humankind to the dawn of the 20th century. A breathtaking and personal journey through two hundred thousand years of history, from the origins, on the African continent, of art, writing and civilization itself, through the millennia in which Africa and Africans shaped not only their own rich civilizations, but also the wider world.

Where to Watch: 6 episodes (100%) are available to watch free online (PBS). 6 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video & Hoopla). 6 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 2 services (iTunes & Prime Video).

What it's about: A traumatized shark expert (Halle Berry) must battle her own fears to lead a thrill-seeking businessman on a dive into a dangerous section of water known as "Shark Alley."

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi, PlutoTV, Plex & 2 others), stream on a subscription service (Hoopla) & rent or buy from $3.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: Paleontologist and her husband discover a mother and baby brontosaurus in Africa, try to protect them from hunters who want to capture them.

Where to Watch: Available to stream on a subscription service (Hoopla) & rent or buy from $2.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: A documentary that chronicles the life of South African leader Nelson Mandela. Mandela is probably best known for his 27 years of imprisonment, and for bringing an end to apartheid. But this film also sheds light on the little-known early period of Mandela's life.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi & PlutoTV), stream on a subscription service (Hoopla) & rent or buy from $3.99 on 1 service (Vudu).

What it's about: Slavery and the Making of America is a 2004 PBS series and documentary on African American slaves and their contributions to the United States. Famous African Americans such as Colonel Tye and historical figures such as President George Washington and John Murray are all documented in the series. The series covers African American Loyalists and Black Patriots. Emmy Award winning composer Michael Whalen wrote the film's original soundtrack.

Where to Watch: 4 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a subscription service (Hoopla). 4 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 2 services (Google Play & YouTube).

What it's about: British explorer Henry Stanley travels to Africa in 1871 seeking missionary David Livingstone.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi) & stream on a subscription service (Hoopla).

What it's about: The title says it all. There's a mix up involving stolen diamonds which Ernest has (naturally) made into a yo-yo and given to his would be girlfriend, Rene. But Rene wants a man of action, and doesn't think that Ernest fits the bill. After the bad guys come looking for the stolen diamonds and kidnap Rene, all of her fantasies come true as Ernest has to go to Africa to rescue her.

Where to Watch: Available to stream on a subscription service (Hoopla) & rent or buy from $1.99 on 4 services (iTunes, Google Play & 2 others).

What it's about: He’s an unlikely hero, exiled and insecure – until God calls him to free the Israelites! Experience the epic story of MOSES in jaw-dropping scale, brought to life on stage with massive sets, spectacular special effects and live animals. Filmed before a live audience, it’s an unforgettable, uplifting production that takes your family right into the center of the Red Sea.

Where to Watch: Available to stream on a subscription service (Hoopla) & rent or buy from $2.99 on 3 services (iTunes, Prime Video & Vudu).

What it's about: A story of love and friendship set against the violence of Apartheid in South Africa. It is a story of the ups and downs of the lives of the three main characters, and how their lives intersect over the years.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi & IMDb TV), stream on a subscription service (Hoopla) & rent or buy from $1.99 on 3 services (iTunes, Prime Video & Vudu).

What it's about: For years, Doug Collins has been wading through a routine unsatisfying job and an increasingly miserable relationship. After his girlfriend moves out, Doug pushes himself to live a more fulfilling life starting with a trek to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi & Plex), stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video & Hoopla) & rent or buy from $1.99 on 4 services (iTunes, Google Play & 2 others).

What it's about: In the slums of Cairo, youth dancing to electro chaabi, new music that blends folk song, electro beats and freestyles chanted in the style of rap. The idea is to merge the sounds and styles so chaotic. One slogan mangling! Victim of corruption and social segregation, youth in neighborhoods exorcise partying. Release of body and a speech repressed transgression religious taboos: more than just a musical phenomenon, Electro Chaabi is a healthy outlet for youth oppressed by the prohibitions imposed.

Where to Watch: Available to stream on a subscription service (Hoopla) & rent or buy from $1.99 on 3 services (iTunes, Google Play & Vudu).

What it's about: How did ancient Egyptians build the Great Pyramid at Giza, joining two million blocks of heavy stone with amazing precision? Who were the leaders who built these enormous structures, and what did these tombs signify? Host David Macaulay explores the history, mythology, and religions of Egypt's people, combining live footage and animation. Take a rare look at the mummy of Ramses II and buried treasure in the sacred Valley of the Kings.

Where to Watch: Available to stream on a subscription service (Hoopla).

What it's about: Nova investigates the Great Sphinx of Egypt in an attempt to understand its origin, creation, and purpose.

Where to Watch: Available to stream on a subscription service (Hoopla).

What it's about: Filmed on location in South Africa, a retelling of H. Rider Haggard's classic novel "King Solomon's Mines," featuring the adventurer who was the inspiration for Indiana Jones.

Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (Tubi, PlutoTV & Vudu), stream on a subscription service (Hoopla & ConTV) & rent or buy from $2.99 on 1 service (Microsoft).