Mandlakayise Walter Dube

Source: Netflix

Mandlakayise Walter Dube (at back) with Silverton Siege actors (l-r) Thabo Rametsi, Stefan Erasmus and Noxolo Dlamini

Netflix has forged a multi-project creative partnership with South African filmmaker Mandlakayise Walter Dube as part of further investment into the continent.

Under the deal, Dube will direct a variety of Netflix-owned projects, to be announced in due course.

The pact adds to similar partnerships established with African talent including Nigerian media mogul Mo Abudu and her EbonyLife Studios label, and Nigerian multi-hyphenate Kunle Afolayan and his KAP Film and Television Academy.

The relationships underscore the slate of African content commissioned by Netflix of late.

During the first half of 2022, the streamer released a slate of content from the sub-Saharan Africa region across multiple genres including pan-African reality show Young, Famous & African, the South African action film Silverton Siege – directed by Dube, South African soapy drama series Savage Beauty, Netflix’s first Kenyan licensed branded series Country Queen, the first Netflix-owned Nigerian series Blood Sisters, South African crime documentary Senzo: Murder Of A Soccer Star and most recently, Justice Served.

Upcoming projects include Netflix’s debut Afrikaans series Ludik, supernatural drama The Brave Ones and football series Kings of Queenstown.

Tendeka Matatu, director of local Language films in Africa saidL “We are working with top talent and filmmakers as well as exciting emerging voices from the continent.

“With an ever-growing slate of series, movies and licensed content across a rich variety of best-in-class content across genres, we want to give our members more moments to share the joy that comes from being immersed in great stories made in Africa, to be watched by the world.”

This story was first published by Screen’s sister title Broadcast