African Couch Potato

As the schools go back, it was time for Gino to brush up on his ABC's. Not his schoolwork, but the notorious serial murderer of the 90s, dubbed "The ABC Killer".  In 1995, journalist Tamsen de Beer was working the night shift at The Star newspaper when she got a call from someone claiming to be South Africa’s most prolific serial killer, a man who would go on to be convicted of kill...

Welcome to African Couch Potato once more. This week Gino looks at what's going down on the local scene, which includes a new movie set in Durban about a group of homeless men surving on society's fringes. Staying in Durban, it's part 2 of the latest Housewives Reunion. We reached out on the socials and asked what you thought, well, here are some of your responses. We take a look at...

Two seasons done, two years of African Couch Potato! So, what have we done? Gino looks back over some of the highlights of the last two years before getting into what's happening on the local scene. Season 5 of the Real Housewives of Durban came to an end last month and next up is The Reunion. From there we head in a direction we bet you never imagined - K-Drama in isiZulu. Yep, it's a t...

Bella Alexandras, a 15 -year-old South African actress, singer, and model, is rapidly carving out an undeniable presence across the global entertainment landscape. Gino managed to get a quick half hour out of her busy schedule to chat to her via a somewhat wobbly link to Paris, France. With a CV that most performers would die for, Bella recently made waves at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, further...

Welcome to African Couch Potato, the #1 spot for the latest from the world of film and TV and African excellence. Kickin' off with acclaimed actor Idris Elba, who at a recent event in London noted the lack of cinemas across the African continent. "I want to build the African Odeon. . . the cinema experience that we have all gone through should be experienced by a new generation, I don’t...

There's a new superhero coming to Showmax! Iyanu . Iyanu is a teenage orphan girl who discovers she has divine powers and a destiny far greater than she ever imagined, one that involves saving the ancient kingdom of Yorubaland.  The animated series is adapted from Nigerian creator Roye Okupe’s popular graphic novel series, Iyanu: Child of Wonder , published by Dark Horse Comics, the powerhous...

Here we are in June, so what better time of the year to talk about Christmas? But not just presents, tinsel and partying, this is about a Christmas slasher, coming from the pen of one Mpho Nkoana. Mpho is a passionate writer and an emerging talent in the film industry and ACP managed to grab him for a quick chat. During his three-year diploma in motion picture production at the Tshwane University...

A mixed bag, this episode, as we mourn the passing of a local star, take a look at what is happening with cinemas, drop a couple of reviews and celebrate the arrival of an award. ACP was saddened to hear of the passing of actor Presley Chweneyagae, who shot to fame with the Oscar winning movie Tsotsi .  Gino took his kids to the cinema and asks the question, "What is the future of cinemas?&qu...

Yes? No? Send us a text Let us know what you think, what movie or series you would like to see featured, or just to tell us how brilliant it all is: instagram.com/africancouchpotato x.com/africancouchpot gino.arlechino@gmail.com WhatsApp Channel: Mzansi Film News, Views and Reviews  YouTube; African Couch Potato - YouTube   https://www.patreon.com/c/AfricanCouchPotato   Gino Shelile’s profile • Le...

A lot of us came across Brandon Auret's LinkedIN video where he spoke about foreign films, the importance of co-productions and how Donald Trump is throwing his toys when it comes to the American film industry.  Award-winning actor and filmmaker, Brandon, is best known for his roles on Elysium , District 9 , Chappie and popular soapie, Isidingo . He has called on Minister of Sport, Arts and C...

Donald Trump’s policy of slapping tariffs on anything that he thinks is threatening the American job market is possibly about to hit our industry as his latest rant threatens a 100% tariff on all foreign (to America) films. In this weeks look at what's happening, Gino explains just what that would mean for the South African film industry. Do you remember those great TV ads that used to grab t...

It's always good to see that our politicians are up for a laugh and none more so than one-time DA leader Helen Zille. Showmax and Laugh Africa lined up a host of celebrities for the Roast of Helen Zille who arrived in a glittering dress worthy of any red carpet. Of the Roast, the politician said, "They call it the Roast of Helen Zille, but I’m about to cook!" Gino was lucky enough t...

In this week's ACP, we were lucky enough to get both the director and the producer of the acclaimed road trip movie Die Kwiksilvers . Gino sits down with director Jordy Sank and producer Gabriella Blumberg from Sanktuary Films to find out how two "rooineks" ended up creating this delightful Afrikaans mix of comedy, grief and road trip antics. Jordy is a two-time South African Film a...

What's it like to win an Emmy? In this ep Gino gets to find out, as he chats to Stunt Coordinator Darrell McLean.  In March this year, Netflix's One Piece Live Action grabbed two major awards at the Children and Family Emmy Awards for “Outstanding Original Song for a Children’s or Young Teen Program” and “Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Live Program”. One Piece was actually nominate...

A mixed bag this week, as Gino looks at what's been happening in SA and abroad as well as local streaming highlights.  Local podcasts got a boost as DStv put 8 of the top local shows on the DStv bouquets. Kwa-Tsholo launched on Mzanzi Magic, drama and comedy weaved together in the world of hairdressing. Local production A Kind of Madness hits the silver screen at Nu Metro One Piece , a live m...

South Africa’s film, television and commercial production sectors now have a dedicated champion in the form of the Directors Guild of South Africa (DGSA). Chaired by acclaimed director, Andile Sinqoto, the guild is supplying "a unified voice for all creative directors, ensuring they are supported, protected and given the opportunities they deserve to thrive in their careers.”  African Couch P...

Millions of South Africans who had direct or indirect investments in the company Steinhof, suddenly saw their savings disappear overnight. Steinhoff CEO Markus Jooste got caught pulling the scam of the century. Steinheist, currently streaming on Showmax,  sheds light on Jooste’s scandalous business actions and on how corruption in the private sector all too regularly goes unnoticed.  Gino gets to...

Some people seem to be able to do it all. This episode finds Gino chatting to one such person. Yalezo Njuguna, film-maker, podcaster, content creator and curator, and the festival director of BAI Heatseekers. Yalezo is an acclaimed director and producer, known for his ability to capture the essence of contemporary African culture. His expertise covers many genres, including comedy, documentary, an...

This week's episode is something different as this year we are taking part in Podcasthon - a global movement where podcasters from across the world come together and dedicate an episode of their podcast to a charity that they would like to support. Our chosen charity is Kulea Childcare Villages.   In Kenya and Tanzania, families living in extreme or absolute poverty have high rates of malnutr...

What's been happening? What's hot and what's not? This week Gino looks at current events in the African broadcasting industry, plus Tyler Perry is back, with part 2 of Beauty in Black . We kick off with a plan to cover the cost of the national broadcaster, the SABC, by bringing in a levy on streaming services. Unless you have a TV licence, of course! Part 2 of Tyler Perry's Bea...

Sex sells! so they say, but Kanyi Nokwe sells sex. As Lady T, she oversees the daily operations of NubiaBlaq, an establishment that serves as a front for an escort agency in Showmax's hit show Soft LIfe . In this weeks episode Gino talks to Kanyi, a classically trained musician, thespian, public speaker & creative entrepreneur about her career and what drives her. This Naledi Theatre Awar...

"I bless the rains down in Africa, I bless the rains down in Africa (gonna take the time). . ." sung Toto way back when, and the rains sure have been happening here in Jozi, so we thought it best to also take our time. This week's episode finds Gino on his couch catching up with what Netflix has on offer. Umjolo: There Is No Cure - After former pageant queen works on a memoir after...

  Every now and again we need to look beyond the borders of our country or even the continent, and this is one of those episodes where our love for excellence takes us abroad. We kick off (see what we did there) with Kendrick Lamar's Superbowl Halftime show which drew 133.7 million viewers, more than MJ (133.1m) and certainly more than watched the actual game. Moving downfield, Gino is underw...

In this episode Gino gets back to us on what happened at the Multichoice Agency Day, where he was invited to give a talk in which he broke down the era of self-broadcasting and the need for synergy between traditional media such as television and the fastest growing digital format, podcasts, i.e. ACP.  The day kicked off at 9 with various speakers from the Multichoice (MC) group sharing insights a...

What's going down in our own backyard? In this episode Gino chats about what's new and what's news in our local film and television industry, kicking off with a fun day Adulting. In the third and final season of Adulting , the stakes are higher and the nights are wilder than ever. Bonga is newly married, Mpho is freshly divorced, Vuyani is about to open his dream nightclub, and Eric...