African Couch Potato

Welcome to ACP and our brand new Movie Book Club episode. This is a new idea where we cover books that are worth reading, especially if they have been turned into screenplays such as Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, 50 Shades of Grey, Game of Thrones and many more. From our friends at Exclusive Books, we got, among others, The Testaments by Margaret Attwood, currently streaming on Disney Plus.
The Testaments is the sequel to the well known The Handmaid's Tale, and is set roughly four years later. The series focuses on a new generation of young women in the dystopian world of Gilead. The story follows Agnes, the biological daughter of Offred, and Daisy, a teen brought into Gilead from outside. Both attend Aunt Lydia’s elite preparatory school for future wives, where obedience is enforced brutally and framed as divine duty.
Also check out Gino's list of other books that are either currently streaming on Disney Plus or are on their way:
The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson
Snow White Sing-along for a more interactive experience
Mufasa: The Lion King
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell, still in development by the studios. 
Freakier Friday the sequel to the adaptation of Mary Rodger’s “Freaky Friday” which came out in 2003
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Time to get your read on. Check out your local store or online at exclusivebooks.co.za
The Testaments supplied by Exclusive Books- the start to every great read. 
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
[email protected]
WhatsApp Channel: Mzansi Film News, Views and Reviews 
YouTube; African Couch Potato - YouTube 
https://www.patreon.com/c/AfricanCouchPotato 
Gino Shelile’s profile • Letterboxd
Member of the Film Critics Association of South Africa (FCASA)

Produced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting
[email protected]

Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay
CHqjHqS2RAMkVSeydGo7

© SANTE MEDIA 2026

Welcome to ACP, the number 1 film and television podcast to listen to in S.A. according to Feedspot.com, and this week do we have news for you!
Coming soon; not just a brand new totally South African action series, but hopefully the start of a whole new hig-impact, African rooted universe. Marvel, you have been warned!
This week Gino had the chance to chat to series creator Waleed Al-Yamani, alongside lead actor Richard Gau to talk all things Martyrs. 
The mini-series follows the lives of a detective partnership between Rian, a gut-driven rebel, and Lupita, a disciplined military orphan. The pair discover the body of a woman doused with a mysterious drug. This discovery leads them into an underground world, where they uncover a series of dark secrets. 
The series is a collaboration between Waleed, and Richard's People's Republic of Entertainment, and will launch on YouTube on June 27.
Save the date - it's gonna be hot!
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
[email protected]
WhatsApp Channel: Mzansi Film News, Views and Reviews 
YouTube; African Couch Potato - YouTube 
https://www.patreon.com/c/AfricanCouchPotato 
Gino Shelile’s profile • Letterboxd
Member of the Film Critics Association of South Africa (FCASA)

Produced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting
[email protected]

Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay
CHqjHqS2RAMkVSeydGo7

© SANTE MEDIA 2026

Imagine waking up to find your life savings are gone forever. Well, that's what happened to thousands of people in 2018, many of them from rural and low-income communities. who had deposited or invested with VBS Mutual Bank, when it was exposed as the epicentre of a massive fraud and corruption scandal. 
In today's ACP, Gino talks, via Zoom, to local documentary filmmaker Dowelani Nenzhelele, whose own family lost hundreds of thousands of rands, about, not only the personal cost, but the pain and suffering visited on the victims, many who still have seen nothing of their missing money. Dowelani talks about how working alongside Idea Candy helped him bring the whole sorry story to the screen.
The People vs VBS follows the money to show how a small mutual bank became entangled with multinational auditors, political parties, a royal household and a former president.
You can stream The People vs VBS on DStv Stream and don't forget to check out Backpack Films to find out what Dowelani and the next generation of film makers are up to.
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
[email protected]
WhatsApp Channel: Mzansi Film News, Views and Reviews 
YouTube; African Couch Potato - YouTube 
https://www.patreon.com/c/AfricanCouchPotato 
Gino Shelile’s profile • Letterboxd
Member of the Film Critics Association of South Africa (FCASA)

Produced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting
[email protected]

Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay
CHqjHqS2RAMkVSeydGo7

© SANTE MEDIA 2026

Variations on a Theme, a South African drama by directors Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar,  just won the coveted Tiger Award for best competition film at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in The Netherlands, and has now gone on to win the Best African Film award at the Joburg Film Festival 2026 Gala Awards.
So, obvs, we needed to talk to them. Gino got hold of them via Zoom to get some insight into the "whats?" and "whys?" behind the film. 
It tells the story of an elderly goat herder, Hettie, who falls victim to a scam promising long-overdue reparations for her father’s WWII service. As she waits for money that will never come, the disruptions of her 80th birthday threaten to strip away the last of her independence. 
Devon adds, “Although the film is fictional, it's based on the real experiences of people who have historically borne the brunt of a lot of injustices and continue to fall victim to these scams".
The Tiger Competition jury said: “Possessing a deep poetic language, we found this to be a thoughtful and moving portrait of a community living under the spectre of colonial legacies and familial bonds in this world and the next.”
You can catch Variations on a Theme at Ster-Kinekor V&A Nouveau in Cape Town or at Rosebank Nouveau in Johannesburg. 
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
[email protected]
WhatsApp Channel: Mzansi Film News, Views and Reviews 
YouTube; African Couch Potato - YouTube 
https://www.patreon.com/c/AfricanCouchPotato 
Gino Shelile’s profile • Letterboxd
Member of the Film Critics Association of South Africa (FCASA)

Produced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting
[email protected]

Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay
CHqjHqS2RAMkVSeydGo7

© SANTE MEDIA 2026

With invites from all over, this week Gino was spolt for choice. Welcome to African Couch Potato, the No.1 film and television podcast to listen to in SA according to Feedspot.com
Firstly, on a sad note, trailblazing beauty queen and established actress, Cynthia Shange has left us. After being crowned Miss Black South Africa she went on to represent the country at Miss World in 1972. She was also the lead star in South Africa's first black feature film, Udeliwe. 
The invites! Invite number 1 was to Michael, at the IMAX with Laser in Rosebank. A long, long time in production, the movie follows Michael's rise to stardom from the early days in the 60s to his explosion as a megastar in the early 90s. Go!
Invite number 2 was another groundbreaker in a way. BTS is a South Korean boy band who have made it big all over the world. After a pause to do military service, they reunited and started touring again. Their recent Arirang World Tour Tokyo concert was livestreamed to cinemas globally and Gino was there with the rest of the ARMY (Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth).
The 12th Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards are around the corner and this year they will be hosted by SA's Nomzamo Mbatha and Nigeria’s producer-comedian-actor, Bovi on the 9th May in Lagos.
While, on the same day, the SAFFA Stunt Awards are happening in Cape Town, you can get tickets by calling +27 83 716 1821.
And, don't miss the next ep, when Gino chats to directors Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar about their film, Variations on a Theme, which premiered earlier in 2026, won the Tiger Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and Best African Film at the 2026 Joburg Film Festival. Be there!
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
[email protected]
WhatsApp Channel: Mzansi Film News, Views and Reviews 
YouTube; African Couch Potato - YouTube 
https://www.patreon.com/c/AfricanCouchPotato 
Gino Shelile’s profile • Letterboxd
Member of the Film Critics Association of South Africa (FCASA)

Produced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting
[email protected]

Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay
CHqjHqS2RAMkVSeydGo7

© SANTE MEDIA 2026