African Couch Potato

Welcome to the latest News, Views and Reviews with ACP, still the number 1 film and television podcast to listen to in S.A. according to Feedspot.com.
Kicking off the week with a bunch of stuff to check out on Netflix:
Season 4 of Perfect Match 
Season 2 of Murder Mindfully
A new three part documentary on Kylie plus her "live-in-concert" 
The sports documentary series Untold hits the UK and first in the spotlight is footballer Jamie Vardy
Sacha Baron Cohen returns to the screen with the comedy Ladies First
and coming very soon is the South African produced biblical story of David. You can check out the soundtrack here       
Next up is Gino's review of Rafa, which offers a behind-the-scenes look at Rafael Nadal, his personal life, unseen archives, and his journey to return to competitive play in 2024 after overcoming injuries in 2023.
Exclusive Books answered Gino's prayers and sent us Jet Li’s Beyond Life and Death, so our next Movie Book Club will go there. From Kung Fu to comedy. In our second review, Sacha Baron Cohen returns with Ladies First, where a male chauvinist is transported to a matriarchal society, facing challenges from a formidable female version of himself.
And finally, the documentary festival, Encounters, is about to kick off, but more on that to come. For tickets and more info, head to the Encounters site. 
And a final final, Gino won a game of Baccarat at the new Jade Casino - move over Mr Bond!
 
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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
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© SANTE MEDIA 2026

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
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[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