On Screens This Week | 38th Edition

Published on 17 April 2025 at 09:56

On On Screens This Week,  our carefully curated recommendation is brimming with must-watch content that promises to captivate you. From jaw-dropping true crime stories and enlightening cinematic history lessons to adrenaline-pumping thrillers, heartwarming comedies, and binge-worthy dramas, there's something here for every mood and every viewer across the globe.

Kick off your holiday weekend with gripping documentaries like The Diamond Heist, then venture into the enchanting world of filmmaking with Light & Magic Season 2 and let Balomania ignite your inspiration!

In movie theatres, don't miss the spine-tingling excitement of Sinners, the raw intensity of Warfare, empathetic rag-to-riches moments and romance in Makemation, the powerful historical narrative of Kesari Chapter 2, or the touching story from Argentina told in The Penguin Lessons. Plus, join a heartwarming journey through love in the breathtaking safari backdrop of Sayari.

Ready for streaming? Dive into the edge-of-your-seat suspense of new series like The Stolen Girl and The Gardener or indulge in side-splitting humour mixed with real-life grit in Government Cheese. At home, film enthusiasts can savour profound narratives like Jinn, iHostage, and the charming South African rom-com Meet The Khumalos.

Don’t miss out on these incredible viewing experiences!

Films In Cinemas

Action | Drama | Horror | Thriller | Supernatural

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Synopsis: Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.

Writer & Director: Ryan Coogler

Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Delroy Lindo, Li Jun Li, Omar Benson Miller

Cine-grapher: Autumn Durald Arkapaw

Producers: Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Tina Anderson, Kenneth Yu

Editor: Michael P. Shawver

Release Date:  18 April 2025

Screening Territory: Global

Production Country: US

Cert: 15

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7joulECTx_U

Rating: 5 stars
1 vote

Drama | Comedy | Family

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Synopsis: When enrolled in the most prestigious Tech School in the country, a poor, courageous teenage girl must prove her genius and save her family, despite the myriad challenges she faces.

Writers: Nengi Diri & Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji

Cast: Richard Mofe-Damijo, Shaffy Bello, Tomi Ojo, Ali Nuhu, Chioma Chukwuka Akpotha, Tony Umez, Jide Kosoko, Yvonne Jegede

Cine-grapher: Adeniyi Joseph

Editors: Adio Solanke & Biyi Toluwalase

Producers: Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, Michael Akinrogun, Paul Osagie Ehigie, Shaffy Bello, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Frederick Sam Uwakwe & Tolu Obanro

Director: Michael Akinrogun

Release Date:  18 April 2025

Screening Territory: West Africa

Production Country: Nigeria

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cw2dneeAh88

Rating: 4 stars
1 vote

War | Action | Docudrama

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Synopsis: Written and directed by Iraq War veteran Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland (Civil War, 28 Days Later), Warfare embeds audiences with a platoon of American Navy SEALs on a surveillance mission gone wrong in insurgent territory. A visceral, boots-on-the-ground story of modern warfare and brotherhood, told like never before: in real time and based on the memory of the people who lived it.

Writers & Directors: Ray Mendoza & Alexrland

Cast: D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Kit Connor, Finn Bennett, Taylor John Smith, Michael Gandolfini, Adain Bradley, Noah Centineo, Evan Holtzman, Henrique Zaga, Joseph Quinn, Charles Melton

Cine-grapher: David J. Thompson

Production Designer: Mark Digby

Costume Designer: David Crossman & Neil Murphy

Producers: Andrew Macdonald, Matthew Penry-Davey, Allon Reich, Peter Rice & Charlie Reed

Editor: Fin Oates 

Release Date:  18 April 2025

Screening Territory: Global

Production Location: London, UK

Production Country: US & UK

Cert: 15

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JER0Fkyy3tw&t=39s

Rating: 4 stars
1 vote

Films In Cinemas

Docudrama | Period Drama | History | Courtroom Drama

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Synopsis: Adapted from Raghu Palat & Pushpa Palat’s book, “The Case That Shook The Empire” this film is a historical legal drama that shines light on one of the most fascinating cases of Indian history – “Sankaran Nair vs. The Crown. Set in the early 1900s, the film showcases the legendary courtroom battle that proved to the world that Jallianwala Bagh was a case of cold blooded ‘genocide’ and not a suppression of armed and dangerous rioters. And at the heart of the film is Sankaran Nair, a charismatic, larger than life Barrister.

Writer: Amritpal Singh Bindra, Akshat Ghilial & Sumit Saxena

Cast: Ananya Panday, Sammy Jonas Heaney, Akshay Kumar, Madhavan, Sammy Jonas Heaney, Steven Hartley, Mark Bennington

Cine-grapher: Debojeet Ray

Production Designer: Rita Ghosh

Costume Designer: Sheetal Sharma

Producers: Hiroo Johar, Karan Johar, Aruna Bhatia, Amritpal Singh Bindra, etc.

Editor: Nitin Baid

Director: Karan Singh Tyagi

Release Date:  18 April 2025

Languages: English & Hindi

Screening Territory: Global

Production Country: Ireland & India

Cert: 15

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-7g08INMSI

Rating: 4 stars
1 vote

Drama | Comedy

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Synopsis: In 1976, as Argentina descends into violence and chaos, a world-weary English teacher regains his compassion for others thanks to an unlikely friendship with a penguin.

Writers: Jeff Pope & Tom Michell

Cast: Steve Coogan, Vivian El Jaber, Bjorn Gustafsson, Jonathan Pryce, Alfonsina Carrocio, David Herrero, Aimar Miranda, Hugo Fuertes

Cine-grapher: Xavi Gimenez

Editor: Robin Peters

Production Designer: Isona Rigau

Costume Designer: Alberto Valcarcel

Producers: Rory Aitken, Adrain Guerra, Andrew Noble, Ben Pugh, Robert Walak

Director: Peter Cattaneo

Languages: English & Spanish

Release Date:  From 17 April 2025

Screening Territory: Europe, Australasia, Brazil

Production Countries: Spain, US, Ireland & UK

Cert: 12A

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdjEXNX1nSA

Rating: 5 stars
1 vote

Comedy | Romance

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Synopsis: Shiru, a struggling BnB manager in rural Kenya is recruited by the father of a runway groom to make sure he shows up for his wedding.

Writers: June Wairegi & Omar Hamza

Cast: Deogratias Chelule, Gitura Kamau & Eddy Kimani, Jack Mutinda, Lucarelli Onyango, Muhugu Theuri

Production Designer: Samuel Luwelian Mnene

Costume Designer: Vivian Njeri Kimotho

Producer: June Wairegi

Director: Omar Hamza

Release Date:  11 April 2025

Screening Territory: Kenya & other countries in East Africa

Production Country: Kenya

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEfxJud_5ZI

Rating: 4 stars
1 vote

TV Series On Streaming

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Synopsis: A seemingly ordinary decision turns the world of Elisa, mum to two young kids, upside down. When her daughter Lucia asks to go to a sleepover at her new best friend Josie's house, Elisa agrees. After meeting Josie's mother, Rebecca, she's put at ease by her charming nature and their impressive house. But when she says goodnight to her daughter, she has no idea that she is about to be thrust into every parent's worst nightmare.

Writer: Alex Dahl & Catherine Moulton

Cast: Denise Gough, Holliday Grainger, Robyn Betteridge, Ambika Mod, Jim sturgess, Bronagh Waugh, Layo-Christina Akinlude, Michael Workeye

Cine-grapher: Mattias Troelstrup

Producers: James Dean, Eva Husson, Alex Dahl, Nichola Shindler, Johanna Devereaux, John Woodward

Editors: Kristin Brzoznowski

Production Design: Carly Reddin

Costume Designer: Lynsey Moore

Director: Eva Husson

Release Date:  16 April 2025

Streaming On: Disney+

Production Location: Manchester

Production Country: UK

Cert: 14

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPZOU0YRhSY

Rating: 4 stars
1 vote

Comedy | Drama

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Synopsis: When Hampton Chambers is released from prison, his long-awaited family reunion doesn't go quite as he'd planned; during his absence, Hampton's wife and sons have formed an unconventional family unit and Hampton's return spins their world into chaos.

Writers: Paul Hunter & Aeysha Carr

Cast: David Oyelowo, Simone Missick, Djilali Rez-Kallah, Bokeem Woodbine, Jeremy Bobb, Evan Ellison, Jahi Di’Allo Winston, London Garcia

Cine-grapher: Matthew J. Lloy

Production Designer: Warren Alan Young

Costume Designer: Nancy Steiner

Producers: Sheila Phillips, Vernon Davidson, Marta Fernandez, Jamila Hunter, Ahmadou Seck

Editors: Joel T. Pashby, Sarah Zeitlin, Sam Seig & Kris Kukuk

Director: Paul Hunter

Release Date:  16 April 2025

Streaming On: Apple TV+

Production Location: Vancouver, Canada

Production Country: US

Cert: 15

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fQf2o2kEMQ

Rating: 4 stars
1 vote

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Synopsis: The Gardener tells the story of Elmer and his controlling mother, La China Jurado, who runs a garden center that hides another thriving underground murder-for-hire business. Killing is easy for Elmer. An accident has left him emotionless. However, while planning the murder of Violet, a charming nursery school teacher, he falls in love with her. Elmer must learn to love while his mother does everything she can to end Violet's life.

Writers: Miguel Saez Carral & Isa Sanchez

Cast: Alvaro Rico, Cecilia Suarez, Catalina Sopelana, Ivan Massague, Emma Suarez, Maria Vazquez, Javier Morgade, Isabel Garrido

Cine-grapher: Rafa Garcia

Production Designer:

Costume Designer: Anna Pons

Producer:  Miguel Lorenzo

Editors: Regino Hernandez, Domi Parra & Joe Tornos

Directors: Mikel Rueda & Rafa Montesinos

Release Date:  11 April 2025

Language: Spanish (Subtitles & Dubs)

Streaming On: Netflix

Production Country: Spain

Production Locations: Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain

Cert: 16

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA0WGdeexOU

Rating: 5 stars
1 vote

Films On Streaming

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Synopsis: iHostage is a gripping thriller inspired by the shocking 2022 hostage crisis at Amsterdam's Apple Store. The film follows a Bulgarian man caught in a life-threatening ordeal as an armed assailant holds the building's occupants hostage. Through the eyes of the attacker, the hostages, and the first responders, iHostage delivers a tense and emotional tale of courage, survival, and the lasting impact of terror. Based on true events.

Writer: Bobby Boermans & Simon de Waal

Cast: Matteo van der Grijn, Loes Haverkort, Jasmine Sender, Louise Talpe, Thijs Boermans, Emmanuel Ohene Boafo, Marcel Hensema, Roosmarijn van der Hoek, Fockeline Ouwerkerk

Cine-grapher: Daan Nieuwenhuijs

Production Designer: Florian Legters

Costume Designer: Fieke Nicolai

Producers: Sabine Brian, Boudewijn Rosenmuller, Diederik Van Rooijen, Robin Kerremans & Eveline Kortenaar

Editor: Brian End

Director: Bobby Boermans

Release Date:  18 April 2026

Streaming On: Netflix

Production Country: Netherlands

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dhg-3ME2L6M

Rating: 4 stars
1 vote

South African | Romantic Comedy | Drama

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Synopsis: Two moms — once best friends, now arch-enemies — start a neighbourhood war against each other when they find out their kids are head-over-heels in love.

Writer: Gillian Breslin & Wendy Gumede

Cast: Ayanda Borotho, Bonga Dlamini, Jesse Suntele, Khosi Ngema, Connie Chiume, Nandipa Khubone, Khanyi Mbau, Siyabongo Melongisi Shibe

Cine-grapher: Bradley Devine

Production Designer: Nokuthula Sishi

Costume Designer: Nokubonga Ngobeni

Producers: Jayan Moodley & Indhrannie Pillay

Editors: Tim Greene & Wentzel Burger

Director: Jayan Moodley

Release Date:  11 April 2025

Streaming On: Netflix

Production Locations: Umhlanga Rocks, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Production Country: South Africa

Cert: 12

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvLMwhL7BBg

Rating: 4 stars
1 vote

Drama

(On Tubi)

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Synopsis: Summer is a 17-year-old carefree black girl, whose world is turned upside down when her mother, a popular meteorologist named Jade Jennings, abruptly converts to Islam and becomes a different person, prompting Summer to reevaluate her identity.

Writer & Director: Nijla Mumin

Cast: Simone Missick, Zoe Renee, Hisham Tawfiq, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Kelly Jenrette, Dorian Missick, Emily Adams, Upasana Beharee, Megan Clancy, Damien D. Smith

Cine-grapher: Bruce Frances Cole

Production Designer:

Costume Designer: Elizabeth Birkett

Producers: Maya Emelle, Avril Z. Speaks & Arielle Saturne

Editor: Collin Kriner

Streaming On: Tubi

Production Country: US

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDHOrcymopk

Rating: 4 stars
1 vote

Documentaries

Documentary

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Synopsis: With police and bounty hunters hot on her heels, a young filmmaker embarks on a wild ride with a Brazilian brotherhood of balloon builders. A real-life action film with an incredible story about finding freedom against all odds.

Writer & Sinead O’Shea

Cast: Sisseel Morell Dargis, Jaba Ricardo Mariano, Ton Everton,

Cine-graphers: Sissel Morell Dargis & Elisa Barbosa Riva

Editors: Rikke Selin Als, Biel Andres, Isabel De Castro Monteiro Steen Johannessen & Bruno Heirerro Parente

Director: Sissel Morell Dargis

Release Date: 4 April 2025

Screening Territory: UK (Bertha DocHouse, Curzon Bloomsbury
The Brunswick Centre, London WC1N 1AW

Country of Production: Brazil

Cert: PG

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuy8YzWQSVs

Rating: 5 stars
1 vote

History | Filmmaking

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Synopsis: Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Lawrence Kasdan takes viewers on an adventure behind the curtains of Industrial Light & Magic, the special visual effects, animation and virtual production division of Lucasfilm. Learn what inspired some of the most legendary filmmakers in Hollywood history and follow their stories from their earliest personal films to bringing George Lucas’ vision to life.

Cast: Lorne Peterson, George Lucas, Dennis Muren, Ron Howard, Ken Ralston, Phil Tippett, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Doug Chiang

Directors: Lawrence Kasdan & Joe Johnston

Streaming On: Disney+

Release Date: 18 April 2025

Screening Territory: Global

Country of Production: US

Cert: 12

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGs-5G3qVwk

Rating: 5 stars
1 vote

True Crime | History | Mystery

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Synopsis: In 2000, a group of London criminals plan an audacious heist: ram-raid the Millennium Dome, steal diamond and escape by boat on the Thames, but the police are surveilling them.

Writer & Director: Jesse Vile

Cast: Nicholas Blatt, Luke Philpott, Tuncay Gunes,

Cine-grapher: Tim Cragg

Production Designer: Phoebe Anne Harris

Costume Designer: Cecile Van Dijk

Producers: Jonathan Chinn, Simo Chinn, Tibo Travers, Emma Haw, Guy Ritchie

Release Date: 16 April 2025

Screening Territory: Global

Country of Production: UK

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYu1SPrakXA&t=7s

Rating: 4 stars
1 vote

A Tribute to Ousmane Sembène – The Father of African Cine

OUSMANE SEMBENE (1923 - 2007)

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This week’s tribute goes to Ousmane Sembène — a storyteller, a revolutionary, and a tireless advocate for African voices. Born in 1923 in Ziguinchor, Senegal, Sembène was more than a filmmaker; he was a cultural guardian who wielded the camera as both mirror and weapon, reflecting the truths of African society while challenging the forces that sought to suppress it.

Sembène’s journey began not in cinema, but in literature. His powerful novels laid the foundation for his artistic vision — works like God’s Bits of Wood and The Black Docker unveiled the struggles of working-class Africans, colonial resistance, and the strength of communal solidarity. But it was through film that Sembène found the most potent medium to reach his people — especially those who could not read.

In 1966, La Noire de… (Black Girl), his debut feature announced a new era. It was the first film made by a sub-Saharan African to gain international acclaim. But more importantly, it told the story of a young Senegalese woman whose dreams of a better life in France unravel into tragedy — a poignant metaphor for postcolonial disillusionment.

Sembène never flinched. Whether confronting corruption in Xala, exploring women's resistance in Moolaadé, or reclaiming African spiritual traditions in Ceddo, he used cinema to expose, question, and uplift. He believed that Africa’s future depended on its ability to tell its own stories — without apology, without compromise.

We honour Ousmane Sembène not just as the father of African cinema, but as a beacon of integrity, courage, and unwavering love for his people. His work continues to inspire a new generation of African artists and thinkers, reminding us that storytelling is not just entertainment but also a revolutionary act.

Sembène once said, “The artist must in many ways be the mouth and the ears of his people.” We remember a man who gave Africa its voice — bold, unafraid, and unforgettable.

Your lens lives on, Sembène.

Whether you're craving action, mystery, romance, or a story that pulls at your heartstrings, this week’s lineup delivers the goods. From the frontlines of war to courtroom drama, supernatural battles to charming family tales—On Screens This Week brings you stories worth watching, sharing, and talking about.

And as we celebrate new voices and compelling content, we also honour the legacy of Ousmane Sembene, the father of African cinema—a visionary who used film as a tool for truth, culture, and change. His influence lives on in every story that dares to reflect the world as it is—and as it could be.

Until next week, happy watching!

*Posters, synopsis and trailers are copyrights of the original owners.

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