South African biographical drama films

Invictus is a 2009 biographical sports film directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon, making it the third collaboration between Eastwood and Freeman after Unforgiven (1992) and Million Dollar Baby (2004). The story is based on the 2008 John Carlin book Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation about the events in South Africa before and during the 1995 Rugby World Cup. The Springboks were not expected to perform well, the team having only recently returned to high-level international competition following the dismantling of apartheid—the country was hosting the World Cup, thus earning an automatic entry. Freeman portrays South African President Nelson Mandela while Damon played Francois Pienaar, the captain of the Springboks, the South Africa rugby union team.

The Bang Bang Club is a 2010 Canadian-South African biographical drama film written and directed by Steven Silver and stars Ryan Phillippe as Greg Marinovich, Malin Åkerman as Robin Comley, Taylor Kitsch as Kevin Carter, Frank Rautenbach as Ken Oosterbroek and Neels Van Jaarsveld as João Silva. They portray the lives of four photojournalists active within the townships of South Africa during the apartheid period, particularly between 1990 and 1994, from when Nelson Mandela was released from prison to the 1994 elections.

Stander is a 2003 South African biographical film directed by Bronwen Hughes, about Captain André Stander, a South African police officer turned bank robber, starring Thomas Jane, who initially turned down the role. The filmmakers were able to talk to Allan Heyl, one of Stander's accomplices who was still imprisoned; Cor van Deventer, his police partner; and the warden of the prison where André was incarcerated.

Skin is a 2008 biographical drama film directed by Anthony Fabian. It is based on the book When She Was White: The True Story of a Family Divided by Race by Judith Stone, and the life of Sandra Laing, a South African woman born to white parents, who was classified as "Coloured" during the apartheid era, presumably due to a genetic case of atavism.

The Perfect Wave is a 2014 biographical drama film about the life of Ian McCormack, a surfer who became a minister after his near death experience. The film stars Scott Eastwood as McCormack. It is the directorial debut of Bruce Macdonald.

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is a 2013 biographical film directed by Justin Chadwick from a script written by William Nicholson and starring Idris Elba and Naomie Harris. The film is based on the 1994 autobiographical book Long Walk to Freedom by anti-apartheid revolutionary and former South African President Nelson Mandela.

Faith Like Potatoes is a 2006 South African biographical drama film based on the 1998 book written by Angus Buchan, "Faith Like Potatoes". It is written and directed by Regardt van den Bergh, and stars Frank Rautenbach, Jeanne Wilhelm, Hamilton Dhlamini, and Sean Cameron Michael. The film follows Buchan and his family's move from Zambia to South Africa and chronicles his Christian faith throughout that time.

Winnie Mandela is a 2011 South African-Canadian historical drama film starring Jennifer Hudson and Terrence Howard as Winnie and Nelson Mandela. Based on Anne Marie du Preez Bezrob's biography Winnie Mandela: A Life, the film is directed by Darrell Roodt and co-stars Wendy Crewson, Elias Koteas and Justin Strydom. Image Entertainment released the film in theaters on September 6, 2013. It received generally negative reviews.

Girl You Know It's True is a 2023 biographical film about the controversial late-1980s/early-1990s music duo Milli Vanilli, who caused one of the most infamous scandals in international pop music. Simon Verhoeven wrote, directed and co-produced the biopic, which was produced by Wiedemann & Berg Film, with Leonine as the theatrical distributor, released in cinemas on December 21, 2023. The movie stars Tijan Njie [de] and Elan Ben Ali as the lip-synching stage artists Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan, respectively, as well as Matthias Schweighöfer as the instigating music producer Frank Farian.

Moffie is a 2019 biographical war romantic drama film co-written and directed by Oliver Hermanus. Based on the autobiographical novel of the same name by André Carl van der Merwe, the film depicts mandatory conscription into the notorious South African Defence Force (SADF) during apartheid through the eyes of a young closeted character Nicholas van der Swart (Kai Luke Brümmer) as he attempts to hide his attraction to another gay recruit (Ryan de Villiers) in a hostile environment. The title derives from a homophobic slur in South Africa used to police masculinity.