Best local content to stream this festive season, from White Lies to Spooksoeker to Christmas Clothes

Ke Dezember boss, and Showmax is bringing you entertainment from wherever you are.

If you are still not sure as to what to watch this festive season, Showmax has a lot of shows you can choose from. See the options below:

COMING SOON

WHITE LIES S1 | Binge from Monday, 23 December 

M-Net’s hit murder mystery White Lies stars Critics Choice Super nominee Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell in Game of Thrones) as Edie, an investigative journalist whose estranged brother is murdered in his luxury Bishopscourt home, leaving his teenage children as the prime suspects. 

As Edie investigates, she finds herself at loggerheads with veteran detective Forty Bell (SAFTA winner Brendon Daniels from Spinners) while grappling with the crumbling local police force, a corrupt political system, and the secretive world of extreme Cape wealth.

White Lies is produced by Quizzical Pictures in partnership with Fremantle, building on the success of their previous collab, Reyka, which was nominated for two International Emmys. The crime series is created by SAFTA and Silwerskerm winner Sean Steinberg (Spinners), with multi-award winner John Trengrove (The Wound, Manodrome) as the lead director. 

Fremantle has already sold White Lies to Channel 4 in the UK, Sundance Now in North America, and STAN in Australia, where it charted at #3.  

In a five-star review, News24’s Thinus Ferreira hailed it as “masterful TV storytelling… eye-popping and Sherlock Holmesian.”

Watch the trailer: 

OUTOPSIE S1-3 | Binge from Thursday, 19 December

Named Best Factual Programme at the 2024 SAFTAs, Outopsie’s third season once again examines the evidence uncovered during post-mortem examinations in some of South Africa’s most high-profile criminal investigations. 

Senior forensic pathologist Hestelle van Staden, author of Outopsie: Bloed Vertel ‘n Storie, takes us through a step-by-step breakdown of each autopsy, with key players also sharing their experiences, from the crime scene to the evidence presented in court. Each case is shocking, unique and, at times, stranger than fiction.

Season 3 includes the investigations into two murders that involved unusual weapons, an apparent double suicide, and the 2007 murder of seven-year-old Sheldean Human.

Watch the S2 trailer: 

PS Looking for more local true crime? Binge Huisgenoot Ware Lewensdramas S10 from Tuesday, 5 December; the second season of its family crime spinoff Huisgenoot Ware Lewensdramas: Vlees en Bloed from Monday, 23 December; and The History Channel’s Great African Crimes with Mandy Wiener from Monday, 16 December. 

MAAK STIL DIE GEBLAF | Stream from Wednesday, 11 December

Maak Stil Die Geblaf won the Best Short Documentary Award at this year’s Silwerskerm Festival, as well as Best Direction in the documentary category for Marisa van Tonder. 

Filmed in a farming community in the Hex River Valley, the heartwarming story follows a small group of 11-year-old children and their four-legged friends as they train for a dog jumping competition in Stellenbosch. Along the way, they learn compassion towards animals as they discover their own voices and navigate a path into their futures.

Watch the trailer: 

VERGEET VAN MY | Stream from Wednesday, 11 December

Written and directed by Beer Adriaanse, Vergeet van My won Best Editing for Pierre-Arnold Theron in the documentary category at the 2024 Silwerskerm Festival.

Adriaanse is a Silwerskerm-winning actor (Wonderlus), a SAFTA-nominated writer-director (Hotel, Taktiek), and the former drummer of Zinkplaat. 

When his parents were cleaning out their storage room in 2021, they came across a forgotten black crate. Out of this came photographs, journals and plastic bags full of DV8 video cassette recordings that captured various tours over a 10-year period. Against the backdrop of a boom in alternative South African music, the archive material tells a story of discovery, youthful rebellion, growing up, and the dream of being part of something bigger. 

With music from Zinkplaat, Foto Na Dans, eF-eL, Straatligkinders, Tidal Waves, and New Holland, this is a doc you can dance to.

Watch the trailer: 

STREAM NOW

SOFT LIFE S1 | Showmax Original | Mondays until 10 February 2025

In a bid to settle her mother’s rising medical bills, a beautiful township woman plunges into the secretive world of high-society companionship. Fearful of how her profession could shatter everything she holds dear, she must keep her dual life hidden.

Zizipho Buti (Generations: The Legacy) stars as Owami. National Film and Television Awards Best Newcomer winner Katlego Lebogang (Spinners, Yoh! Christmas) and Mampho Brescia (Isibiya) play Zinhle and Zam: the star employee and owner at the escort agency respectively. Also look out for Ayanda Daweti (Scandal!, Gomora), SAFTA winner Nambitha Mpumlwana (The Lab), and African Movie Academy Awards nominee Chumani Pan (Igazi, Inkabi and Ashes to Ashes). 

Created by Vusi Zion for Afriprime, the 16-rated drama series is produced by Urban Brew Studios. SAFTA winners Nozipho Nkelemba (Gomora) and Nthabiseng Mokoena (The Wife) direct. 

Watch the trailer: 

SPOOKSOEKER S1 | Showmax Original | Thursdays until 27 February 2025

When Warno Alberts turns 15, he suddenly becomes aware of ghosts in his dorpie – and that it’s now his job to banish them. 

Based on the bestselling young adult novels by multi-award-winner François Bloemhof, Spooksoeker introduces Rico Immelman as Warno and Zarelda de Bruin as the literal girl-next-door Melissa, with Silwerskerm 2023 Best Supporting Actor winner and double Aardklop 2024 nominee Joshwin Dyson (2024 Oscar entry Old Righteous Blues) as Warno’s best friend Allies. 

SAFTA nominee Roeline Daneel (Reyka S2) and Laudo Liebenberg (DAM, One Piece) play Warno’s parents, while the stacked cast also includes SAFTA winners June van Merch (Sara Se Geheim) and Morné Visser (Dis Ek, Anna), not to mention the likes of Daneel van der Walt, David Isaacs, Deon Coetzee, Ira Blanckenberg, Ivan Zimmerman, Izel Bezuidenhout, Jane de Wet, Terence Bridgett, Marguerite van Eeden, and Waldemar Schultz in supporting roles – some as ghosts… 

Watch the trailer: 

CHRISTMAS CLOTHES | Showmax Original | Stream from today

Set in Soweto on Christmas Eve, Christmas Clothes stars Omhle Tshabalala (Scandal!, Classified, Unseen) as Nqubeko, a teenager who embarks on a quest to reclaim his stolen Christmas clothes from a neighbourhood bully (Tshepo Mohale).

Produced by Media Sync and directed by Athi Petela (M’tase Khaya), the heartwarming Christmas film also features SAFTA winner Thami Mngqolo (Generations, Isono, Muvhango) and Khanya Sosibo (Generations: The Legacy, The Estate) as Nqubeko’s parents. 

Also look out for rising stars Slindokuhle Tshabalala (Youngins, Nikiwe) and Siphosihle Khanyile (Adulting, The Estate). 

Watch the trailer: 

BAAS SE HONNE | Stream from today

Winner of the Best Shotgun Short Film Award (and Best Editing in a short film) at the 2024 kykNET Silwerskerm Awards, Baas se Honne follows Gys (SAFTA nominee Albert Pretorius from Spinners and Nêrens, Noord-Kaap), whose messy life has landed him in a tight spot. 

His boss, Roelf (Silwerskerm winner Carel Nel from Gaia), is done taking care of and cleaning up after a puppy he emphatically never wanted. Now he’s forcing Gys to do his dirty work for him and put Buksie down. If Gys refuses, his job will be on the line. Gys has to make a plan, and quickly … 

With Baas se Honne, SAFTA-winning writer-director Bennie Fourie (Taktiek, Hotel, Vuil Wasgoed) brings us a dark comedy that extracts the divine from the ridiculous, boasting a soundtrack by Peach van Pletzen and a cast that includes screen favourites like three-time SAFTA winner James Borthwick (Hotel, Som van Twee), SAFTA nominee Mila Guy (Hotel) and Silwerskerm winner Rolanda Marais (Die Byl, Recipes for Love and Murder, Poppie Nongena).

Watch the trailer: 

MARIE SE LAASTE DAG | Stream from today

At this year’s kykNET Silwerskerm Awards, Marie se Laaste Dag won Best Short Film and Script by an emerging filmmaker, as well as Best Cinematography. 

The story is set in 1994 when, after years of tense negotiations and the first democratic elections, the government of national unity is ready to report for duty. Marie, who’s been secretary to mineral resources minister Hendrik van der Merwe for years, needs to organise her boss’ first meeting with the incoming minister of defence, Mayihlome Khumalo. Marie is ready to embrace the ideals of a new South Africa. She is even willing to risk her job for a brighter future for South Africa.

Mandri Sutherland (Trompoppie, Taktiek) stars as Marie, with SAFTA winner Deon Lotz (Taktiek, Skoonheid, Axis Mundi), Dumisani Mbebe (Savage Beauty, How to Ruin Love) and Jacaranda FM presenter Rozanne McKenzie co-starring. 

SAFTA-nominated In Gesprek and Carte Blanche presenter Lourensa Eckard showcases her comedic talent as director on the short film, which she penned alongside Arendsvlei writer Mercy Kannemeyer.

Watch the trailer: 

DIE SKYNWERPER | Stream from Friday, 6 December

At this year’s kykNET Silwerskerm Awards, Die Skynwerper won Best Actor: Short Film for Ben Albertyn (Dinge van ’n Kind), who stars opposite 2024 Silwerskerm winner Dawid Minnaar (Koek) and multi-award winner Antoinette Kellermann (Mad Max: Fury Road).

The psychological thriller also won Best Direction by an Emerging Filmmaker for director De Wet van Rooyen, who co-wrote the script alongside Linsen Loots. (The pair previously collaborated on Minder as Niks, and Dissonant, which won multiple awards at Cape Town’s 2021 48 Hour Film Project and the global finals at Filmapalooza.)

The story follows Nelis (Albertyn), who lives in seclusion with his paralysed father (Minnaar). When Nelis loses his job, he considers participating in a reality series called Die Skynwerper, but when his audition fails, he becomes suspicious of the series’ presenter, who he believes is manipulating his life from the shadows…

Watch the trailer: 

SELAH | Stream from Friday, 6 December

Selah earned SAFTA nominee Erica Wessels her third Silwerskerm Best Actress Award this year.  The actress (who previously won for Donkerbos and Vlees van my Vlees) portrays an exhausted mother facing the trauma of postnatal depression, a colicky baby, and the unspoken realities of new parenthood. 

Written and directed by SAFTA and Silwerskerm winner Brett Michael Innes (Fiela se Kind), Selah also stars SAFTA and AMAA nominee Keenan Arrison (The Fix, Binnelanders).

Watch the trailer: 

EVERYTHING ON SHOWMAX IN DECEMBER

Showmax is ending 2024 on a high with a varied lineup that includes: 

• 2024 box office hits A Quiet Place: Day One, IF and Wonka

• Serial killer series Sweetpea, starring Ella Purnell, already renewed for a second season

• A second season of Based on A True Story, starring Kaley Cuoco

• Final seasons of critics’ favourites My Brilliant Friend and Somebody Somewhere

• The first two seasons of 2024 Critics Choice Best Drama nominee Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

• All seven seasons of 30 Rock, one of the most acclaimed comedies of all time

• Emmy-nominated stand up comedy specials John Early: Now More Than Ever and Ramy Youssef: More Feelings

• New seasons of reality TV phenomena The Real Housewives of Orange County and The Bachelor

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