100 Foot Wave S2. Picture: Supplied
Showmax is featuring a variety of African documentaries that are gaining popularity in 2023. These documentaries include inspiring true stories like Rise: The Siya Kolisi Story and Blind Ambition, as well as gripping true-crime tales like Girl, Taken and Stella Murders.
Additionally, there are fascinating international documentaries available for streaming on Showmax.
Presented for your viewing pleasure this July, the platform brings you a collection of eight best international captivating documentaries you can watch.
In Season 2 of the HBO documentary series 100 Foot Wave, renowned surfer Garrett McNamara and his peers, along with some new faces, continue to push the boundaries of big-wave surfing.
The first season received acclaim, winning awards for cinematography and sports programming. With a perfect critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the series has been praised as a thrilling and captivating watch by LA Weekly.
Attention, Lizzbians. The HBO documentary film Love, Lizzo tells the inspiring story of a groundbreaking superstar and advocate for body positivity. Lizzo’s authenticity has made her a beacon of hope and a symbol of change in the world.
Lizzo’s remarkable achievements include being named Time Magazine‘s Entertainer of the Year in 2019, winning four Grammy Awards (including Record of the Year in 2023), and earning accolades such as an Emmy for her reality show Watch Out For The Big Grrrls, a BET Award, and a People’s Choice Award.
She has a massive following on social media, with over 13 million Instagram followers and more than 26 million on TikTok, where she became the most viewed artist in 2022 with over a billion likes.
Directed by Grammy winner and Emmy nominee Doug Pray, Love, Lizzo was a nominee for Best Music Documentary at the 2023 MTV Movie + TV Awards.
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Women Who Rock is a captivating four-part series that celebrates the incredible achievements of female pioneers in the music industry.
These trailblazing women have conquered the stage, played their instruments, and created the memorable songs that have shaped our lives.
The series showcases the inspiring stories of these talented artists, highlighting their fame, power, authenticity, resilience, and well-deserved success.
Featuring renowned musicians like Shania Twain, Norah Jones, Sheryl Crow, Joan Jett, Pat Benatar, Chaka Khan, Janis Joplin, Annie Clark (aka St Vincent), Macy Gray, Nancy Wilson, Tori Amos, and Mavis Staples, Women Who Rock has received a nomination for Outstanding Anthology Series at the 2023 Cinema Eye Honors Awards.
In the past five decades, Janet Jackson has achieved great success, winning five Grammys and selling over 100 million records. However, she has also faced personal challenges and lived a difficult private life in the public eye.
In the four-part documentary series, Janet Jackson, the famous pop star shares her personal story for the first time.
She talks openly about growing up in the spotlight as part of a renowned musical family, including her relationship with her brother Michael.
The series, filmed over five years, includes old footage, never-before-seen home videos, and interviews with notable personalities like Mariah Carey, Samuel L. Jackson, Whoopi Goldberg, Regina King, Debbie Allen, Janelle Monáe, and Tyler Perry.
Produced by Janet and her brother Randy Jackson, Janet Jackson was nominated for awards, including Outstanding Documentary at the Black Reel Awards, a Hollywood Critics Association Award, and Best Music Documentary at the MTV Movie + TV Awards.
Subjects of Desire, a nominated documentary for the 2023 Writers Guild of Canada award, explores the evolving beauty standards in North America that now embrace Black female aesthetics and features.
Told through the perspectives of fearless women who challenge traditional beauty norms, the film includes renowned figures like Grammy winner India Arie, Canadian R&B icon Jully Black, and former Miss Black America winners such as activist Brittany Lee Lewis and tech entrepreneur Ryann Richardson.
With a perfect rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, Subjects of Desire is hailed as an enlightening and impactful analysis of the history of beauty for Black women.
RogerEbert.com describes it as “eye-opening,” while Variety describes it as a dynamic portrayal of Black women defining their own beauty standards.
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Julia is a documentary that tells the remarkable story of Julia Child, a renowned cookbook author and TV personality who revolutionised American perspectives on food, television and women.
Through exclusive footage, personal photos, and captivating storytelling, the film follows Child’s journey from her challenges in creating the groundbreaking cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking to her unexpected success as a TV star in her 50s.
With nominations for two Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards and an impressive 96% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Julia is hailed for its culinary charm and engaging storytelling.
Directed by Julie Cohen and Betsy West, known for their Oscar-nominated RBG documentary on Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Kingdom of Dream is a documentary by the Emmy-winning and BAFTA-nominated filmmakers who brought us McQueen and Rising Phoenix.
The film explores the remarkable journeys of fashion designers John Galliano, Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen, and Tom Ford.
It showcases how influential figures like Bernard Arnault, Francois Pinault, and Anna Wintour reshape the fashion industry, taking over the major fashion capitals of Paris, Milan, London, and New York.
According to Mail on Sunday, the film combines groundbreaking creativity and high-stakes business, while Radio Times describes it as a captivating story beautifully presented with lavish illustrations.
I Love You, You Hate Me is a two-part documentary that tells the story of Barney the Dinosaur and the strong negative reactions it received.
It explores why people sometimes feel a need to hate and how this reflects aspects of American society.
CNN describes the documentary as an interesting look back at the popularity of Barney & Friends and the strong emotions it stirred up among people.
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