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The Best Movies About African Colonialism, Ranked 

Ranker Film
Updated June 14, 2019 163 votes 86 voters 12.1k views 16 items

List Rules Vote up the best historical movies set in Colonial Africa or that address elements of colonialism.

This list contains information on the best movies about African colonialism, ranked from best to worst by user votes. The best films about African colonialism come in many forms. Some good films about African colonialism find characters engaged in forbidden love affairs while other good films about African colonialism feature epic battles. Many of the best African colonialism films star award-winning actors and actresses.

What films will you find on this top African colonialism movies list? The English Patient has to be near the top. The 1996 film won a total of nine Academy Awards including trophies for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress and Best Director for Anthony Minghella. Gabriel Yared also won an Oscar for Best Score. Out of Africa is another good movie set in an era of African colonialism.

Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart joined forces for The African Queen in 1951. Other good movies about African colonialism include Zulu Dawn, The Hill, and Nowhere in Africa.

Do you have a favorite African colonialism movie? Give the best films a thumbs up and share your thoughts in the comments section.

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1
Out of Africa is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Best Movies About African Colonialism, Ranked
Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Iman Abdulmajid

Released: 1985

Directed by: Sydney Pollack

Out of Africa is a 1985 American epic romantic drama film directed and produced by Sydney Pollack and starring Robert Redford and Meryl Streep. The film is based loosely on the autobiographical ...more

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2
The English Patient is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list The Best Movies About African Colonialism, Ranked
Willem Dafoe, Ralph Fiennes, Colin Firth

Released: 1996

Directed by: Anthony Minghella

The English Patient is a 1996 romantic drama directed by Anthony Minghella from his own script based on the novel of the same name by Michael Ondaatje and produced by Saul Zaentz. The film was ...more

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3
Zulu is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list The Best Movies About African Colonialism, Ranked
Michael Caine, Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins

Released: 1964

Directed by: Cy Endfield

Zulu is a 1964 epic film depicting the Battle of Rorke's Drift between the British Army and the Zulus in January 1879. It depicts 150 British soldiers who successfully held off a force of 4,000 ...more

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4
Zulu Dawn is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Best Movies About African Colonialism, Ranked
Peter O'Toole, Bob Hoskins, Burt Lancaster

Released: 1979

Directed by: Douglas Hickox

Zulu Dawn is a 1979 film about the historical Battle of Isandlwana between British and Zulu forces in 1879 in South Africa. The screenplay was by Cy Endfield, from his book, and Anthony Story. ...more

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5
The Ghost and the Darkne... is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list The Best Movies About African Colonialism, Ranked
Val Kilmer, Michael Douglas, Emily Mortimer

Released: 1996

Directed by: Stephen Hopkins

The Ghost and the Darkness is a 1996 historical adventure film starring Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas set in Africa at the end of the 19th century. It was directed by Stephen Hopkins and the ...more

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6
The African Queen is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list The Best Movies About African Colonialism, Ranked
Katharine Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, Robert Morley

Released: 1951

Directed by: John Huston

The African Queen is a 1951 adventure film adapted from the 1935 novel of the same name by C. S. Forester. The film was directed by John Huston and produced by Sam Spiegel and John Woolf. The ...more

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7
Adanggaman is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list The Best Movies About African Colonialism, Ranked
Rasmané Ouedraogo, Mireille Andrée Boti, Anastasie Tode Bohi

Released: 2000

Directed by: Roger Gnoan M'Bala

Andanggaman is a 2000 Ivorian, Burkinabé, French, Swiss and Italian historical drama film directed by Roger Gnoan M'Bala.
8
Mister Johnson is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list The Best Movies About African Colonialism, Ranked
Pierce Brosnan, Edward Woodward, Denis Quilley

Released: 1990

Directed by: Bruce Beresford

Mister Johnson is a 1990 American drama film based on the 1939 novel by Joyce Cary. The film was entered into the 41st Berlin International Film Festival, where Maynard Eziashi won the Silver ...more
9
White Material is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list The Best Movies About African Colonialism, Ranked
Isabelle Huppert, Christopher Lambert, Isaach de Bankolé

Released: 2010

Directed by: Claire Denis

White Material is a 2009 French film directed by Claire Denis and co-written with Marie NDiaye. The film stars Isabelle Huppert as Maria Vial, a struggling French coffee producer in an unnamed ...more
10
Diamond City is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list The Best Movies About African Colonialism, Ranked
Diamond City Honor Blackman, Diana Dors, Niall MacGinnis

Released: 1949

Directed by: David MacDonald

Diamond City is a 1949 British drama film directed by David MacDonald and starring David Farrar, Honor Blackman, Diana Dors and Niall MacGinnis.
11
White Mischief is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list The Best Movies About African Colonialism, Ranked
Hugh Grant, John Hurt, Charles Dance

Released: 1987

Directed by: Michael Radford

White Mischief is a 1987 film dramatising the events of the Happy Valley murder case in Kenya in 1941, when Sir Henry "Jock" Delves Broughton was tried for the murder of Josslyn Hay, ...more
12
The Flame Trees of Thika... is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list The Best Movies About African Colonialism, Ranked
Hayley Mills, Ben Cross, Sharon Maughan

Released: 1981

Directed by: Roy Ward Baker

The Flame Trees of Thika is a British television serial of seven 50-minute episodes made by Euston Films for Thames Television in 1981. It was adapted by John Hawkesworth from the 1959 book of ...more
13
Nowhere in Africa is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list The Best Movies About African Colonialism, Ranked
Matthias Habich, Juliane Köhler, Mechthild Grossmann

Released: 2001

Directed by: Caroline Link

Nowhere in Africa is a 2001 German film that was written and directed by Caroline Link. The screenplay is based on the 1995 autobiographical novel of the same name by Stefanie Zweig. It tells ...more
14
Wah-Wah is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list The Best Movies About African Colonialism, Ranked
Julie Walters, Gabriel Byrne, Nicholas Hoult

Released: 2006

Directed by: Richard E. Grant

Wah-Wah is a 2005 drama film, written and directed by British actor Richard E. Grant and loosely based on his childhood in Swaziland. It stars Nicholas Hoult, Gabriel Byrne, Emily Watson, ...more
15
Chocolat is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list The Best Movies About African Colonialism, Ranked
kotopoulo added Kenneth Cranham, Isaach de Bankolé, Didier Flamand

Released: 1988

Directed by: Claire Denis

Chocolat is a 1988 film directed by Claire Denis, about a French family that lives in colonial Cameroon. Marc and Aimée Dalens are the parents of France, a young girl who befriends ...more
16
The Hill is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list The Best Movies About African Colonialism, Ranked
Sean Connery, Ossie Davis, Michael Redgrave

Released: 1965

Directed by: Sidney Lumet

The Hill is a 1965 film directed by Sidney Lumet, set in a British army prison in North Africa in the Second World War. It stars Sean Connery, Harry Andrews, Ian Bannen, Ossie Davis, Ian Hendry, ...more

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