Donkerbos, an Afrikaans-English-Venda murder mystery shot in Limpopo, looks set to break records.
Now streaming on Showmax, it was written and directed by Nico Scheepers (Nêrens, Noord-Kaap), and produced by Nagvlug Films (2022 SAFTA winner Nêrens, Noord-Kaap, 2022 SAFTA nominee Skemerdans, and 2022 Oscar entry Barakat).
When the bodies of six children are found in the backwater forests of Donkerbos, an ostracised detective must wrestle with her dark past, her family and a distrustful community to catch the killer before another child is taken.
Multi-award winner Erica Wessels (Dwaalster and i am ALL GIRLS) features as detective Stephanie ‘Fanie’ van Wyk. Fleur du Cap winner Sanda Shandu (Skemerdans, The Kissing Booth) plays detective Tsedza Tshivenga, her new partner, who is brought in from Johannesburg to assist on the headline-grabbing case.
Elri Boucher from TVPlus has described Donkerbos as a “cinematic masterpiece,” saying, “It will keep viewers on the edge of their seat and shock them with twists, turns and red herrings. It’s a dark story with real truths that is sometimes hard to digest, but it’s one of the best Afrikaans series we have ever come across.”
Watch the trailer right here:
