What to Watch in February 2026: Black Film Across Hollywood, Nollywood & South Africa
- Sahndra Fon Dufe
- Jan 26
- 7 min read
From Halle Berry in "Crime 101" to Netflix’s "Yoh! Bestie," explore the top Black film and TV releases across Hollywood, Nollywood, and South Africa this February.
By Sahndra Fon Dufe
February has traditionally been Hollywood's dumping ground; the month studios release films they don't believe can compete in summer or awards season. But that narrative is shifting. In 2026, February is where Hollywood deploys Black talent in high-stakes genre work, while African cinema spanning Lagos and Johannesburg proves that theatrical ambition and streaming franchises can coexist without choosing sides.
This is a snapshot of how Black cinema operates across two distinct industrial models: Hollywood's star-driven theatrical gambles and Africa's hybrid ecosystem of local theatrical releases paired with global streaming expansion.
Hollywood
Crime 101 (February 13, Theatrical)
Starring: Halle Berry, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Corey Hawkins, Barry Keoghan
Director: Bart Layton
Halle Berry's February return marks a calculated career pivot. At 59, she's bypassing the ‘aging actress’ trap by embedding herself in a high-octane heist thriller anchored by two Marvel stars, but refusing to play second fiddle. Berry portrays Roxanne Hall, an insurance broker caught between Chris Hemsworth's master jewel thief and Mark Ruffalo's relentless LAPD detective in a Los Angeles-set cat-and-mouse game.
What makes Crime 101 significant beyond its star power is its refusal of typical genre roles for Black women. Berry isn't the love interest, the moral compass, or the sacrificial figure. She's a woman "who writes insurance policies for people with more money than they know what to do with". A character operating in financial and moral gray zones that films rarely trust Black actresses to inhabit.
The film adapts Don Winslow's novella about a jewel thief who follows strict rules to execute perfect heists along the Pacific Coast Highway. Directed by Bart Layton (American Animals), the film premiered footage at CinemaCon 2025 where Berry spoke publicly about Hemsworth standing up for her on set, a moment she described as cementing lifelong loyalty. The specifics remain undisclosed, but the comment generated significant industry discussion about working conditions and allyship.
Corey Hawkins rounds out the ensemble, marking his third major studio release in recent times, following The Color Purple musical and Denzel Washington's The Equalizer 3. His presence signals Hollywood's growing willingness to invest in Black actors who can transition between prestige drama, musicals, and genre work without typecasting.
Crime 101 releases the same day as Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights, making Valentine's Day weekend a high-stakes theatrical battleground. Amazon MGM's $20 dual-ticket offer (pairing Crime 101 with Mercy) indicates the studio's aggressive theatrical push as it builds infrastructure to compete with traditional Hollywood majors.
Nollywood and South Africa
While Hollywood treats February as genre experimentation season, African cinema is using the month to prove two simultaneous points: theatrical releases still matter for local audiences, and streaming platforms can build sustainable franchises around African talent.
Nollywood
To Adaego With Love (February 6, Theatrical - Nigeria)
Starring: Chisom Agoawuike, Adam Garba, Chioma Chukwuka Akpotha Onyeka Onwenu, Bob-Manuel Udokwu Riyo David, Demi Banwo, Tonia Chukwurah, Alfred "Six Foot Plus" Atungu, Franka Igwe, Lorenzo Menakaya, Dave Odogwu, Ken Erics, and Sydney Diala.
Director: Nwamaka Chikezie
Set in 1975, in the aftermath of the Nigerian Civil War, To Adaego With Love arrives as Nollywood's latest attempt to position period romance as prestige-worthy. The AFRIFF 2025 award-winning film explores love across generational and cultural divides during a fractured national moment, using romance as a lens to examine post-war reconstruction and the emotional toll of conflict.
Director Nwamaka Chikezie has described the film as interrogating how love persists when national identity itself is being renegotiated. Early festival screenings emphasized production design and costume work that authentically recreates mid-1970s Nigeria, suggesting Nollywood's technical capacity is catching up to its narrative ambitions.
The film's February 6 release positions it ahead of Valentine's Day without directly competing with Hollywood imports, a scheduling strategy that indicates growing confidence in local romantic dramas as counterprogramming to Western content.
Love And New Notes (February 13, Theatrical - Nigeria)
Starring: Timini Egbuson, Odunlade Adekola, Eniola Badmus, Ayoola Akinyoola, Tolu Babs Omish, Sophie AlakijaDirector: Kayode Kasum
Timini Egbuson's dual role as producer and star signals a generational shift in Nollywood's power structure. At 35, Egbuson represents the wave of actors who grew up watching Nollywood professionalize in the 2000s and are now leveraging their star power to greenlight passion projects.
Love And New Notes explores modern relationships with emphasis on emotional discovery and intergenerational communication gaps themes that resonate with Nigeria's urban millennial audience navigating family expectations, and evolving relationship norms. FilmOne Studios' involvement suggests commercial viability, while Film Trybe's creative partnership indicates artistic credibility.
The February 13 release directly competes with Crime 101 for Valentine's weekend audience share, a bold move that reflects Nollywood's confidence that local romantic dramas can hold box office ground against Hollywood imports when the emotional stakes feel culturally specific.
Mothers of Chibok (February 27, Theatrical - Nigeria)
Director: Joel Kachi Benson
Languages: English and Hausa
On April 14, 2014, Boko Haram militants abducted 276 schoolgirls from Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State. The mass kidnapping sparked global outrage, the #BringBackOurGirls campaign, and years of failed rescue attempts. More than 100 girls remain missing.
Twelve years later, Emmy-winning director Joel Kachi Benson shifts focus from the girls themselves to the mothers who have refused to let the world forget. Mothers of Chibok is not a rescue narrative or a political thriller. It's a meditation on grief, resilience, and the particular burden carried by mothers whose children vanish into institutional failure and militant violence.
The decision to release Mothers of Chibok theatrically rather than via streaming platform is significant. Nigerian documentaries typically bypass cinemas entirely, opting for festival circuits or direct-to-platform deals. Benson's theatrical strategy suggests confidence that audiences will pay to confront uncomfortable national trauma, a bet that either elevates documentary filmmaking in Nollywood or confirms industry assumptions that only escapist entertainment sells tickets.
The film is told in English and Hausa, ensuring accessibility across Nigeria's linguistic divide while centering Northern voices that are often marginalized in Lagos-dominated Nollywood. If successful, Mothers of Chibok could create space for more documentary work tackling social issues that Nigerian fiction films avoid.
According to Black Film Wire, the theatrical release of Mothers of Chibok represents a pivotal test for whether Nollywood audiences will support documentary filmmaking that confronts national trauma rather than offering escapist narratives, a shift that could fundamentally alter what kinds of stories receive theatrical investment.
South Africa
Yoh! Bestie (February 6, Netflix Global)
Creators: Tiffany Barbuzano, Johnny Barbuzano
Stars: Katlego Lebogang, Siya Sepotokele
The Yoh! franchise continues its expansion following the success of Yoh! Christmas, a South African adaptation of the Norwegian series Home for Christmas. Yoh! Bestie reunites Thando (Katlego Lebogang) and Charles (Siya Sepotokele) as they navigate unresolved romantic tension ahead of a destination wedding in Knysna.
The film operates in familiar rom-com territory will-they-won't-they dynamics, wedding chaos, scenic coastal locations but its significance lies in Netflix's willingness to invest in franchise-building around South African talent. The Yoh! universe now spans multiple films, creating continuity that allows characters to develop across releases rather than resetting with each project.
Katlego Lebogang's performance in Spinners demonstrated her range beyond romantic comedy, making her return to the Yoh! franchise a strategic choice rather than typecasting. Similarly, Siya Sepotokele's work in Law, Love and Betrayal positioned him as capable of balancing humor with emotional depth.
The February 6 release gives Yoh! Bestie a full week before Valentine's Day, positioning it as the go-to romantic option for Netflix subscribers across Africa and the diaspora. Early marketing emphasized the Knysna destination wedding setting, leveraging South Africa's visual appeal to attract viewers unfamiliar with the franchise.
180 (February TBD, Netflix Global)
Described as a "gritty thriller anchored by a strong Black male lead," 180 follows Zak (Desmond Dube), a reformed gangster whose attempt at a quiet life is shattered by a single incident that sets him on a path of revenge.
South African crime dramas have historically struggled to break through internationally, often dismissed as derivative of American and British noir. 180 positions itself differently by centering the psychological toll of everyday South African life economic pressure, systemic violence, the impossibility of truly escaping structural inequality rather than romanticizing gangster mythology.
Desmond Dube's casting matters. Known for Love and Wine, Dube brings lived-in weariness to roles that require men to carry trauma without spectacle. Fana Mokoena (Masinga – The Calling), Warren Masemola (Fatal Seduction), and Bongile Mantsai (Red Ink) round out the cast with actors who have built careers on roles that refuse easy moral judgment.
Netflix's positioning of 180 as a February release suggests confidence that global audiences will engage with South African thrillers that don't soft-pedal violence or offer redemption arcs. The film's specific release date remains unannounced, indicating either post-production adjustments or strategic timing around other platform releases.
What Else Is Moving (Streaming)
Fatal Seduction (Season 3, Date TBD, Netflix)
Stars: Thando Thabethe, Hope Mbhele, Kevin Smith, Lorcia Cooper Kumalo.
South Africa's steamy thriller returns for a third season with a refreshed cast. Known for explicit scenes and melodramatic twists, Fatal Seduction has built a loyal audience despite critical dismissal. The series demonstrates that Netflix's African strategy includes both prestige plays and unabashed escapism recognizing that audiences want variety, not just respectability.
Love Is Blind: South Africa (2026, Date TBD, Netflix)
The global reality franchise arrives in Africa for the first time, testing whether the format's emotional vulnerability translates across cultural contexts. South Africa's casting will be scrutinized for diversity, colorism, and class representation, all persistent issues in local media.
Full February 2026 Black Film Calendar:
HOLLYWOOD
February 13: Crime 101 (theatrical)
NOLLYWOOD (Nigeria Theatrical)
February 6: To Adaego With Love
February 13: Love And New Notes
February 27: Mothers of Chibok (documentary)
SOUTH AFRICA + NIGERIA (Netflix Global)
February 6: Yoh! Bestie
February TBD: 180, Fatal Seduction Season 3
Streaming Now (Carries into February):
Anikulapo: Rise of the Spectre Season 2 (Netflix, released January 30)
For complete streaming schedules and African film updates, bookmark Black Film Wire's monthly watchlists.