Netflix will debut its newest African original series, Blood & Water on May 20.
The streamer, who has made huge strides in bringing content from the continent to our small screens, will unveil the series directed by one of South Africa’s most recognizable directors, Nosipho Dumisa.
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The award-winning director also wrote the series that follows the exploits of 16-year-old Puleng Khumalo as she engineers her transfer to the prestigious Parkhurst College to investigate the cold case of the abducted-at-birth older sister she’s never met.
The series stars Ama Qamata as Khumalo, an intelligent, proactive and impulsive teen on a mission to find her sister; Khosi Ngema plays the popular, beautiful and alluring Fikile “Fiks” Bhele; Thabang Molaba as Karabo “KB” Molapo, resident bad boy and high school heartthrob struggling to live up to his father’s high expectations; Puleng’s ally and assistant investigator Wade, played by Dillon Windvogel; and the opinionated Wendy Dlamini, who at times is a bit too “woke,” played by Natasha Thahane.
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Blood & Water is directed by one of South Africa’s most recognizable directors, award-winning Nosipho Dumisa (Best Director, Fantasia International Film Festival) and produced by Gambit Films led by Bradley Joshua and Benjamin Overmeyer as producers, with Daryne Joshua & Travis Taute as co-directors and writers and Simon Beesley as lead editor.
Blood & Water premieres May 20 on Netflix.
Back in March, the streamer announced it has inked a deal with Jon Boyega’s UpperRoom Productions imprint to develop films centered in West and East Africa.
“I am thrilled to partner with Netflix to develop a slate of non-English language feature films focused on African stories, and my team and I are excited to develop original material,” Boyega said in a statement. “We are proud to grow this arm of our business with a company that shares our vision.”