The Cinema of Namibia refers to cinema in the country of Namibia, which claimed its independence from South Africa in 1990.
Before independence, American anthropologist John Marshall made ethnographic films of the Ju/'hoansi for over four decades from 1950 onwards, resulting in documentary films such as The Hunters (1957) and Nǃai, the Story of a ǃKung Woman (1980).
The movie The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980) took place in Namibia. Kalahari bushman N!xau was hired as an actor and paid in cattle.
In 2000, the Namibian government passed the Namibian Film Commission Act to promote filmmaking in the country. Disney's The Young Black Stallion (2003) was shot in the Namibian desert.
Following the ShutItAllDown movement (2020), Namibian cinema picked up on the themes of gender-based violence and social evolution.
After independence, Namibian filmmakers have started to assert their own identity.
Here are several notable Namibian filmmakers that have added to Namibia's cinema history:
They have been joined by a younger generation including: