Movies like African Dreamers (2019)
The best movies like African Dreamers (2019) are God Grew Tired of Us (2006), The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019) and Io Capitano (2023). If African Dreamers hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Forge (2024)8.2/10 from 365 votes
- NewestIn Your Dreams (2025)Released 2025
- In ItalianIo Capitano (2023)Also in Italian
God Grew Tired of Us (2006)
Filmmaker Christopher Quinn observes the ordeal of three Sudanese refugees -- Jon Bul Dau, Daniel Abul Pach and Panther Bior -- as they try to come to terms with the horrors they experienced in their homeland, while adjusting to their new lives in the United States.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019)
Against all the odds, a thirteen year old boy in Malawi invents an unconventional way to save his family and village from famine.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisIo Capitano (2023)
Longing for a brighter future, two Senegalese teenagers embark on a journey from West Africa to Italy. However, between their dreams and reality lies a labyrinth of checkpoints, the Sahara Desert, and the vast waters of the Mediterranean.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDesert Flower (2009)
The autobiography of a Somalian nomad who was sold in marriage at 13, fled from Africa a while later to become finally an American supermodel and is now at the age of 38, the UN spokeswoman against female genital mutilation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTarzan and His Mate (1934)
Harry Holt returns to Africa with his friend Martin Arlington to head up a large ivory expedition.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInvincible (2006)
Inspired by the true story of Vince Papale, a man with nothing to lose who ignored the staggering odds and made his dream come true. When the coach of Papale's beloved hometown football team hosted an unprecedented open tryout, the public consensus was that it was a waste of time – no one good enough to play professional football was going to be found this way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisComing 2 America (2021)
Prince Akeem Joffer is set to become King of Zamunda when he discovers he has a son he never knew about in America – a street savvy Queens native named Lavelle. Honoring his royal father's dying wish to groom this son as the crown prince, Akeem and Semmi set off to America once again.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMeshes of the Afternoon (1943)
A woman returning home falls asleep and has vivid dreams that may or may not be happening in reality. Through repetitive images and complete mismatching of the objective view of time and space, her dark inner desires play out on-screen.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOf Mice and Men (1992)
Two drifters, one a gentle but slow giant, try to make money working the fields during the Depression so they can fulfill their dreams.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Deepest Breath (2023)
Bonded by their love of freediving, a record-setting champion and a heroic safety diver try to make history with a remarkable feat, ready to risk it all.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLuck (2022)
Suddenly finding herself in the never-before-seen Land of Luck, the unluckiest person in the world must unite with the magical creatures there to turn her luck around.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAmina (2021)
In 16th-century Zazzau, now Zaria, Nigeria, Amina must utilize her military skills and tactics to defend her family's kingdom. Based on a true story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBilal: A New Breed of Hero (2016)
A thousand years ago, one boy with a dream of becoming a great warrior is abducted with his sister and taken to a land far away from home. Thrown into a world where greed and injustice rule all, Bilal finds the courage to raise his voice and make a change. Inspired by true events, this is a story of a real hero who earned his remembrance in time and history.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Forge (2024)
19 year old Isaiah Wright lives for basketball and video games. A year out of high school, he has no job, no plans, and no idea how to be a man. At odds with his single mother Cynthia, Isaiah is given an ultimatum – to step up or move out. Feeling the pull from his friends and the push from his mom, Isaiah is hired by Moore Fitness, unaware of how the owner will personally impact his life. With the prayers of his mother and unexpected guidance from his new mentor, Isaiah is forced to deal with his past, sacrifice his selfishness and discover how God might have a greater purpose for his life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisIn Your Dreams (2025)
Stevie and her little brother Elliot journey into the wildly absurd landscape of their own dreams to ask the Sandman to grant them the perfect family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKing Solomon's Mines (1950)
Fortune hunter Allan Quatermain teams up with a resourceful woman to help her find her missing husband lost in the wilds of 1900s Africa while being pursued by hostile tribes and a rival German explorer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWaking Life (2001)
Waking Life is about a young man in a persistent lucid dream-like state. The film follows its protagonist as he initially observes and later participates in philosophical discussions that weave together issues like reality, free will, our relationships with others, and the meaning of life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Woman King (2022)
The story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with skills and a fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen, and General Nanisca as she trains the next generation of recruits and readies them for battle against an enemy determined to destroy their way of life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI Vitelloni (1953)
Five young men dream of success as they drift lazily through life in a small Italian village. Fausto, the group's leader, is a womanizer; Riccardo craves fame; Alberto is a hopeless dreamer; Moraldo fantasizes about life in the city; and Leopoldo is an aspiring playwright. As Fausto chases a string of women, to the horror of his pregnant wife, the other four blunder their way from one uneventful experience to the next.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos (2008)
In the remote and forgotten wilderness of Lake Natron, in northern Tanzania, one of nature's last great mysteries unfolds: the birth, life and death of a million crimson-winged flamingos.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like African Dreamers?
The closest matches to African Dreamers are God Grew Tired of Us (2006), The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019) and Io Capitano (2023). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after African Dreamers?
Start with God Grew Tired of Us (2006), the closest match to African Dreamers.
What is the highest-rated movie like African Dreamers?
The Forge (2024), rated 8.2/10 by 365 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like African Dreamers?
In Your Dreams (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Italian movies like African Dreamers?
Yes: Io Capitano (2023) and I Vitelloni (1953).
How are movies similar to African Dreamers chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside African Dreamers, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.