Which African Films Are the Best? ChatGPT Has the Answer
13:42 22.04.2023 (Updated: 15:29 20.01.2024)
© AP Photo / Jae C. Hong
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ChatGPT, a chatbot developed by artificial intelligence (AI) research company OpenAI and released at the end of 2022 is able to respond to the user's request with any type of text information, including ratings and lists based on the processing of a huge array of data.
Journalists have turned to a famous neural network to compile a list of the ten best Africa-related movies of all time as African cinema undergoes a growing role in the global film industry.
The list includes classic comedy flick "The Gods Must Be Crazy," award-winning dramas from the continent and even a Marvel blockbuster, which made a lot of noise across the globe.
Check out this list of the best of the best in reverse order of release.
Do you agree with ChatGPT's selection? After all, the neural network is in constant training mode, and the machine may not have marked the movie you think is more worthy of a place on the top.
"Black Panther" (2018) - Marvel's first movie featuring a Black superhero and starring a predominantly Black cast was geared toward commercial success with the highest budget for Black films ever ($200 million). It became the second-highest-grossing picture at the worldwide box office, earning $1.3 billion. Although "Black Panther" is an American film, the neural network considers this movie to be African, apparently because the events of the film are scripted to take place on the continent.
"Lionheart" (2018) - the movie revolves around an ambitious woman who wants to substitute her father when he can no longer run his company due to health issues. The movie was selected as the Nigerian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards. It was the first time that Nigeria had submitted a film to the Oscars.
"The Wound" (2017) - the South African film, short-listed for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Film category, tells the story of a young man who undergoes a male circumcision ritual and the complications that arise.
"Timbuktu" (2014) - the Mauritanian-French drama explores the denizens of the city of Timbuktu in central Mali following the city's occupation by extremist Islamists bearing a jihadist black flag. "Timbuktu" was named Best Film at the 11th Africa Movie Academy Awards, where it was nominated for ten further awards.
"Half of a Yellow Sun" (2013) - this Anglo-Nigerian drama film is based on the novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and tells the story of two sisters in Nigeria during the Biafran War of the late 1960s.
"Viva Riva!" (2010) - the crime thriller filmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo describes the adventures of a fuel smuggler in Kinshasa. The film received 12 nominations and won six awards at the 7th Africa Movie Academy Awards.
"Tsotsi" (2005) - Oscar-winning South African film revealing six days in the violent life of a young Johannesburg gang leader.
"Moolaadé" (2004) - the film addresses the subject of female genital mutilation, a common African practice. The movie was a co-production between companies from several Francophone nations: Senegal, France, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Morocco, and Tunisia.
"Sankofa" (1993) - Ethiopian-produced drama directed by Haile Gerima which centers on the Atlantic slave trade, telling the story of a modern-day African-American woman who is transported back in time to a plantation in the antebellum South.
"The Gods Must Be Crazy" (1980) - a South African comedy telling the story of a Kalahari bushman who finds a Coca-Cola bottle dropped from an airplane and is convinced it's a gift from the gods.
As one can see from the list, some of the films selected by the neural network reflect everyday life and features of African countries, with some of the movies winning international awards. Whats more, a picture's worth a thousand words, and this list might serve as a "must watch" for those who are really starting to get into the African cinema.
ChatGPT was rolled out at the end of 2022 and in just five days after its release, it gained over a million users, a feat that took the social network Facebook ten months and the streaming platform Netflix three years to achieve.
The neural network offers the user a myriad of skills, from generating ratings and songs, to successfully passing a business school exam.
Earlier, media reported that ChatGPT almost passed a US medical licensing exam usually requiring up to 400 hours of preparation, while in Japan, leading universities have spoken out against students' use of artificial intelligence in their research papers.
