These are ‘real time’ films produced to reflect on the real lives of the sensational, the rich and the legendary in the world. Celebrities are a great source of entertainment and even now during these uncertain times.

A good example is from a recent interview by Oprah Winfrey on CBS with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle respectively.

The Sunday, March 7 interview spark a heated online debate on racism worldwide that made the Royal family give a statement on the revelations made by Megan and Harry on their lives as royalty.

This showed that real stories of celebrities still fascinate, their fate and achievements are henceforth captured in riveting documentaries; still more tales of adventure and daring are told in movies that begin with “based on a true story” or words to that effect.

This article will focus on the biopic genre – a portrayal of real people and their lives, played by actors. From the inspiring story of Madam CJ Walker to the meteoric rise and fractious fall of rap supergroup NWA to the dramatic fall of Hansie Cronje.

1.The Crown

Paying tribute to her husband, an honourable mention of The Crown, a film telling the story of Queen Elizabeth II from 1947, ongoing.

The series begins with an inside look at the early reign of the queen, who ascended the throne at age 25 after the death of her father, King George VI. As the decades pass, personal intrigues, romances, and political rivalries are revealed that played a big role in events that shaped the later years of the 20th century.

Season 4 was released in November 2020, and it introduced Princess Diana in the scene which made it even more exciting. Look out for season 5 set to be released in 2022.

2.Self-Made: Inspired by the life of Madam CJ Walker

Octavia Spencer an Oscar winner following her lead role in The Help stars as Madam CJ Walker, on a film meant to showcase Sarah Breedlove journey in becoming the first African-American female millionaires in the USA.

Sarah , born of slave parents, was raised in a cotton plantation. The African American washerwoman married to Charles Joseph Walker rises from poverty to build a beauty empire and her products are still available to date.

3.Straight Outta Compton

The film shows the rise and the fall of NWA- American hip hop group from Compton, California.
Its members were among the earliest and most significant popularisers and controversial figures of the gangsta rap sub-genre, and the group is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential groups in the history of hip hop music.

Fun fact: Ice Cube is played by his real-life son, O’Shea Jackson Junior who was one of the NWA members.

4. Hansie
   Hansie Cronje was one of South Africa’s favourite cricketers. In the 1990s, he was the captain of the national team. During this time South Africa was emerging from apartheid and reclaiming their place on international playing fields – sport and otherwise.
   Hansie was caught up with a match fixing scandal which led to him being fired hence the completion of his misery. That was the beginning of his dramatic fall from grace.
   In 2002, Hansie died in a tragic plane crash aged 32years. The occurrence of events yields lots of suspense.

5.The Social Network

This movie gives a story about the origin of Mark Zuckerberg. Facebook CEO.

Zuckerberg creates a social networking site, Facebook, with his friend Eduardo’s help.

Interestingly enough, everybody hates facebook but everybody got a facebook account. Go find out why.