Abstract
This study examines the reception of selected films produced in the apartheid era and the post-apartheid era. The study seeks to determine if black female South African audiences between the ages of 18 - 60 can identify with the black female representations portrayed within the selected films. The films selected include: U-Deliwe (1975). Mapantsula (1988), Yesterday (2004); Gangsters Paradise: Jerusalema (2008); Happiness is a four- letter word (2016) and Angelina (2021). All of the participants in this research are black female South African women between the ages of 18 - 60, and all reside around Johannesburg and Krugersdorp (Gauteng). Through the use of interviews and focus groups, this study illustrates the perceptions of black female South Africans and their identification with black female characters portrayed within the above films.