In the last two years there has been a proliferation of political documentaries by African filmmakers focussing on ongoing social movements, social unrest, and different forms of resistance. Though there is a tradition of documentary film making, what is specific about this recent wave of films is that they engage actively with contemporary politics, especially by taking sides with the discontent youth. In this study, four films from different countries are presented in order to analyse their specific approaches und perspectives underlying their narratives of the events. The analytical tools elaborated in the field of social movement studies were helpful for this purpose as they gave further insight into differences and overlapping concerns between academic and visual research.