Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight follows 8-year-old Bobo, a white Zimbabwean girl growing up on a farm during the final days of the Rhodesian Bush War. Based on Alexandra Fuller’s best-selling memoir, the film captures Bobo’s coming-of-age as she confronts grief, family turmoil, and the complex racial realities of a society on the edge of change.
The movie premiered in South Africa last week (25 July 2025). It is screening at select Ster-Kinekor cinemas and NuMetro theatres.
Shot in SA, it features Lexi Venter in the lead role, supported by a local cast including Zikhona Bali, Fumani N Shilubana, and Rob Van Vuuren.
The film is both intimate and historical, capturing Zimbabwe’s shift from colonial rule to independence through the lens of childhood. Director Embeth Davidtz, who also plays a supporting role, drew on her own upbringing in apartheid-era SA to infuse the narrative with authenticity and emotional depth.
“This film is deeply personal for me,” said Davidtz. “It helped me process my own childhood in apartheid-era South Africa. Through Bobo’s eyes, I wanted to show that even in the middle of pain and inherited racism, love and transformation are actually possible.”
Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight is produced by Helena Spring and Paul Buys, and executive produced by Anele Mdoda, Frankie Du Toit, and Trevor Noah.