Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalIMDb Stars to WatchSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
Episode guide
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Black Earth Rising

  • TV Series
  • 2018
  • TV-MA
  • 1h
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
6K
YOUR RATING
John Goodman, Noma Dumezweni, Michaela Coel, and Emmanuel Imani in Black Earth Rising (2018)
This intricate thriller addresses the personal, legal and political turmoil ignited by the prosecution of international war crimes.
Play trailer1:01
2 Videos
13 Photos
Legal ThrillerPolitical ThrillerPsychological ThrillerDramaThriller

Kate is a survivor of the Rwandan genocide whose adoptive mother, an international lawyer, faces a case that will shake their lives.Kate is a survivor of the Rwandan genocide whose adoptive mother, an international lawyer, faces a case that will shake their lives.Kate is a survivor of the Rwandan genocide whose adoptive mother, an international lawyer, faces a case that will shake their lives.

  • Stars
    • John Goodman
    • Michaela Coel
    • Noma Dumezweni
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.5/10
    6K
    YOUR RATING
    • Stars
      • John Goodman
      • Michaela Coel
      • Noma Dumezweni
    • 111User reviews
    • 14Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 6 nominations total

    Episodes8

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated1 season

    Videos2

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:01
    Official Trailer
    Black Earth Rising
    Trailer 1:54
    Black Earth Rising
    Black Earth Rising
    Trailer 1:54
    Black Earth Rising

    Photos13

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 7
    View Poster

    Top cast99

    Edit
    John Goodman
    John Goodman
    • Michael Ennis
    • 2018
    Michaela Coel
    Michaela Coel
    • Kate Ashby
    • 2018
    Noma Dumezweni
    Noma Dumezweni
    • Alice Munezero
    • 2018
    Lucian Msamati
    Lucian Msamati
    • David Runihura
    • 2018
    Tyrone Huggins
    • Patrice Ganimana
    • 2018
    Tamara Tunie
    Tamara Tunie
    • Eunice Clayton
    • 2018
    Nicholas Beveney
    • Nkanza a Nkanga
    • 2018
    Treva Etienne
    Treva Etienne
    • Frank Munezero
    • 2018
    Malou Coindreau
    • Hana Ennis
    • 2018
    Emmanuel Imani
    Emmanuel Imani
    • Florence Karamera
    • 2018
    Abena Ayivor
    • President Bibi Mundanzi
    • 2018
    Adrian Schiller
    Adrian Schiller
    • Daniel Drewe
    • 2018
    Paul Herzberg
    • Zava Zand
    • 2018
    Michael Gould
    Michael Gould
    • Harper Hopkinson
    • 2018
    Ronald Guttman
    Ronald Guttman
    • Jacques Antoine Barre
    • 2018
    Julian Glover
    Julian Glover
    • Mark Viner
    • 2018
    Timothy Walker
    Timothy Walker
    • Richard Ratzenburger
    • 2018
    Nancy Crane
    Nancy Crane
    • Judge Deborah Hewitt
    • 2018
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews111

    7.55.9K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    8babumaclean

    All our faces look the same

    I really enjoyed the show but had to laugh at the doctor's line in the first episode about white people finding it hard to tell African's faces apart. I laughed because Micheala Coel, whilst a great actress, has a face that is just so obviously from West African heritage and not Tutsi. Having lived and worked with Rwandans of many backgrounds over the years and knowing that people were killed in the genocide just because of how they looked it is hard to put this on one side.
    7alpachuni

    Not for hemetophobes

    I've never seen so many people vomit. Everybody vomits at one point or another in this show, for different reasons, constantly. Seriously, like, maybe 5 or 6 times. So, beware if you have hemetophobia.

    A bit violent and slow, as only british shows can be, but interesting and intriguing. The main character does get on one's nerves, but the acting is good. And certain scenes (mostly the non-dialogue ones) drag on for far too long.
    8martin-ib-bruun

    Slow burn

    All the actors should be praised for delivering delicious acting, but especially John Goodman is like a finely aged wine. He delivers a serious performance with just a pinch of goofyness to make a subtle contrast to the serious themes.

    Seems a bit underrated to me. Should lean more towards 8 stars.
    10godgirl

    Probably the best drama I've seen in recent times

    I can't pretend to understand or ever really know the pain of the survivors of the Rwanda genocide but this drama has such strength in not only Michaela Coel's performance but in its script, its twists and turns, its depth and sensitivity to a painful and ultimately so desperately human tragedy that anyone who has the capacity to want to at least learn even at they watch how much the "great game" and its modern equivalents have repercussions beyond anything imaginable to most of us outside its direct impact.

    Of course it's written from a Western lens and can never tell a "true" tale but it helps us, I think, to see how difficult, how complex and how deeply impactful the very things we take for granted today have had on millions of lives far away from ours, and even now, how a few powerful people keep trying to control everything, regardless of how lives are completely torn asunder to gain their wealth and power.

    Don't let its pace or its great visual beauty put you off its underlying message. Everyone has secrets, everyone has pain and sickness and death will always walk amongst the living but sometimes the truth has to come out in order for us to move forwards. The reality of our world is one where some will always seek, through the vilest means, to sacrifice the lives of thousands for profit and power. Only though understanding that can we ever seek to encourage justice, change and hope.
    10senegalstyle

    This show is TOO GOOD TO LAST LONG!

    I can't remember seeing a more honest tv show about a contemporary African problem (rogue warlords) and the way white people in the west make a very good living taking 10 to 20 years 'bringing them to justice' and pulling political and economic strings to get those cushy jobs ...

    The beautiful lead character plays a Rwandan that barely escaped the genocide. She is reared in the UK by a liberal white adoptive mother who is also a criminal prosecutor for the ICC in the Hague. Her daughter is totally against prosecuting the only 'hero' in the war and it is creating conflict in the family with discourse and dialogue on both sides of the genocide issue that I personally have never heard in public before. They leave no stone unturned in this show, also giving an overview of worthless UN peacekeepers and the French army, still in Rwanda.

    What I like/LOVE about this show though, is they don't give you the answer.

    They present all sides and let you sort thru it yourself and come to your own conclusion. I hope it's not snatched off the air. It's very political and I'm very surprised it even made it on screen for one episode. I look forward to seeing the rest of the series and I hope that the BBC doesn't capitulate to the puppetmasters that control the media and pull the plug on this early.

    Fingers crossed!

    The Emmys Air on Sunday, Sep 14

    The Emmys Air on Sunday, Sep 14
    Discover the nominees, explore red carpet fashion, and cast your ballot!

    More like this

    The Honorable Woman
    7.9
    The Honorable Woman
    American Son
    5.9
    American Son
    I May Destroy You
    8.1
    I May Destroy You
    Chewing Gum
    7.7
    Chewing Gum
    Anita: Speaking Truth to Power
    6.8
    Anita: Speaking Truth to Power
    Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise
    7.9
    Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise
    Africa's Great Civilizations
    7.2
    Africa's Great Civilizations
    Becoming
    7.0
    Becoming
    Stateless
    7.5
    Stateless
    Sensitive Skin
    7.9
    Sensitive Skin
    The Last Word Monologues
    7.1
    The Last Word Monologues
    Secret City
    7.4
    Secret City

    Related interests

    George Clooney in Michael Clayton (2007)
    Legal Thriller
    Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford in All the President's Men (1976)
    Political Thriller
    Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl (2014)
    Psychological Thriller
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The actor Hugo Blick playing the vile attorney Blake Gaines, is also the series writer and director.
    • Connections
      Featured in Late Night with Seth Meyers: Anne Hathaway/Sherrod Brown/Michaela Coel/Venzella Joy (2019)

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ19

    • How many seasons does Black Earth Rising have?Powered by Alexa
    • What was the significance between Rwanda and Singapore when David mentioned "We are not Singapore" to Bibi?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 25, 2019 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Official sites
      • British Broadcasting Corporation (United Kingdom)
      • Drama Republic (United Kingdom)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Forgiving Earth
    • Filming locations
      • Ghana
    • Production companies
      • Forgiving Earth
      • British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
      • Drama Republic
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h(60 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 16:9 HD

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit pageAdd episode

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.