African Film Archive

Trader Horn

1931 — W.S. Van Dyke — United States

feature · adventure · pre-history

Filmed on location across Africa between March 1929 and December 1930, this MGM production is the first non-documentary feature shot on location on the continent, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Fun fact: Production accounts describe real tragedy during the shoot, including a crew member's death and a fatal rhino charge said to have been captured on camera, though these specifics come from secondary production lore rather than a verified primary record.

Notes: Non-African-directed colonial-era adventure production, included per methodology as clearly labeled pre-history era work.

Verification: verified · Sources: [1] [2] [3]

Poster source: Wikipedia