From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Abdullah Ibrahim, born Adolph Johannes Brand, 9 October 1934 in Cape Town, South Africa, and formerly known as Dollar Brand, is a South African pianist and composer. His music reflects many of the musical influences of his childhood in the multicultural port areas of Cape Town, ranging from traditional African songs to the gospel of the AME Church and ragas, to more modern jazz and other Western styles. Within jazz, his music particularly reflects the influence of Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington. With his wife, the jazz singer Sathima Bea Benjamin, he is father to the New York underground rapper Jean Grae, as well as to a son, Tsakwe. Description above from the Wikipedia article Abdullah Ibrahim, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- October 9, 1934 (92)
- Cape Town, South Africa
- Composer and actor
- 2 on MovieCove · 7 credits in all
What are Abdullah Ibrahim's films like?
Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Power and Self.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 4
Light 1 · Serious 2 · Dark 1
Grounded 4 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0
Gentle 2 · Charged 2 · Intense 0
Steady 3 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0
Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 0 · Relentless 0
Casual 1 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0
A split, not a type: Easy watch 1 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 2
Resolved 2 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Abdullah Ibrahim's films?
As of October 24, 2026, all 2 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, on The Criterion Channel (2).
Subscription and free streaming for Abdullah Ibrahim's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
7 credits, 2 with a MovieCove page; 6 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Mandela's Gun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
The Law (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
No Fear, No Die(1990)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Chocolat(1988)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all filmsAbdullah Ibrahim: A Brother with Perfect Timing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
Closed Circuit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
The House of Hunger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
Career shape
A full career of 7 titles from 1983 to 2016.
How do Abdullah Ibrahim's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 79th percentile, the median of all 2; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 84th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up1
- 50th to 74th1
Shape of the crowd
None of their 2 titles divides audiences: 2 are Crowd Pleasers.
- Crowd Pleaser2
Reviewers score the sound and music 58/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 65, detractors 42. The element that speaks to their work as a composer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Abdullah Ibrahim work with?
People who share at least 2 of Abdullah Ibrahim's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Claire Denis shares the most, 2.
Directors
- Claire DenisShared titles: No Fear, No Die (1990), Chocolat (1988)See all 2 shared titles with Claire Denis
Writers
- Jean-Pol FargeauShared titles: No Fear, No Die (1990), Chocolat (1988)See all 2 shared titles with Jean-Pol Fargeau
Actors
- Isaach De BankoléShared titles: No Fear, No Die (1990), Chocolat (1988)See all 2 shared titles with Isaach De Bankolé
