Film 101: Introduction to African American Cinema
by theblerdfantastic | created - 13 Mar 2012 | updated - 26 Aug 2022 | PublicThis list is divide like a syllabus to explain various periods,style and genres of black or African American cinema in a more comprehensive list for those who want to jump in or those who want to add some variety to the usual African American imagery of the screen. To learn more, check out the blog "Shadow & Act" on Indiewire
Part 1: Early Cinema (Micheaux & 1920s)
Part 2: Civil Rights and New Black Nationalism (1950s -1960s)
Part 3: Revolution and Blaxploitation (1970s)
Part 4: Nu Black Awareness and Planet Rock (1980s - 1990s)
Part 5: Urban Wasteland and Social Discourse (1990s - 2000)
Part 6: Millennial Black Cinema (2000s)
Part 7: 2012 Nu Blak Image (2012 - 2014)
Part 8: BLERDS in Paradise (2010s)
Final Chapter: The Next Generation
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1. Body and Soul (1925)
Not Rated | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A malevolent phony preacher plots to take advantage of a woman from his congregation who happens to be in love with his long-estranged identical twin brother.
Director: Oscar Micheaux | Stars: Paul Robeson, Marshall Rogers, Lawrence Chenault, Chester A. Alexander
Votes: 1,191
Key Film in Part 1: Early Cinema (Micheaux & 1920s)
2. Harlem After Midnight (1934)
Drama
Gangsters in Harlem make plans to commit a kidnapping.
Director: Oscar Micheaux | Stars: Lawrence Chenault, 'Slick' Chester, A.B. DeComathiere, Bee Freeman
Key Film in Part 1: Early Cinema (Micheaux & 1920s)
3. Show Boat (1936)
Approved | 113 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
Despite her mother's objections, the naive young daughter of a show boat captain is thrust into the limelight as the company's new leading lady.
Director: James Whale | Stars: Irene Dunne, Allan Jones, Charles Winninger, Paul Robeson
Votes: 3,695
Key Film in Part 1: Early Cinema for its notable African American cast members Hattie McDaniel and Paul Robeson
4. Gone with the Wind (1939)
Passed | 238 min | Drama, Romance, War
A sheltered and manipulative Southern belle and a roguish profiteer face off in a turbulent romance as the society around them crumbles with the end of slavery and is rebuilt during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods.
Directors: Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Sam Wood | Stars: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Thomas Mitchell, Barbara O'Neil
Votes: 334,410 | Gross: $198.68M
Key Film in Part 1: Early Cinema not for performances but for its depiction of Southern life during the Civil War, its depiction of African Americans in this context now is extremely fictitious but this film will always be known as a classic for its artistry and the historic win for Hattie McDaniel but it water downs the perspective of slaves in the Antebellum South and plantation life.
5. Princesse Tam-Tam (1935)
Not Rated | 77 min | Comedy, Drama
A French novelist passes off a African shepherdess as a princess.
Director: Edmond T. Gréville | Stars: Josephine Baker, Albert Préjean, Robert Arnoux, Germaine Aussey
Votes: 572
Key Film in Part 1: Early Cinema for Josephine Baker's performance as a African princess brought to the states to make a famous man's wife jealous. Baker was a huge icon in Paris and was able to have freedom not afforded to her in the US.
6. Pinky (1949)
Approved | 102 min | Drama
A light-skinned black woman falls in love with a white doctor, though he is unaware of her true race.
Directors: Elia Kazan, John Ford | Stars: Jeanne Crain, Ethel Barrymore, Ethel Waters, William Lundigan
Votes: 3,414 | Gross: $4.20M
Key Film in Part 2: Civil Rights and New Black Nationalism (1950s -1960s)
7. Nothing But a Man (1964)
Not Rated | 95 min | Drama, Romance
A black man and his school-teacher wife face discriminatory challenges in 1960s America.
Director: Michael Roemer | Stars: Ivan Dixon, Abbey Lincoln, Julius Harris, Gloria Foster
Votes: 1,988 | Gross: $0.02M
Key Film in Part 2: Civil Rights and New Black Nationalism as Ivan Dixon struggles with the injustice of his environment.
8. Dutchman (1966)
55 min | Drama
With the provocation of her lovely half-naked body and strikingly lascivious speech, Lula, a sinister, neurotic white girl, lures to his doom Clay, a good-looking young Black stranger whom ... See full summary »
Director: Anthony Harvey | Stars: Shirley Knight, Al Freeman Jr., Frank Lieberman, Robert Calvert
Votes: 487
Key Film in Part 2: Civil Rights and New Black Nationalism dealing with race and gender stereotypes and ideas from Amiri Barraka, poet and playwright
9. A Raisin in the Sun (1961)
Approved | 128 min | Drama
A substantial insurance payment could mean either financial salvation or personal ruin for a poor black family.
Director: Daniel Petrie | Stars: Sidney Poitier, Claudia McNeil, Ruby Dee, Diana Sands
Votes: 9,573
Key Film in Part 2: Civil Rights and New Black Nationalism
10. Carmen Jones (1954)
Approved | 105 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
Contemporary version of the Bizet opera, with new lyrics and an African-American cast.
Director: Otto Preminger | Stars: Harry Belafonte, Dorothy Dandridge, Pearl Bailey, Olga James
Votes: 5,925
Key Film in Part 2: Civil Rights and New Black Nationalism due to the film being the first film with an entirely black cast and leads. Dorothy Dandridge was the next woman to be nominated for an Oscar
11. Black Orpheus (1959)
PG | 100 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
A retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, set during the time of the Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro.
Director: Marcel Camus | Stars: Breno Mello, Marpessa Dawn, Lourdes de Oliveira, Léa Garcia
Votes: 12,266
Key Film in Part 2: Civil Rights and New Black Nationalism as the Greek tragedy is set in Rio
12. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Not Rated | 96 min | Horror, Thriller
A ragtag group of Pennsylvanians barricade themselves in an old farmhouse to remain safe from a horde of flesh-eating ghouls that are ravaging the Northeast of the United States.
Director: George A. Romero | Stars: Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman
Votes: 139,189 | Gross: $0.09M
Key Film in Part 2: Civil Rights and New Black Nationalism due to its social commentary on race in a subtlety intriguing genre switch: Horror. Romero's film is the first horror film with an African American lead.
13. Putney Swope (1969)
R | 84 min | Comedy
The board of directors at a Madison Avenue ad agency must elect a new chairman. In the maneuvering to make sure that enemies don't get votes, all the members accidentally cast their ballot for the board's token black man, Putney Swope.
Director: Robert Downey Sr. | Stars: Arnold Johnson, Stan Gottlieb, Allen Garfield, Archie Russell
Votes: 4,362 | Gross: $2.73M
Part 2: Civil Rights and New Black Nationalism (1950s -1960s)
14. Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971)
R | 97 min | Action, Crime, Drama
After saving a Black Panther from some racist cops, a black male prostitute goes on the run from "the man" with the help of the ghetto community and some disillusioned Hells Angels.
Director: Melvin Van Peebles | Stars: Melvin Van Peebles, Hubert Scales, John Dullaghan, Simon Chuckster
Votes: 5,868 | Gross: $15.18M
Key Film in Part 3: Revolution and Blaxploitation (1970s), Pebble's indie flick kicks off the movement inspiring black audiences to fight their oppressors and stop struggling to survive. Melvin ran out of money making this film and used the money for his STD medication to finish it, originally rated X.
15. Shaft (1971)
R | 100 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A crime lord hires black private eye, John Shaft, to find and retrieve his kidnapped daughter.
Director: Gordon Parks | Stars: Richard Roundtree, Moses Gunn, Charles Cioffi, Christopher St. John
Votes: 21,038 | Gross: $16.69M
Key Film in Part 3: Revolution and Blaxploitation (1970s)
16. Super Fly (1972)
R | 91 min | Action, Crime, Drama
The daily routine of cocaine dealer Priest who wants to score one more super deal and retire.
Director: Gordon Parks Jr. | Stars: Ron O'Neal, Carl Lee, Sheila Frazier, Julius Harris
Votes: 8,606
Key Film in Part 3: Revolution and Blaxploitation (1970s), the beginning of the black anti-hero
17. The Harder They Come (1972)
R | 120 min | Crime, Drama, Music
Wishing to become a successful reggae singer, a young Jamaican man finds himself tied to corrupt record producers and drug pushers.
Director: Perry Henzell | Stars: Jimmy Cliff, Janet Bartley, Carl Bradshaw, Ras Daniel Hartman
Votes: 7,038
Key Film in Part 3: Revolution and Blaxploitation (1970s), Caribbean cross over blaxploitation
18. Cooley High (1975)
PG | 107 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
In 1964 on Chicago's Near-North Side, the lives of four carefree high school seniors and best friends, including an aspiring playwright and an all-city basketball champion, takes a tragic turn.
Director: Michael Schultz | Stars: Glynn Turman, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Garrett Morris, Cynthia Davis
Votes: 5,550
Key Film in Part 3: Revolution and Blaxploitation (1970s)
19. Claudine (1974)
PG | 92 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
In the 1970s Harlem, garbage collector Roop feels intimidated by the idea of dating Claudine who is a single mother of six on welfare.
Director: John Berry | Stars: Diahann Carroll, James Earl Jones, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Tamu Blackwell
Votes: 2,514 | Gross: $3.51M
Key Film in Part 3: Revolution and Blaxploitation (1970s) for Carroll's Oscar Nomination
20. Lady Sings the Blues (1972)
R | 144 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The story of the troubled life and career of the legendary Jazz singer, Billie Holiday.
Director: Sidney J. Furie | Stars: Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor, James T. Callahan
Votes: 4,848 | Gross: $6.03M
Key Film in Part 3: Revolution and Blaxploitation (1970s), Ross' film screen debut and only Oscar nomination. This was also a historic film for the fact it still is the only film with an nomination for screenwriting for a Black Woman : Suzanne DePasse.
21. Cornbread, Earl and Me (1975)
PG | 95 min | Drama, Sport
A 12-year-old is traumatised by the murder of his friend, a star basketball player.
Director: Joseph Manduke | Stars: Moses Gunn, Rosalind Cash, Bernie Casey, Madge Sinclair
Votes: 1,060 | Gross: $0.78M
Key Film in Part 3: Revolution and Blaxploitation (1970s)
22. Sounder (1972)
G | 105 min | Drama, Family
The oldest son of a loving and strong family of black sharecroppers comes of age in the Depression-era South after his father is imprisoned for stealing food.
Director: Martin Ritt | Stars: Cicely Tyson, Paul Winfield, Kevin Hooks, Carmen Mathews
Votes: 4,828 | Gross: $3.10M
Key Film in Part 3: Revolution and Blaxploitation (1970s), this was the second Black film with an African American actress nominee in the same year.
23. Save the Children (1973)
G | 123 min | Documentary, Music
Documentary about a concert held in Chicago in 1972.
Director: Stan Lathan | Stars: Cannonball Adderley, Jerry Butler, Sammy Davis Jr., Dennis Edwards
Votes: 57 | Gross: $0.26M
Key Film in Part 3: Revolution and Blaxploitation (1970s), this film documents Jesse Jackson's early activism in the African American community with this free concert held at the Black EXPO shot by Stan Lathan, Sanaa Lathan's father.
24. Foxy Brown (1974)
R | 92 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A voluptuous vigilante takes a job as a high-class prostitute to get revenge on the mobsters who murdered her boyfriend.
Director: Jack Hill | Stars: Pam Grier, Antonio Fargas, Peter Brown, Terry Carter
Votes: 12,049 | Gross: $2.46M
Key Film in Part 3: Revolution and Blaxploitation (1970s), the female action hero.
25. Cleopatra Jones (1973)
PG | 89 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
During the 1970s, U.S. Special Agent Cleopatra Jones proves to be an invaluable asset to the local police forces in the war on drugs.
Director: Jack Starrett | Stars: Tamara Dobson, Bernie Casey, Brenda Sykes, Antonio Fargas
Votes: 3,534 | Gross: $2.98M
Key Film in Part 3: Revolution and Blaxploitation (1970s)
26. The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 110 min | Drama, History
Story of a black woman in the South who was born into slavery in the 1850s and lives to become a part of the civil rights movement in the 1960s.
Director: John Korty | Stars: Cicely Tyson, Eric Brown, Richard Dysart, Joel Fluellen
Votes: 2,503
Key Film in Part 3: Revolution and Blaxploitation (1970s)
27. Roots (1977)
TV-14 | 74 min | Biography, Drama, History
A dramatization of author Alex Haley's family line from ancestor Kunta Kinte's enslavement to his descendants' liberation.
Stars: LeVar Burton, Robert Reed, John Amos, Louis Gossett Jr.
Votes: 18,886
Key Film in Part 3: Revolution and Blaxploitation (1970s) a historic and cultural moment in pop culture and television history from Alex Haley.
28. Which Way Is Up? (1977)
R | 94 min | Comedy
Orange picker Leroy Jones inadvertently becomes a union leader and is forced out of town, leaving behind his wife Annie Mae and his sexually-obsessed father Rufus.
Director: Michael Schultz | Stars: Richard Pryor, Lonette McKee, Margaret Avery, Morgan Woodward
Votes: 1,991 | Gross: $17.00M
Key Film in Part 3: Revolution and Blaxploitation (1970s), one of two African American remakes of cinema - Wertmuller's Seduction of Mimi
29. The Wiz (1978)
G | 134 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
An adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz" that tries to capture the essence of the African-American experience.
Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross
Votes: 17,050 | Gross: $21.05M
Key Film in Part 3: Revolution and Blaxploitation (1970s), second of two African American remakes of cinema - Baum's The Wizard of Oz. Michael Jackson's film debut and only performance, was a box office flop but has gone on to cult status.
30. She's Gotta Have It (1986)
R | 84 min | Comedy, Romance
Story of a woman and her three lovers.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Tracy Camilla Johns, Tommy Redmond Hicks, John Canada Terrell, Spike Lee
Votes: 16,317 | Gross: $7.14M
Key Film in Part 4: Nu Black Awareness and Planet Rock (1980s - 1990s) dealing with black sexuality.
31. Paris Is Burning (1990)
R | 78 min | Documentary
A chronicle of New York's drag scene in the 1980s, focusing on balls, voguing and the ambitions and dreams of those who gave the era its warmth and vitality.
Director: Jennie Livingston | Stars: Brooke Xtravaganza, André Christian, Dorian Corey, Paris Duprée
Votes: 17,620 | Gross: $3.78M
Key Film in Part 4: Nu Black Awareness and Planet Rock (1980s - 1990s) first documentary to expose urban gay culture and the subculture of balls which had been around since Langston Hughes.
32. Hollywood Shuffle (1987)
R | 81 min | Comedy
An actor limited to stereotypical roles because of his ethnicity, dreams of making it big as a highly respected performer. As he makes his rounds, the film takes a satiric look at African American actors in Hollywood.
Director: Robert Townsend | Stars: Robert Townsend, Craigus R. Johnson, Helen Martin, Starletta DuPois
Votes: 6,385 | Gross: $5.23M
Key Film in Part 4: Nu Black Awareness and Planet Rock (1980s - 1990s)
33. Shaka Zulu (1986)
TV-MA | 55 min | Action, Biography, Drama
A historical account on the life of the Zulu King Shaka.
Stars: Edward Fox, Robert Powell, Trevor Howard, Fiona Fullerton
Votes: 3,390
Key Film in Part 4: Nu Black Awareness and Planet Rock (1980s - 1990s) on miniseries on African icon and legend produce through Germany and UK
34. Michael Jackson: Thriller (1983 Music Video)
PG | 13 min | Horror, Music
A night at the movies turns into a nightmare when Michael and his date are attacked by a hoard of bloodthirsty zombies - only a "Thriller" can save them now.
Director: John Landis | Stars: Michael Jackson, Ola Ray, Forrest J. Ackerman, Reed Armstrong
Votes: 18,560
Key Film in Part 4: Nu Black Awareness and Planet Rock (1980s - 1990s) though not a film, Thriller was the first music video short. Jackson penned the script with John Landis and was also in involved in the editing and distribution of the film. The Library of Congress has placed the music short in the archives along with classic cinema like Gone With The Wind.
35. Do the Right Thing (1989)
R | 120 min | Comedy, Drama
On the hottest day of the year on a street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, everyone's hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes into violence.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson
Votes: 112,474 | Gross: $27.55M
Key Film in Part 4: Nu Black Awareness and Planet Rock (1980s - 1990s)
36. The Color Purple (1985)
PG-13 | 154 min | Drama
A tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Avery
Votes: 97,398 | Gross: $98.47M
Key Film in Part 4: Nu Black Awareness and Planet Rock (1980s - 1990s) 11 Academy Award Nominations and not one win, the most historic upset in black cinema history but through all that its still one of the most beloved films.
37. Glory (1989)
R | 122 min | Biography, Drama, History
Robert Gould Shaw leads the U.S. Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices from both his own Union Army, and the Confederates.
Director: Edward Zwick | Stars: Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes, Morgan Freeman
Votes: 144,502 | Gross: $26.83M
Key Film in Part 4: Nu Black Awareness and Planet Rock (1980s - 1990s)
38. Looking for Langston (1989)
R | 45 min | Biography, Drama
A black and white, fantasy-like recreation of high-society gay men during the Harlem Renaissance, with archival footage and photographs intercut with a story. A wake is going on, with ... See full summary »
Director: Isaac Julien | Stars: Ben Ellison, Matthew Baidoo, Akim Mogaji, John Wilson
Votes: 613
39. A Soldier's Story (1984)
PG | 101 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An African-American officer investigates a murder in a racially charged situation in World War II.
Director: Norman Jewison | Stars: Howard E. Rollins Jr., Adolph Caesar, Art Evans, David Alan Grier
Votes: 11,410 | Gross: $21.82M
Key Film in Part 4: Nu Black Awareness and Planet Rock (1980s - 1990s)
40. Boyz n the Hood (1991)
R | 112 min | Crime, Drama
Follows the lives of three young males living in the Crenshaw ghetto of Los Angeles, dissecting questions of race, relationships, violence, and future prospects.
Director: John Singleton | Stars: Cuba Gooding Jr., Laurence Fishburne, Hudhail Al-Amir, Lloyd Avery II
Votes: 154,715 | Gross: $57.50M
Key Film in Part 5: Urban Wasteland and Social Discourse (1990s -2000) haunting portray of Urban Life penned by a 25 year old Singleton making his the youngest director ever nominated for an Oscar.
41. Menace II Society (1993)
R | 97 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A young street hustler attempts to escape the rigors and temptations of the ghetto in a quest for a better life.
Directors: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes | Stars: Tyrin Turner, Larenz Tate, June Kyoto Lu, Toshi Toda
Votes: 64,494 | Gross: $27.90M
Key Film in Part 5: Urban Wasteland and Social Discourse (1990s -2000)
42. New Jack City (1991)
R | 97 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A crime lord ascends to power and becomes megalomaniacal while a maverick police detective vows to stop him.
Director: Mario Van Peebles | Stars: Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, Allen Payne, Chris Rock
Votes: 38,844 | Gross: $47.62M
Key Film in Part 5: Urban Wasteland and Social Discourse (1990s -2000) the rebirth of the anti-hero: Nino Brown
43. Clockers (1995)
R | 128 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Young drug pushers in the projects of Brooklyn live hard dangerous lives, trapped between their drug bosses and the detectives out to stop them.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Harvey Keitel, John Turturro, Delroy Lindo, Mekhi Phifer
Votes: 23,537 | Gross: $13.04M
Key Film in Part 5: Urban Wasteland and Social Discourse (1990s -2000)
44. Bulworth (1998)
R | 108 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A suicidally disillusioned liberal politician puts a contract out on himself and takes the opportunity to be bluntly honest with his voters by affecting the rhythms and speech of hip-hop music and culture.
Director: Warren Beatty | Stars: Warren Beatty, Halle Berry, Kimberly Deauna Adams, Vinny Argiro
Votes: 27,306 | Gross: $26.53M
Key Film in Part 5: Urban Wasteland and Social Discourse (1990s -2000) a serious social commentary on the state of America at that time.
45. Losing Isaiah (1995)
R | 111 min | Drama
The biological and adoptive mothers of a young boy are involved in a bitter, controversial custody battle.
Director: Stephen Gyllenhaal | Stars: Jessica Lange, Halle Berry, David Strathairn, Cuba Gooding Jr.
Votes: 6,555 | Gross: $7.60M
Key Film in Part 5: Urban Wasteland and Social Discourse (1990s - 2000)
46. Daughters of the Dust (1991)
TV-PG | 113 min | Drama, History, Romance
A languid, impressionistic story of three generations of Gullah women living on the South Carolina Sea Islands in 1902.
Director: Julie Dash | Stars: Cora Lee Day, Alva Rogers, Barbarao, Trula Hoosier
Votes: 3,292 | Gross: $1.64M
Key Film in Part 5: Urban Wasteland and Social Discourse (1990s - 2000)
47. Malcolm X (1992)
PG-13 | 202 min | Biography, Drama, History
Biographical epic of the controversial and influential Black Nationalist leader, from his early life and career as a small-time gangster, to his ministry as a member of the Nation of Islam and his eventual assassination.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Delroy Lindo, Spike Lee
Votes: 102,069 | Gross: $48.17M
Key Film in Part 5: Urban Wasteland and Social Discourse (1990s - 2000)
48. Get on the Bus (1996)
R | 120 min | Adventure, Drama, History
A disparate group of African-American men travel by bus to Washington, DC for the Million Man March.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Ossie Davis, Charles S. Dutton, Andre Braugher, Richard Belzer
Votes: 6,044 | Gross: $5.73M
Key Film in Part 5: Urban Wasteland and Social Discourse (1990s -2000) follows the historic Million Man March to counsel black men on the state of society.
49. Dead Presidents (1995)
R | 119 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A Vietnam vet adjusts to life after the war while trying to support his family, but the chance of a better life may involve crime and bloodshed.
Directors: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes | Stars: Larenz Tate, Keith David, Chris Tucker, Freddy Rodríguez
Votes: 24,491 | Gross: $24.20M
Key Film in Part 5: Urban Wasteland and Social Discourse (1990s -2000)
50. Jungle Fever (1991)
R | 132 min | Drama, Romance
Friends and family of a married Black architect react in different ways to his affair with an Italian secretary.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Wesley Snipes, Annabella Sciorra, Spike Lee, Ossie Davis
Votes: 19,666 | Gross: $32.48M
Key Film in Part 5: Urban Wasteland and Social Discourse (1990s -2000)
51. Higher Learning (1995)
R | 128 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
People from all different walks of life, encounter racial tension, rape, responsibility, and the meaning of an education on a university campus.
Director: John Singleton | Stars: Omar Epps, Kristy Swanson, Michael Rapaport, Jennifer Connelly
Votes: 21,559 | Gross: $38.29M
Key Film in Part 5: Urban Wasteland and Social Discourse (1990s -2000)
52. Amistad (1997)
R | 155 min | Biography, Drama, History
In 1839, the revolt of Mende captives aboard a Spanish owned ship causes a major controversy in the United States when the ship is captured off the coast of Long Island. The courts must decide whether the Mende are slaves or legally free.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Djimon Hounsou, Matthew McConaughey, Anthony Hopkins, Morgan Freeman
Votes: 82,823 | Gross: $44.18M
Key Film in Part 5: Urban Wasteland and Social Discourse (1990s -2000) a graphically vivid and emotional account of the Atlantic slave trade
53. Fresh (1994)
R | 114 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Death and violence anger a twelve-year-old drug courier, who sets his employers against each other.
Director: Boaz Yakin | Stars: Sean Nelson, Giancarlo Esposito, Samuel L. Jackson, N'Bushe Wright
Votes: 14,593 | Gross: $8.09M
Key Film in Part 5: Urban Wasteland and Social Discourse (1990s -2000)
54. The Caveman's Valentine (2001)
R | 105 min | Crime, Drama, Music
A cave-dwelling man sets out to track down the killer of a homeless boy, and bring him to justice.
Director: Kasi Lemmons | Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Colm Feore, Ann Magnuson, Damir Andrei
Votes: 8,133 | Gross: $0.69M
Key Film in Part 6: Millennial Black Cinema (2000s)
55. When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (2006–2007)
TV-MA | 51 min | Documentary
An examination of the U.S. government's response to Hurricane Katrina.
Stars: Darleen Asevedo, Jay Asevedo, Shelton Shakespear Alexander, Lee Arnold
Votes: 4,825
Key Film in Part 6: Millennial Black Cinema (2000s) Lee's documentation of one of America's most horrific tragedies from various POVs is a cannon of millennial black cinema.
56. Tsotsi (2005)
R | 94 min | Crime, Drama
Six days in the violent life of a young Johannesburg gang leader.
Director: Gavin Hood | Stars: Presley Chweneyagae, Mothusi Magano, Israel Matseke-Zulu, Terry Pheto
Votes: 31,612 | Gross: $2.91M
Key Film in Part 6: Millennial Black Cinema (2000s)
57. Our Song (2000)
R | 95 min | Drama
Focusing on the bonding between three girls in Brooklyn's "Jackie Robinson Steppers Marching Band" and the choices the girls face once their high school closes down for asbestos removal.
Director: Jim McKay | Stars: Kerry Washington, Anna Simpson, Melissa Martinez, The Jackie Robinson Steppers Marching Band
Votes: 852 | Gross: $0.25M
Key Film in Part 6: Millennial Black Cinema (2000s)
58. Bamboozled (2000)
R | 135 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
A frustrated African-American TV writer proposes a blackface minstrel show in protest, but to his chagrin, it becomes a hit.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Damon Wayans, Savion Glover, Jada Pinkett Smith, Michael Rapaport
Votes: 12,353 | Gross: $2.27M
Key Film in Part 6: Millennial Black Cinema (2000s) Spike's look at the portrayal and comprehension of the black image in media and television.
59. Training Day (2001)
R | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A rookie cop spends his first day as a Los Angeles narcotics officer with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears to be.
Director: Antoine Fuqua | Stars: Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Scott Glenn, Tom Berenger
Votes: 473,087 | Gross: $76.63M
Key Film in Part 6: Millennial Black Cinema (2000s)
60. The Minority (2006)
Not Rated | 84 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A young African American, Jake Jackson, is a happy, honest, law-abiding citizen who through many unfortunate events, experiences a full array of prejudices until he captures single-handedly the serial killer, David Fletcher, and his luck changes.
Director: Dwayne Buckle | Stars: Billoah Greene, Carson Grant, Ava Mateova, Bern Cohen
Votes: 93
Key Film in Part 6: Millennial Black Cinema (2000s) "Modern Day Racism"
61. Hotel Rwanda (2004)
PG-13 | 121 min | Biography, Drama, History
Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager, houses over a thousand Tutsi refugees during their struggle against the Hutu militia in Rwanda, Africa.
Director: Terry George | Stars: Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo, Joaquin Phoenix, Xolani Mali
Votes: 372,353 | Gross: $23.53M
Key Film in Part 6: Millennial Black Cinema (2000s) "Genocide"
62. Precious (II) (2009)
R | 110 min | Drama
In New York City's Harlem circa 1987, an overweight, abused, illiterate teen who is pregnant with her second child is invited to enroll in an alternative school in hopes that she can re-route her life in a better direction.
Director: Lee Daniels | Stars: Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey
Votes: 116,271 | Gross: $47.57M
Key Film in Part 6: Millennial Black Cinema (2000s), Precious is the first African American film to win the Academy Award for Best Screenplay for its adaptation from Push by Sapphire.
63. The Corner (2000)
TV-MA | 63 min | Crime, Drama
Chronicles a West Baltimore family living in poverty on the front lines of America's drug war.
Stars: T.K. Carter, Khandi Alexander, Sean Nelson, Clarke Peters
Votes: 5,508
Key Film in Part 6: Millennial Black Cinema (2000s)
64. Dirty Pretty Things (2002)
R | 97 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Irregular migrants Okwe and Senay work at a posh London hotel and live in constant fear of deportation. One night Okwe stumbles across evidence of a bizarre murder, setting off a series of events that could lead to disaster or freedom.
Director: Stephen Frears | Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Audrey Tautou, Sophie Okonedo, Kriss Dosanjh
Votes: 44,100 | Gross: $8.11M
Key Film in Part 6: Millennial Black Cinema (2000s) "Immigration Policies"
65. Medicine for Melancholy (2008)
Not Rated | 88 min | Drama, Romance
Twenty-four hours in the tentative relationship of two young San Franciscans also dealing with the conundrum of being a minority in a rapidly gentrifying city.
Director: Barry Jenkins | Stars: Wyatt Cenac, Tracey Heggins, John Thurgood, Brent Weinbach
Votes: 2,619 | Gross: $0.11M
Key Film in Part 6: Millennial Black Cinema (2000s) "Gentrification"
66. Heading South (2005)
Unrated | 108 min | Drama
Three female tourists have their eyes opened while visiting the poverty-stricken and dangerous world of 1980s Haiti.
Director: Laurent Cantet | Stars: Charlotte Rampling, Karen Young, Louise Portal, Ménothy Cesar
Votes: 2,871 | Gross: $0.90M
Key Film in Part 6: Millennial Black Cinema (2000s) "Sex Tourism"
67. Antwone Fisher (2002)
PG-13 | 120 min | Biography, Drama
Antwone Fisher, a young navy man, is forced to see a psychiatrist after a violent outburst against a fellow crewman. During the course of treatment a painful past is revealed and a new hope begins.
Director: Denzel Washington | Stars: Denzel Washington, Derek Luke, Joy Bryant, Malcolm David Kelley
Votes: 38,437 | Gross: $21.08M
Key Film in Part 6: Millennial Black Cinema (2000s) "Abuse and The Black Male"
68. Life, Above All (2010)
PG-13 | 100 min | Drama
A touching mother-daughter relationship that reflects the modern South Africa.
Director: Oliver Schmitz | Stars: Khomotso Manyaka, Keaobaka Makanyane, Harriet Lenabe, Lerato Mvelase
Votes: 1,507 | Gross: $0.13M
Key Film in Part 7: 2012 Nu Blak Image (2012 -2014)
69. Pariah (I) (2011)
R | 86 min | Drama
A Brooklyn teenager juggles conflicting identities and risks friendship, heartbreak and family in a desperate search for sexual expression.
Director: Dee Rees | Stars: Adepero Oduye, Kim Wayans, Aasha Davis, Pernell Walker
Votes: 7,561 | Gross: $0.76M
Key Film in Part 7: 2012 Nu Blak Image (2012 -2014)
70. Manderlay (2005)
Not Rated | 139 min | Drama
A story of slavery, set in the southern U.S. in the 1930s.
Director: Lars von Trier | Stars: Bryce Dallas Howard, Isaach De Bankolé, Danny Glover, Willem Dafoe
Votes: 25,187 | Gross: $0.08M
Key Film in Part 7: 2012 Nu Blak Image (2012 -2014)
71. The Limits of Control (2009)
R | 116 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The story of a mysterious loner, a stranger in the process of completing a criminal job.
Director: Jim Jarmusch | Stars: Isaach De Bankolé, Alex Descas, Jean-François Stévenin, Óscar Jaenada
Votes: 21,258 | Gross: $0.43M
Key Film in Part 7: 2012 Nu Blak Image (2012 -2014)
72. Desert Flower (2009)
R | 120 min | Biography, Drama
Waris Dirie, born 1965 in Somalia, flees at thirteen when sold to be a mans fourth wife. She works as a maid at the Somalian embassy in London, then in a McDonald's where she's discovered and becomes an international top model. Then, in 1997 she speaks up against female genital mutilation.
Director: Sherry Hormann | Stars: Soraya Omar-Scego, Idriss Abdillahi Houfaneh, Awa Saïd Darar, Roun Daher Aïnan
Votes: 14,204 | Gross: $0.04M
Key Film in Part 7: 2012 Nu Blak Image (2012 -2014)
73. The Redemption of General Butt Naked (2011)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama
Tells the story of Joshua Milton Blahyi - aka General Butt Naked - a brutal warlord who murdered thousands during Liberia's horrific 14-year civil war. Today, the General has renounced his ... See full summary »
Directors: Daniele Anastasion, Eric Strauss | Stars: Joshua Milton Blahyi Jr., Janice Blahyi, Joshua Blahyi, Josie Blahyi
Votes: 287
Key Film in Part 7: 2012 Nu Blak Image (2012 -2014)
74. Wolf (I) (2012)
87 min | Drama, Family
A family is shaken to the core when they discover that their son has been molested. As they struggle to deal with the betrayal, their son heads towards a total mental collapse because of his love for his abuser.
Director: Ya'Ke Smith | Stars: Selena Aguilar, Pedro Castaneda, Jordan E. Cooper, Mikala Gibson
Votes: 189
Key Film in Part 7: 2012 Nu Blak Image (2012 -2014)
75. The Boondocks (2005–2014)
TV-MA | 22 min | Animation, Action, Comedy
Brothers Huey and Riley Freeman experience a culture clash when they leave Chicago to move in with their grandfather in the suburbs.
Stars: Regina King, John Witherspoon, Gary Anthony Williams, Cedric Yarbrough
Votes: 35,744
Key Film in Part 7: 2012 Nu Blak Image (2012 -2014)
76. Django Unchained (2012)
R | 165 min | Comedy, Drama, Western
With the help of a German bounty-hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal plantation owner in Mississippi.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington
Votes: 1,696,147 | Gross: $162.81M
Key Film in Part 7: 2012 Nu Blak Image (2012 -2014)
77. Red Tails (2012)
PG-13 | 125 min | Action, Drama, History
A crew of African American pilots in the Tuskegee training program, having faced segregation while kept mostly on the ground during World War II, are called into duty under the guidance of Col. A.J. Bullard.
Director: Anthony Hemingway | Stars: Cuba Gooding Jr., Gerald McRaney, David Oyelowo, Andre Royo
Votes: 37,256 | Gross: $49.88M
Key Film in Part 7: 2012 Nu Blak Image (2012 -2014)
78. We the Party (2012)
R | 105 min | Comedy
In Los Angeles, five high-school friends deal with romance, money, prom, college, sex, bullies, Facebook, fitting in, standing out, and finding themselves.
Director: Mario Van Peebles | Stars: Mario Van Peebles, Snoop Dogg, Michael Jai White, Salli Richardson-Whitfield
Votes: 850
Key Film in Part 7: 2012 Nu Blak Image (2012 -2014)
79. The Retrieval (2013)
R | 92 min | Adventure, Drama, Western
On the outskirts of the U.S. Civil War, a boy is sent north by his bounty hunter gang to retrieve a wanted man.
Director: Chris Eska | Stars: Ashton Sanders, Tishuan Scott, Keston John, Bill Oberst Jr.
Votes: 2,737 | Gross: $0.05M
Key Film in Part 7: 2012 Nu Blak Image (2012 -2014)
80. An Oversimplification of Her Beauty (2012)
TV-MA | 84 min | Animation, Comedy, Drama
An artist's shortsighted film about a failed relationship is reedited into a more collaborative, more inclusive work of art.
Director: Terence Nance | Stars: Alisa Becher, Jc Cain, Reg E. Cathey, Dexter Jones
Votes: 813 | Gross: $0.07M
Key Film in Part 7: 2012 Nu Blak Image (2012 -2014)
81. 12 Years a Slave (2013)
R | 134 min | Biography, Drama, History
In the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free Black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.
Director: Steve McQueen | Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Kenneth Williams, Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt
Votes: 741,518 | Gross: $56.67M
Key Film in Part 7: 2012 Nu Blak Image (2012 -2014)
82. Being Mary Jane (2013–2019)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
The life of a young Black woman, her work, her family and the popular talk show which she hosts.
Stars: Gabrielle Union, Lisa Vidal, Raven Goodwin, Margaret Avery
Votes: 4,284
Key Film in Part 7: 2012 Nu Blak Image (2012 -2014)
83. Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (2014)
Not Rated | 123 min | Comedy, Drama, Horror
An anthropologist awakes with a thirst for blood after an assistant stabs him with a cursed dagger.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Stephen Tyrone Williams, Zaraah Abrahams, Rami Malek, Elvis Nolasco
Votes: 1,945
Key Film in Part 7: 2012 Nu Blak Image (2012 -2014)
84. Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
PG-13 | 93 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Faced with both her hot-tempered father's fading health and melting ice-caps that flood her ramshackle bayou community and unleash ancient aurochs, six-year-old Hushpuppy must learn the ways of courage and love.
Director: Benh Zeitlin | Stars: Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry, Levy Easterly, Lowell Landes
Votes: 85,080 | Gross: $12.80M
Key Film in Part 7: 2012 Nu Blak Image (2012 -2014)
85. Dope (2015)
R | 103 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime
Life changes for Malcolm, a geek who's surviving life in a tough neighborhood, after a chance invitation to an underground party leads him and his friends into a Los Angeles adventure.
Director: Rick Famuyiwa | Stars: Shameik Moore, Tony Revolori, Kiersey Clemons, Kimberly Elise
Votes: 89,332 | Gross: $17.51M
Final Chapter: BLERDS in Paradise (2010s)
86. Dear White People (2014)
R | 108 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The lives of four black students at an Ivy League college.
Director: Justin Simien | Stars: Tyler James Williams, Tessa Thompson, Kyle Gallner, Teyonah Parris
Votes: 26,566 | Gross: $4.40M
Final Chapter: BLERDS in Paradise (2010s)
87. Afro Samurai (2007)
TV-MA | 26 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
A Black samurai goes on a mission to avenge the wrongful death of his father in a futuristic feudal Japan.
Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Phil LaMarr, Yuri Lowenthal, Greg Eagles
Votes: 18,239
Final Chapter: BLERDS in Paradise (2010s)
88. A Band Called Death (2012)
Not Rated | 96 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
A documentary on the 1970s punk trio Death, and their new-found popularity decades after they disbanded.
Directors: Mark Christopher Covino, Jeff Howlett | Stars: Bobby Hackney, David Hackney, Dannis Hackney, Robbie Duncan
Votes: 4,004 | Gross: $0.13M
Final Chapter: BLERDS in Paradise (2010s)
89. Get Out (I) (2017)
R | 104 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A young African-American visits his white girlfriend's parents for the weekend, where his simmering uneasiness about their reception of him eventually reaches a boiling point.
Director: Jordan Peele | Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener
Votes: 697,406 | Gross: $176.04M
The Next Generation
90. Nope (2022)
R | 130 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
The residents of a lonely gulch in inland California bear witness to an uncanny and chilling discovery.
Director: Jordan Peele | Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Brandon Perea, Michael Wincott
Votes: 266,274 | Gross: $123.28M
The Next Generation
91. Sorry to Bother You (2018)
R | 112 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
In an alternate present-day version of Oakland, telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key to professional success, propelling him into a universe of greed.
Director: Boots Riley | Stars: LaKeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Jermaine Fowler, Omari Hardwick
Votes: 88,234 | Gross: $17.49M
The Next Generation
92. Bodied (2017)
R | 120 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
A progressive graduate student finds success and sparks outrage when his interest in battle rap as a thesis subject becomes a competitive obsession.
Director: Joseph Kahn | Stars: Calum Worthy, Jackie Long, Rory Uphold, Jonnie Park
Votes: 6,126 | Gross: $0.11M
The Next Generation
93. Insecure (2016–2021)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Follows the awkward experiences and racy tribulations of a modern-day African-American woman.
Stars: Issa Rae, Yvonne Orji, Jay Ellis, Natasha Rothwell
Votes: 22,391
The Next Generation
94. Random Acts of Flyness (2018– )
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Late-night series from artist Terence Nance featuring a mix of vérité documentary, musical performances, surrealist melodrama and humorous animation as a stream-of-consciousness response to the contemporary American mediascape.
Stars: Terence Nance, Austin Smith, Alicia Pilgrim, Dominique Fishback
Votes: 806
The Next Generation
95. Lemonade (2016 TV Special)
65 min | Music, Musical
A view of a woman's journey through life.
Directors: Beyoncé, Kahlil Joseph, Dikayl Rimmasch, Todd Tourso, Jonas Åkerlund, Melina Matsoukas, Mark Romanek | Stars: Beyoncé, Brittani Alexander, Jasmine Badie, Fulani Bahati
Votes: 3,489
The Next Generation
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