Our Favorite Films by Black Directors

by IMDb-Editors | created - 04 Feb 2021 | updated - 04 Feb 2021 | Public

Add these iconic films by Black directors to your watchlist, which are featured in our "Salute to Black Directors."

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1. Within Our Gates (1920)

Not Rated | 79 min | Drama, Romance

Abandoned by her fiancé, an educated black woman with a shocking past dedicates herself to helping a near bankrupt school for impoverished black youths.

Director: Oscar Micheaux | Stars: Evelyn Preer, Flo Clements, James D. Ruffin, Jack Chenault

Votes: 3,620

Directed by Oscar Micheaux

2. Zora Neale Hurston Fieldwork Footage (1928)

4 min | Documentary, Short

A 2018 compilation of Zora Neale Hurston's registers of activities in American black communities from the rural South, it possesses a highly anthropological value. Shot in 1928-29, the ... See full summary »

Director: Zora Neale Hurston

Votes: 143

Directed by Zora Neale Hurston

3. The Blood of Jesus (1941)

Approved | 57 min | Drama, Fantasy

An atheist accidentally shoots his Baptist wife. She dies and goes to a crossroads, where the devil tries to lead her astray.

Director: Spencer Williams | Stars: Cathryn Caviness, Spencer Williams, Juanita Riley, Reather Hardeman

Votes: 775

Directed by Spencer Williams

4. The Learning Tree (1969)

PG | 107 min | Drama

A bittersweet, idyllic story about a year in the life of 14-year-old Newt Winger, born into a poor Black family in Kansas, who learns about love, fear, racial injustice, and immorality.

Director: Gordon Parks | Stars: Kyle Johnson, Alex Clarke, Estelle Evans, Dana Elcar

Votes: 1,621

Directed by Gordon Parks

5. Shaft (1971)

R | 100 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

66 Metascore

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: 20,991 | Gross: $16.69M

Directed by Gordon Parks

6. Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971)

R | 97 min | Action, Crime, Drama

71 Metascore

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: 5,852 | Gross: $15.18M

Directed by Melvin Van Peebles

7. Super Fly (1972)

R | 91 min | Action, Crime, Drama

67 Metascore

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: 8,581

Directed by Gordon Parks Jr.

8. The Spook Who Sat by the Door (1973)

PG | 102 min | Action, Drama, Crime

A black man plays 'uncle Tom' in order to gain access to CIA training, then uses that knowledge to plot a new American revolt.

Director: Ivan Dixon | Stars: Lawrence Cook, Janet League, Paula Kelly, J.A. Preston

Votes: 1,561 | Gross: $1.00M

Directed by Ivan Dixon

9. Mahogany (1975)

PG | 109 min | Drama, Romance

Tracy, an aspiring designer from the slums of Chicago puts herself through fashion school in the hopes of becoming one of the world's top designers. Her ambition leads her to Rome spurring ... See full summary »

Directors: Berry Gordy, Tony Richardson, Jack Wormser | Stars: Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Perkins, Jean-Pierre Aumont

Votes: 2,220 | Gross: $5.00M

Directed by Berry Gordy

10. Cooley High (1975)

PG | 107 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

72 Metascore

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: 5,539

Directed by Michael Schultz

11. Car Wash (1976)

PG | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

71 Metascore

A comedic take on the daily life of car-wash employees, chronicling their hopes, fears, joys, dreams, and tribulations, and meeting some eccentric customers along the way.

Director: Michael Schultz | Stars: Richard Pryor, Franklyn Ajaye, Sully Boyar, Richard Brestoff

Votes: 8,182

Directed by Michael Schultz

12. Killer of Sheep (1978)

80 min | Drama

96 Metascore

Set in the Watts area of Los Angeles, a slaughterhouse worker must suspend his emotions to continue working at a job he finds repugnant, and then he finds he has little sensitivity for the family he works so hard to support.

Director: Charles Burnett | Stars: Henry G. Sanders, Kaycee Moore, Charles Bracy, Angela Burnett

Votes: 7,528 | Gross: $0.40M

Directed by Charles Burnett

13. Stir Crazy (1980)

R | 111 min | Comedy, Crime

56 Metascore

Set up and wrongfully accused, two best friends are sent to prison for a crime they didn't commit. However, no prison cell can keep them locked in a cage.

Director: Sidney Poitier | Stars: Gene Wilder, Richard Pryor, Georg Stanford Brown, JoBeth Williams

Votes: 30,366 | Gross: $101.30M

Directed by Sidney Poitier

14. A Dry White Season (1989)

R | 106 min | Drama, Thriller

68 Metascore

A white middle class South African suburbanite with no interest in politics agrees to help his black gardener find his jailed son. His investigation opens his eyes to the horrors committed by the secret police and turns him into a target.

Director: Euzhan Palcy | Stars: Donald Sutherland, Janet Suzman, Zakes Mokae, Jürgen Prochnow

Votes: 6,168 | Gross: $3.77M

Directed by Euzhan Palcy

15. Ashes and Embers (1982)

120 min | Drama

A troubled Vietnam veteran hoping to forget the war and reconnect with American life struggles with disillusionment, self-worth, and cynicism.

Director: Haile Gerima | Stars: John Anderson, Evelyn A. Blackwell, Norman Blalock, Kathy Flewellen

Votes: 177

Directed by Haile Gerima

16. I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988)

R | 88 min | Action, Comedy, Crime

48 Metascore

In this parody of blaxploitation movies, a black hero wannabe reunites former black heroes from the 70s to help him get revenge on Mr. Big.

Director: Keenen Ivory Wayans | Stars: Keenen Ivory Wayans, Bernie Casey, Antonio Fargas, Steve James

Votes: 14,961 | Gross: $13.03M

Directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans

17. Hollywood Shuffle (1987)

R | 81 min | Comedy

74 Metascore

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: 6,365 | Gross: $5.23M

Directed by Robert Townsend

18. Do the Right Thing (1989)

R | 120 min | Comedy, Drama

93 Metascore

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: 112,289 | Gross: $27.55M

Directed by Spike Lee

19. House Party (1990)

R | 100 min | Comedy, Music, Romance

76 Metascore

Kid decides to go to his friend Play's house party, but neither of them can predict what's in store for them on what could be the wildest night of their lives.

Director: Reginald Hudlin | Stars: Christopher Reid, Robin Harris, Christopher Martin, Martin Lawrence

Votes: 16,700 | Gross: $26.39M

Directed by Reginald Hudlin

20. Straight Out of Brooklyn (1991)

R | 91 min | Crime, Drama

A young man living in poverty makes a plan to rob a drug dealer and change the life of his family.

Director: Matty Rich | Stars: George T. Odom, Ann D. Sanders, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Barbara Sanon

Votes: 667

Directed by Matty Rich

21. Daughters of the Dust (1991)

TV-PG | 113 min | Drama, History, Romance

81 Metascore

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: 3,279 | Gross: $1.64M

Directed by Julie Dash

22. Boyz n the Hood (1991)

R | 112 min | Crime, Drama

76 Metascore

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: 154,429 | Gross: $57.50M

Directed by John Singleton

23. New Jack City (1991)

R | 97 min | Action, Crime, Drama

61 Metascore

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: 38,784 | Gross: $47.62M

Directed by Mario Van Peebles

24. Boomerang (1992)

R | 117 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

45 Metascore

A successful executive and womanizer finds his lifestyle choices have turned back on him when his new female boss turns out to be an even bigger deviant than he is.

Director: Reginald Hudlin | Stars: Eddie Murphy, Robin Givens, Halle Berry, David Alan Grier

Votes: 31,348 | Gross: $70.10M

Directed by Reginald Hudlin

25. Malcolm X (1992)

PG-13 | 202 min | Biography, Drama, History

73 Metascore

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: 101,954 | Gross: $48.17M

Directed by Spike Lee

26. Juice (1992)

R | 95 min | Action, Crime, Drama

60 Metascore

Four inner-city teenagers get caught up in the pursuit of power and happiness, which they refer to as "the juice".

Director: Ernest R. Dickerson | Stars: Omar Epps, Tupac Shakur, Jermaine Hopkins, Khalil Kain

Votes: 30,317 | Gross: $20.15M

Directed by Ernest R. Dickerson

27. Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. (1992)

R | 92 min | Drama, Romance

64 Metascore

With hopes of becoming a doctor and not a product of her environment, a Brooklyn teenager is faced with numerous challenges that threaten her dreams.

Director: Leslie Harris | Stars: Ariyan A. Johnson, Kevin Thigpen, Ebony Jerido, Chequita Jackson

Votes: 1,362 | Gross: $0.48M

Directed by Leslie Harris

28. I Like It Like That (1994)

R | 104 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

Money issues and misunderstandings divide a couple who struggle to raise their children in the Bronx.

Director: Darnell Martin | Stars: Luna Lauren Velez, Jon Seda, Tomas Melly, Desiree Casado

Votes: 1,843 | Gross: $1.78M

Directed by Darnell Martin

29. Waiting to Exhale (1995)

R | 124 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

Based on Terry McMillan's novel, this film follows four very different African-American women and their relationships with men.

Director: Forest Whitaker | Stars: Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, Lela Rochon

Votes: 12,168 | Gross: $67.05M

Directed by Forest Whitaker

30. Friday (1995)

R | 91 min | Comedy, Drama

54 Metascore

It's Friday, and Craig and Smokey must come up with $200 they owe a local bully or there won't be a Saturday.

Director: F. Gary Gray | Stars: Ice Cube, Chris Tucker, Nia Long, Tom Lister Jr.

Votes: 124,404 | Gross: $27.47M

Directed by F. Gary Gray

31. Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)

R | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

78 Metascore

A Black war hero is hired to find a mysterious woman, and gets mixed up in a murderous political scandal in 1948 Los Angeles.

Director: Carl Franklin | Stars: Denzel Washington, Tom Sizemore, Jennifer Beals, Don Cheadle

Votes: 24,125 | Gross: $16.03M

Directed by Carl Franklin

32. Set It Off (1996)

R | 123 min | Action, Crime, Drama

62 Metascore

Desperation drives four inner-city women to bank robbery in Los Angeles, then they start mistrusting each other.

Director: F. Gary Gray | Stars: Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, Kimberly Elise

Votes: 18,444 | Gross: $36.05M

Directed by F. Gary Gray

33. The Watermelon Woman (1996)

Unrated | 90 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

74 Metascore

A young black lesbian filmmaker probes into the life of The Watermelon Woman, a 1930s black actress who played 'mammy' archetypes.

Director: Cheryl Dunye | Stars: Cheryl Dunye, Guinevere Turner, Valarie Walker, Lisa Marie Bronson

Votes: 3,501

Directed by Cheryl Dunye

34. Love Jones (1997)

R | 109 min | Drama, Romance

65 Metascore

Darius Lovehall is a young black poet in Chicago who starts dating Nina Mosley, a beautiful and talented photographer. While trying to figure out if they've got a "love thing" or are just "... See full summary »

Director: Theodore Witcher | Stars: Larenz Tate, Nia Long, Isaiah Washington, Lisa Nicole Carson

Votes: 5,635 | Gross: $12.51M

Directed by Theodore Witcher

35. Eve's Bayou (1997)

R | 108 min | Drama

78 Metascore

What did little Eve see--and how will it haunt her? Husband, father and womanizer Louis Batiste is the head of an affluent family, but it's the women who rule this gothic world of secrets, lies and mystic forces.

Director: Kasi Lemmons | Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Jurnee Smollett, Meagan Good, Lynn Whitfield

Votes: 11,594 | Gross: $14.82M

Directed by Kasi Lemmons

36. How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998)

R | 124 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

56 Metascore

Stella is a highly successful, forty-something San Francisco stock broker who is persuaded by her colorful New York girlfriend Delilah to take a well deserved, first-class vacation to Jamaica.

Director: Kevin Rodney Sullivan | Stars: Angela Bassett, Taye Diggs, Whoopi Goldberg, Regina King

Votes: 8,314 | Gross: $37.67M

Directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan

37. Love & Basketball (2000)

PG-13 | 124 min | Drama, Romance, Sport

72 Metascore

Monica and Quincy love and play basketball together through many life challenges from childhood to adulthood.

Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood | Stars: Sanaa Lathan, Omar Epps, Glenndon Chatman, Jess Willard

Votes: 24,269 | Gross: $27.44M

Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood

38. Medicine for Melancholy (2008)

Not Rated | 88 min | Drama, Romance

62 Metascore

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: 2,612 | Gross: $0.11M

Directed by Barry Jenkins

39. Daddy's Little Girls (2007)

PG-13 | 100 min | Drama, Romance

49 Metascore

A mechanic and his family are struggling to make ends meet with his ex-girlfriend and her drug dealing boyfriend He struggles to get custody of his children during the way he falls inlove with his attorney.

Director: Tyler Perry | Stars: Gabrielle Union, Idris Elba, Tracee Ellis Ross, Louis Gossett Jr.

Votes: 8,286 | Gross: $31.34M

Directed by Tyler Perry

40. Pariah (I) (2011)

R | 86 min | Drama

79 Metascore

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: 7,548 | Gross: $0.76M

Directed by Dee Rees

41. Precious (II) (2009)

R | 110 min | Drama

78 Metascore

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: 116,176 | Gross: $47.57M

Directed by Lee Daniels

42. 12 Years a Slave (2013)

R | 134 min | Biography, Drama, History

96 Metascore

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: 740,699 | Gross: $56.67M

Directed by Lee Daniels

43. Moonlight (I) (2016)

R | 111 min | Drama

99 Metascore

A young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.

Director: Barry Jenkins | Stars: Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Trevante Rhodes, Alex R. Hibbert

Votes: 331,449 | Gross: $27.85M

Directed by Barry Jenkins

44. Selma (2014)

PG-13 | 128 min | Biography, Drama, History

79 Metascore

A chronicle of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965.

Director: Ava DuVernay | Stars: David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Wilkinson

Votes: 95,429 | Gross: $52.08M

Directed by Ava DuVernay

45. Mudbound (2017)

R | 134 min | Drama, War

85 Metascore

Two men return home from World War II to work on a farm in rural Mississippi, where they struggle to deal with racism and adjusting to life after war.

Director: Dee Rees | Stars: Jason Mitchell, Carey Mulligan, Jason Clarke, Mary J. Blige

Votes: 54,335

Directed by Dee Rees

46. Night Catches Us (2010)

R | 90 min | Drama, Romance

65 Metascore

In 1976, complex political and emotional forces are set in motion when a young man returns to the race-torn Philadelphia neighborhood where he came of age during the Black Power movement.

Director: Tanya Hamilton | Stars: Anthony Mackie, Kerry Washington, Jamara Griffin, Sadiq Afif

Votes: 1,830 | Gross: $0.08M

Directed by Tanya Hamilton

47. Marshall (2017)

PG-13 | 118 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

66 Metascore

The story of Thurgood Marshall, the crusading lawyer who would become the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, as he battles through one of his career-defining cases.

Director: Reginald Hudlin | Stars: Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad, Kate Hudson, Sterling K. Brown

Votes: 26,782 | Gross: $10.05M

Directed by Reginald Hudlin

48. The Book of Eli (2010)

R | 118 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

53 Metascore

A drifter fights his way across a ravaged, post-apocalyptic America while protecting a sacred book that holds the secrets to humanity's salvation.

Directors: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes | Stars: Denzel Washington, Mila Kunis, Ray Stevenson, Gary Oldman

Votes: 339,076 | Gross: $94.84M

Directed by Albert and Allen Hughes

49. Fruitvale Station (2013)

R | 85 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

85 Metascore

The story of Oscar Grant III, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident, who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family, and strangers on the last day of 2008.

Director: Ryan Coogler | Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Melonie Diaz, Octavia Spencer, Kevin Durand

Votes: 85,833 | Gross: $16.10M

Directed by Ryan Coogler

50. Get Out (I) (2017)

R | 104 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

85 Metascore

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: 695,293 | Gross: $176.04M

Directed by Jordan Peele

51. Little Woods (2018)

R | 105 min | Crime, Drama, Western

74 Metascore

In Little Woods North Dakota, two estranged sisters are driven to extremes when their mother dies, leaving them with one week to pay back her mortgage.

Director: Nia DaCosta | Stars: Tessa Thompson, Lily James, Luke Kirby, James Badge Dale

Votes: 4,107 | Gross: $0.15M

Directed by Nia DaCosta

52. Clemency (2019)

R | 112 min | Drama

77 Metascore

As she prepares to execute another inmate, Bernadine must confront the psychological and emotional demons her job creates, ultimately connecting her to the man she is sanctioned to kill.

Director: Chinonye Chukwu | Stars: Alfre Woodard, Richard Schiff, Aldis Hodge, Wendell Pierce

Votes: 5,415

Directed by Chinonye Chukwu

53. The Hate U Give (2018)

PG-13 | 133 min | Crime, Drama

81 Metascore

Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Now, facing pressure from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what's right.

Director: George Tillman Jr. | Stars: Amandla Stenberg, Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, Anthony Mackie

Votes: 40,089 | Gross: $29.72M

Directed by George Tillman Jr.

54. Creed II (2018)

PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Drama, Sport

66 Metascore

Under the tutelage of Rocky Balboa, newly crowned heavyweight champion Adonis Creed faces off against Viktor Drago, the son of Ivan Drago.

Director: Steven Caple Jr. | Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad

Votes: 155,336 | Gross: $115.72M

Directed by Steven Caple Jr.

55. Black Panther (2018)

PG-13 | 134 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

88 Metascore

T'Challa, heir to the hidden but advanced kingdom of Wakanda, must step forward to lead his people into a new future and must confront a challenger from his country's past.

Director: Ryan Coogler | Stars: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira

Votes: 836,705 | Gross: $700.06M

Directed by Ryan Coogler

56. Harriet (I) (2019)

PG-13 | 125 min | Action, Biography, Drama

66 Metascore

The extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman's escape from slavery and transformation into one of America's greatest heroes, whose courage, ingenuity, and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history.

Director: Kasi Lemmons | Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Janelle Monáe, Leslie Odom Jr., Joe Alwyn

Votes: 30,684

Directed by Kasi Lemmons

57. A Wrinkle in Time (2018)

PG | 109 min | Adventure, Drama, Family

53 Metascore

After the disappearance of her scientist father, three peculiar beings send Meg, her brother, and her friend to space in order to find him.

Director: Ava DuVernay | Stars: Storm Reid, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling

Votes: 47,763 | Gross: $100.48M

Directed by Ava DuVernay

58. Queen & Slim (2019)

R | 132 min | Crime, Drama, Romance

74 Metascore

A couple's first date takes an unexpected turn when a police officer pulls them over.

Director: Melina Matsoukas | Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Jodie Turner-Smith, Bokeem Woodbine, Chloë Sevigny

Votes: 34,596

Directed by Melina Matsoukas

59. The Equalizer 2 (2018)

R | 121 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

50 Metascore

Robert McCall serves an unflinching justice for the exploited and oppressed, but how far will he go when that is someone he loves?

Director: Antoine Fuqua | Stars: Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Ashton Sanders, Orson Bean

Votes: 197,243 | Gross: $102.08M

Directed by Antoine Fuqua

60. Dope (2015)

R | 103 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime

72 Metascore

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: 89,269 | Gross: $17.51M

Directed by Rick Famuyiwa

61. Sorry to Bother You (2018)

R | 112 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

78 Metascore

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: 88,035 | Gross: $17.49M

Directed by Boots Riley

62. Dear White People (2014)

R | 108 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

79 Metascore

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: 26,557 | Gross: $4.40M

Directed by Justin Simien

63. Little (I) (2019)

PG-13 | 109 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance

49 Metascore

A woman is transformed into her younger self at a point in her life when the pressures of adulthood become too much to bear.

Director: Tina Gordon | Stars: Regina Hall, Issa Rae, Marsai Martin, Justin Hartley

Votes: 14,593 | Gross: $40.67M

Directed by Tina Gordon

64. Premature (2019)

Unrated | 90 min | Drama, Music, Romance

81 Metascore

Seventeen year-old Ayanna meets handsome and mysterious Isaiah in her path toward self-discovery. Her entire world is turned upside down as she travails on the rigorous terrain of young love in the summer before she leaves for college.

Director: Rashaad Ernesto Green | Stars: Zora Howard, Joshua Boone, Michelle Wilson, Alexis Marie Wint

Votes: 951

Directed by Rashaad Ernesto Green

65. The Photograph (I) (2020)

PG-13 | 106 min | Drama, Romance

62 Metascore

A series of intertwining love stories set in the past and in the present.

Director: Stella Meghie | Stars: Issa Rae, LaKeith Stanfield, Chanté Adams, Y'lan Noel

Votes: 6,202

Directed by Stella Meghie

66. Girls Trip (2017)

R | 122 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama

71 Metascore

When four lifelong friends travel to New Orleans for the annual Essence Festival, sisterhoods are rekindled, wild sides are rediscovered, and there's enough dancing, drinking, brawling and romancing to make the Big Easy blush.

Director: Malcolm D. Lee | Stars: Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Tiffany Haddish

Votes: 40,444 | Gross: $115.17M

Directed by Malcolm D. Lee

67. Us (II) (2019)

R | 116 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

81 Metascore

Adelaide Wilson and her family are attacked by mysterious figures dressed in red. Upon closer inspection, the Wilsons realize that the intruders are exact lookalikes of them.

Director: Jordan Peele | Stars: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker

Votes: 340,546 | Gross: $175.08M

Directed by Jordan Peele

68. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

PG | 117 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

87 Metascore

Teen Miles Morales becomes the Spider-Man of his universe and must join with five spider-powered individuals from other dimensions to stop a threat for all realities.

Directors: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman | Stars: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali

Votes: 670,132 | Gross: $190.24M

Directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman

69. Selah and the Spades (2019)

R | 97 min | Drama

69 Metascore

Five factions run the underground life of Haldwell School, a prestigious East Coast boarding school. At the head of the most powerful faction, The Spades, sits Selah Summers, walking the fine line between being feared and loved.

Director: Tayarisha Poe | Stars: Lovie Simone, Celeste O'Connor, Jharrel Jerome, Jesse Williams

Votes: 1,349

Directed by Tayarisha Poe

70. Miss Juneteenth (2020)

Unrated | 99 min | Drama

73 Metascore

A former beauty queen and single mom prepares her rebellious teenage daughter for the "Miss Juneteenth" pageant.

Director: Channing Godfrey Peoples | Stars: Nicole Beharie, Liz Mikel, Marcus M. Mauldin, Kendrick Sampson

Votes: 2,157

Directed by Channing Godfrey Peoples

71. Antebellum (2020)

R | 105 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery

43 Metascore

Successful author Veronica Henley finds herself trapped in a horrifying reality and must uncover the mind-bending mystery before it's too late.

Directors: Gerard Bush, Christopher Renz | Stars: Janelle Monáe, Eric Lange, Jena Malone, Jack Huston

Votes: 29,772

Directed by Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz

72. The Forty-Year-Old Version (2020)

R | 123 min | Comedy, Drama

80 Metascore

Radha is a down-on-her-luck NY playwright, who is desperate for a breakthrough before 40. Reinventing herself as rapper RadhaMUSPrime, she vacillates between the worlds of Hip Hop and theater in order to find her true voice.

Director: Radha Blank | Stars: Radha Blank, Peter Kim, Oswin Benjamin, Imani Lewis

Votes: 5,512

Directed by Radha Blank

73. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)

R | 94 min | Drama, Music

87 Metascore

Tensions rise when trailblazing blues singer Ma Rainey and her band gather at a recording studio in Chicago in 1927.

Director: George C. Wolfe | Stars: Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Glynn Turman, Colman Domingo

Votes: 57,888

Directed by George C. Wolfe

74. Sylvie's Love (2020)

PG-13 | 114 min | Drama, Music, Romance

74 Metascore

When a young woman meets an aspiring saxophonist in her father's record shop in 1950s Harlem, their love ignites a sweeping romance that transcends changing times, geography, and professional success.

Director: Eugene Ashe | Stars: Tessa Thompson, Nnamdi Asomugha, Eva Longoria, Aja Naomi King

Votes: 6,438

Directed by Eugene Ashe

75. Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)

R | 126 min | Biography, Drama, History

84 Metascore

Offered a plea deal by the FBI, William O'Neal infiltrates the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party to gather intelligence on Chairman Fred Hampton.

Director: Shaka King | Stars: LaKeith Stanfield, Daniel Kaluuya, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback

Votes: 91,389

Directed by Shaka King

76. Da 5 Bloods (2020)

R | 154 min | Adventure, Drama, War

82 Metascore

Four African-American vets battle the forces of man and nature when they return to Vietnam seeking the remains of their fallen squad leader and the gold fortune he helped them hide.

Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis

Votes: 55,108

Directed by Spike Lee

77. One Night in Miami... (2020)

R | 114 min | Drama

83 Metascore

A fictional account of one incredible night where icons Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown gathered discussing their roles in the Civil Rights Movement and cultural upheaval of the 60s.

Director: Regina King | Stars: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom Jr.

Votes: 34,258

Directed by Regina King



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