Black History 100 Movies
by wkeyes-26656 | created - 23 Dec 2021 | updated - 26 Dec 2021 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Spark: A Systemic Racism Story (2020)
32 min | Documentary, Short
By exploring systemic racism's roots and remedies, SPARK hopes to inspire people to move from simply not being racist - which does little to dismantle racism - to actively living an ... See full summary »
Directors: Tom Gegax, Mary Wescott | Star: Bruce Greenwood
2. Before They Die! (2008)
92 min | Documentary, Crime, History
This is the story of the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921, the worst case of domestic terrorism in American history. It is about the few remaining survivors and their fight for justice and ... See full summary »
Directors: Reginald Turner, St. Clair Bourne, Michael Hausfeld, John Rogers, J. Denise Clement | Stars: Franklyn Ajaye, Otis Clark, Olivia Hooker, Charles Ogletree
Votes: 15
3. Content of Character: Diary of a Young Black Girl (2018)
120 min | Biography, Drama, History
Told through the voice of her diary, Cindy recounts the experiences of growing up in Spartanburg, Sparkle City), South Carolina during the 1960s.
Director: L. Courtney Thorpe Douglas | Stars: Auyama Wright, Mylah Smith, Alexas Benson, Jamie Nicole Jordan
4. A Distant Shore: African Americans of D-Day (2007 TV Movie)
Documentary, History, War
The role of African American soldiers during the World War II Allied invasion of Normandy.
Star: Josh Harraway
Votes: 24
5. Reparations... Who Should Pay? (2009)
25 min | Documentary, Short
'Reparations ... Who Should Pay?' examines the history of slavery and racial discrimination in the United States. It boldly acknowledges that the U.S. could have had many black presidents ... See full summary »
Director: Nina May
6. 11-04-08: The Day of Change (2009 TV Movie)
30 min | History
Director: Ulysses Porter Brown | Stars: Laila Ali, Tatyana Ali, Tisha Campbell, Curtis Conway
Votes: 15
7. Falas Negras (2020 TV Movie)
Drama, History
The special features 22 real testimonials from people like Mandela, Martin Luther King and Marielle Franco, who fought racism and freedom in favor of justice.
Director: Lázaro Ramos | Stars: Heloísa Jorge, Reinaldo Júnior, Izak Dahora, Olivia Araújo
Votes: 43
8. Sankofa Chicago (2021)
68 min | Documentary | Completed
Sankofa Chicago is a 68-minute documentary that reflects upon the importance of learning black history in order to shape a better future for our young black citizens, starting with Chicago.
Director: Vanessa Page Wright
9. 1968 (IV) (2018)
7 min | Short, Drama, History
1968 is about a black radical fighting for racial equality while a white idealist struggles to help, during one of the most politically unstable years in recent history.
Director: Aaron Rota | Stars: Warren Belle, Dan Krantz, Richard D. Leko, Daniel Krmpotic
Votes: 20
10. Sammy-Gate (2020)
Biography
A dark political satire about how Sammy Davis, Jr. caused Watergate.
Director: Noel Lawrence | Stars: Richard Beatty, Phil Proctor, Peter Henry Schroeder, Durga McBroom
Votes: 27
11. The Awakening (2019– )
Drama
Like a wildfire, people wake up to the fact that they've been lied to their whole lives. The Awakening is the new revolution.
Stars: James Hicks, Kericho Corry, Raymond Watanga, Nia Miranda
12. Black Wall Street (I)
Biography, Drama | Announced
As the nation is ignited in extreme racism, Negros from across the country seek prosperity in the Promised Land, Tulsa, Oklahoma,
Director: Dennis Delemar | Star: Yasmine Mejia
13. Claim the Sky: We Shall Overcome
Documentary | Post-production
Director: Isaias Gamboa | Stars: Lenny Kravitz, Pat Boone, Oprah Winfrey, Lee Daniels
14. Hate Crimes in the Heartland (2015)
Not Rated | 60 min | Documentary, Crime, History
"Hate Crimes in the Heartland," a feature documentary explores the 250,000 hate crimes committed in America each year through the powerful stories of two crimes committed in Tulsa, Oklahoma... See full summary »
Director: Rachel Lyon | Stars: Dewey Bartlett, Warren G. Blakney Sr., Clark Brewster, David Hall
Votes: 70
15. Assata aka Joanne Chesimard (2008)
93 min | Drama
Assata Shakur, the firebrand revolutionary Black Panther, was convicted and sentenced to life in a widely publicized case involving a 1973 shootout on the NJ Turnpike, which resulted in the... See full summary »
Director: Fred Baker | Stars: Will Blagrove, Rick Borgia, J.D. Brown, Kathleen Cleaver
16. Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans (2008)
Not Rated | 68 min | Documentary
Faubourg Treme documents the enduring legacy of one of the United States' oldest African American communities, an area just outside the French Quarter of New Orleans.
Director: Dawn Logsdon | Stars: Glen David Andrews, Harold Evans, Eric Foner, John Hope Franklin
Votes: 90
17.
Of Black America (1968)
Episode:
Black History: Lost, Stolen or Strayed
(1968)
51 min | Documentary
Bill Cosby examines the problematic way blacks are represented in American history and films and the effects it has on black children's self-perception..
Stars: Bill Cosby, John Churchville, Charles J. Correll, Freeman F. Gosden
Votes: 90
18. The Tulsa Lynching of 1921: A Hidden Story (2000 TV Movie)
80 min | Documentary
This is a Documentary of the infamous Tulsa Massacre of 1921, locally called "The Tulsa Race Riot." Most of the Black section of town was burned and many Black citizens were murdered by ... See full synopsis »
Director: Michael Wilkerson | Stars: Roscoe Lee Browne, Nell Carter, Bill Cosby, Rocky Frisco
Votes: 40
19. South (1999)
71 min | Documentary
A documentary examining the effect of a man dragged to death on the residents in Jasper, Texas.
Director: Chantal Akerman
Votes: 396
20. Malcolm (2019)
15 min | Short
Director: William Catlett | Stars: Todd Anthony, Jay D. Henderson, Mark Krenik, Demarius Mack
Votes: 11
21. Brother Future (1991 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 103 min | Drama, History, Sci-Fi
A young street rapper is transported back in time to the pre-Civil War South, where he finds himself in the middle of a slave revolt.
Director: Roy Campanella II | Stars: Phill Lewis, Carl Lumbly, Michael Burgess, Akosua Busia
Votes: 228
22. Bookmarks (2020)
TV-G | Short, Family
Prominent Black celebrities and artists read children's books from Black authors that highlight the Black experience. Conversations center around themes of identity, respect, justice, and action.
Stars: Marley Dias, Common, Tiffany Haddish, Lupita Nyong'o
Votes: 172
23. 1000 Years a Slave (2021)
45 min | Documentary, History
An exploration of how slavery has underpinned world history.
Stars: Karen Bryson, David Harewood, Mary Elliott, Patrick Robinson
Votes: 24
24. August 28th (2016)
22 min | Documentary, Short
Documentary film on events that happened on August 28th in African-American history.
Director: Ava DuVernay | Stars: Don Cheadle, Regina King, Angela Bassett, Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Votes: 101
25. Freedom Road (1979 TV Movie)
186 min | Drama
A former slave Gideon Jackson, after fighting in the civil war returns home as a free man and becomes a U.S. senator. Will he ever achieve real equality with his former white master?
Director: Ján Kadár | Stars: Muhammad Ali, Kris Kristofferson, Ron O'Neal, Edward Herrmann
Votes: 208
26. A Huey P. Newton Story (2001 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 86 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama
The story of how the radical Huey P. Newton developed the Black Panther Party based on his 10-point program for social reform.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Roger Guenveur Smith, Rahum Brown, Brenda Lee, Georgina Ransley
Votes: 852
27. 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
28. Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali (2021)
PG-13 | 95 min | Documentary, Biography, History
From a chance meeting to a tragic fallout, Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali's extraordinary bond cracks under the weight of distrust and shifting ideals.
Director: Marcus A. Clarke | Stars: Ilyasah Shabazz, Rahman Ali, Cornel West, Todd Boyd
Votes: 1,209
29. Da 5 Bloods (2020)
R | 154 min | Adventure, Drama, War
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: 55,145
30. Selma (2014)
PG-13 | 128 min | Biography, Drama, History
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: 95,475 | Gross: $52.08M
31. The Tuskegee Airmen (1995 TV Movie)
PG-13 | 106 min | Drama, History, War
The true story of how a group of African-American pilots overcame racist opposition to become one of the finest United States fighter groups in World War II.
Director: Robert Markowitz | Stars: Laurence Fishburne, Allen Payne, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Courtney B. Vance
Votes: 7,086
32. What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015)
Not Rated | 101 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
A documentary about the life and legend Nina Simone, an American singer, pianist, and civil rights activist labeled the "High Priestess of Soul."
Director: Liz Garbus | Stars: Nina Simone, Lisa Simone Kelly, Roger Nupie, Al Schackman
Votes: 14,833
33. Miss Juneteenth (2020)
Unrated | 99 min | Drama
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: 2,163
34. Jazz (2001)
108 min | Documentary, History, Music
A survey of the musical form's history and major talents.
Stars: Keith David, Wynton Marsalis, Gary Giddins, Delroy Lindo
Votes: 2,499
35. Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson (2004)
TV-PG | 214 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport
The story of Jack Johnson, the first African-American Heavyweight boxing champion.
Director: Ken Burns | Stars: Jack Johnson, Keith David, Samuel L. Jackson, Adam Arkin
Votes: 1,691
36. 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: 18,882
37. 4 Little Girls (1997)
TV-14 | 102 min | Documentary, History
A documentary of the notorious racial terrorist bombing of an African American church during the Civil Rights Movement.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Maxine McNair, Walter Cronkite, Chris McNair, Fred Lee Shuttlesworth
Votes: 3,580 | Gross: $0.13M
38. The Hidden Colony (2017)
11 min | Short
Director: Patrik Wallner | Stars: Thaynan Costa, Brian Dolle, Jonathan Mehring, Marius Syvanen
39. Hidden Colors (2011)
Documentary
Hidden Colors is a documentary about the real and untold history of people of color around the globe. This film discusses some of the reasons the contributions of African and aboriginal ... See full summary »
Director: Tariq Nasheed | Stars: Sabir Bey, Booker T. Coleman, Umar Johnson, Tariq Nasheed
Votes: 909
40. 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
41. Buck Breaking (2021)
Not Rated | 155 min | Documentary
As a new threat to Black masculinity rises, Tariq "K-Flex" Nasheed joins forces in this documentary to uncover the hidden agenda behind it.
Director: Tariq Nasheed | Stars: Joe Brown, Corey Holcomb, Rizza Islam, Lord Jamar
Votes: 1,018
42. 1804: The Hidden History of Haiti (2017)
Not Rated | 115 min | Documentary
The history of how Haiti won its independence, carrying out the first-ever successful slave rebellion.
Director: Tariq Nasheed | Stars: Akala, Bayyinah Bello, Èzili Dantò, Soufiane El Khalidy
Votes: 157
43. Wilmington on Fire (2015)
89 min | Documentary
A film documenting the investigation into the Wilmington Massacre of 1898, the only successful coup in United States history.
Directors: Chris Everett, Christopher Everett | Stars: Larry Reni Thomas, Lewin Manly, Faye Chaplin, Inez Eason
Votes: 57
45. Hidden Colors 5: The Art of Black Warfare (2019)
Documentary
Hidden Colors 5 is the final installment of the critically acclaimed Hidden Colors documentary series. In this installment, the film explores the history of warfare as it relates to global ... See full summary »
Director: Tariq Nasheed | Stars: Shahrazad Ali, Claud Anderson, David Banner, Chuck D
Votes: 126
46. Hidden Colors 2: The Triumph of Melanin (2012)
152 min | Documentary
"Hidden Colors 2" is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed 2011 documentary about the untold history of people of African and aboriginal descent. This installment of goes into topics ... See full summary »
Director: Tariq Nasheed | Stars: Michelle Alexander, Claud Anderson, Tony Browder, Booker T. Coleman
Votes: 501
47. Hidden Colors 4: The Religion of White Supremacy (2016)
Documentary
Hidden Colors is a documentary about the real and untold history of people of color around the globe. This film discusses some of the reasons the contributions of African and aboriginal ... See full summary »
Director: Tariq Nasheed | Stars: Llaila Afrika, Delbert Blair, Tony Browder, Jim Brown
Votes: 309
48. Hidden Colors 3: The Rules of Racism (2014)
144 min | Documentary
Hidden Colors 3: The Rules Of Racism is the third installment of the critically acclaimed documentary series Hidden Colors 1 and 2. This installment of Hidden Colors tackles the taboo ... See full summary »
Director: Tariq Nasheed | Stars: Shahrazad Ali, Carol Anderson, David Banner, Joy Degruy
Votes: 414
49. King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis (1969)
185 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Follows Martin Luther King's life and decades-long civil rights activism.
Directors: Sidney Lumet, Joseph L. Mankiewicz | Stars: Harry Belafonte, Ruby Dee, Ben Gazzara, Charlton Heston
Votes: 628
50. Eyes on the Prize (1987–1990)
TV-PG | 360 min | Documentary, History
A documentary about the American Civil Rights Movement from 1952 to 1965.
Stars: Julian Bond, Coretta Scott King, John Lewis, Andrew Young
Votes: 737
51. The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 (2011)
Not Rated | 100 min | Documentary, History
Footage shot by a group of Swedish journalists documenting the Black Power Movement in the United States is edited together by a contemporary Swedish filmmaker.
Director: Göran Hugo Olsson | Stars: Angela Davis, Stokely Carmichael, Bobby Seale, Abiodun Oyewole
Votes: 2,498 | Gross: $0.26M
52. Adam Clayton Powell (1989)
Not Rated | 54 min | Documentary
The Academy Award¨-nominated Adam Clayton Powell delves into the gripping life and career of the most influential and flamboyant civil rights leader in America in the Õ30s, Õ40s and Õ50s.
Director: Richard Kilberg | Stars: Julian Bond, John Brademas, Calvin O. Butts III, Stokely Carmichael
Votes: 75
53. Nine from Little Rock (1965)
Not Rated | 20 min | Documentary, Short
The Arkansas school integration crisis and the changes wrought in subsequent years. This film profiles the lives of the nine African-American students who integrated Central High in Little ... See full summary »
Director: Charles Guggenheim | Stars: Jefferson Thomas, Ernest Green, Thelma Mothershed, Minnijean Brown Trickey
Votes: 109
54. Ethnic Notions (1986)
Not Rated | 57 min | Documentary
This documentary traces the deep-rooted stereotypes which have fueled anti-black prejudice.
Director: Marlon Riggs | Stars: Barbara T. Christian, George Frederickson, Larry C. Levine, Derique McGee
Votes: 557
55. 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: 2,499
56. With All Deliberate Speed (2004)
Unrated | 110 min | Documentary, History
Documentary filmmaker Peter Gilbert unearths the legacy of the landmark Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education -- where it was ruled that "in the field of public education, ... See full summary »
Director: Peter Gilbert | Stars: Vernon Jordan, Thurgood Marshall Jr., Jeffrey Wright, Mekhi Phifer
Votes: 72 | Gross: $0.01M
57. The N Word (2004)
86 min | Documentary
A documentary looking at the N word.
Director: Todd Williams | Stars: F. Lee Bailey, Sandra Bernhard, Donald Bogle, Todd Boyd
Votes: 296
58. Hope & Fury: MLK, the Movement and the Media (2018 TV Movie)
Documentary
Examines how Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and leaders of the civil rights movement used the power of print and visual media, especially television, to awaken America to the shame and injustice of racial inequality.
Directors: Phil Bertelsen, Rachel Dretzin | Stars: Martin Agronsky, Joseph Boyce, Taylor Branch, David Brinkley
Votes: 35
59. Mr. Soul! (2018)
104 min | Documentary
Before Oprah, before Arsenio, there was Mr. SOUL. Ellis Haizlip ensures that the Revolution would be televised with "SOUL!," America's first "Black Tonight Show." From 1968 to 1973, the ... See full summary »
Directors: Melissa Haizlip, Sam Pollard | Stars: Blair Underwood, Sidney Poitier, Michael Jackson, Diahann Carroll
Votes: 274
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