Black History Movie Recommended Viewing List
Hidden Figures
Three female African-American mathematicians (Taraji P. Henson, Octavia L. Spencer, and
Janelle Monae) provide crucial calculations for NASA's space race against the Soviets, all while
dealing with the racist and sexist assumptions of their white co-workers. Kevin Costner, Kirsten
Dunst, and Jim Parsons co-star in this adaptation of the book of the same name by Margot Lee
Shetterly. Directed by Theodore Melfi.
Birth of a Nation
This historical drama recounts a real-life slave revolt that occurred in 1831 Virginia, led by a
black preacher named Nat Turner (Nate Parker). Turner is ordered by his master (Armie
Hammer) to tour local plantations, delivering sermons to the other slaves that will urge them
against violence and any thoughts of rebellion. However, he is so appalled and sickened by the
horrors he sees during his travels that he is eventually moved to fight back against the evils of
slavery. Aja Naomi King and Gabrielle Union co-star. Parker wrote, directed, & stars in The Birth
of a Nation, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.
Fences
Denzel Washington directed and stars in this adaptation of August Wilson's Pulitzer Prizewinning play, which centers on a black garbage collector named Troy Maxson in 1950s
Pittsburgh. Bitter that baseball's color barrier was only broken after his own heyday in the Negro
Leagues, Maxson is prone to taking out his frustrations on his loved ones. Both Washington and
co-star Viola Davis won Tonys for their performances in the 2010 revival of the play. Stephen
Henderson, Jovan Adepo, Russell Hornsby, & Mykelti Williamson round out the supporting cast.
Mississippi Burning
Mississippi Burning is an all-names-changed dramatization of the Ku Klux Klan's murders of
three civil rights workers in 1964. Investigating the mysterious disappearances of the three
activists are FBI agents Gene Hackman (older, wiser) and Willem Dafoe (younger, idealistic). A
Southerner himself, Hackman charms and cajoles his way through the tight-lipped residents of a
dusty Mississippi town while Dafoe acts upon the evidence gleaned by his partner. Hackman
solves the case by exerting his influence upon beauty-parlor worker Frances McDormand, who
wishes to exact revenge for the beatings inflicted upon her by her Klan-connected husband Brad
Dourif. Many critics took the film to task for its implication that the Civil Rights movement might
never have gained momentum without its white participants; nor were the critics happy that the
FBI was shown to utilize tactics as brutal as the Klan's. The title Mississippi Burning is certainly
appropriate: nearly half the film is taken up with scenes of smoke and flame.
12 Years A Slave
Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave stars Chiwetel Ejifor as Solomon Northup, a free black man
in 1840s America. He makes his living as a fiddle player, and his wife is a teacher. He is
shanghaied by a pair of nefarious white men, and soon finds himself on a ship headed to New
Orleans where he is informed he will be called Platt and is sold into slavery by an unscrupulous
businessman (Paul Giamatti). As he toils away for the kindhearted but conflicted plantation
owner Mr. Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch), who recognizes that Platt is both educated and an
artist, he butts head with Ford's underlings, especially the casually cruel Tibeats (Paul Dano).
After they have a violent altercation, Ford fears for his slave's life and sells him to Mr. Epps
(Michael Fassbender), an alcoholic sadist who owns a cotton plantation. Though Epps reads
from the bible to his property, as he frequently refers to his slaves, he is himself not immune to
sins of the flesh. He has taken the young Patsey (Lupita Nyong'o) - his best cotton picker -- as
his lover, and this doesn't sit well at all with his severe wife (Sarah Paulson), whose particular
hatred for blacks and her jealousy fuels her many degrading actions toward Patsey. Solomon
bides his time, attempts to preserve a modicum of self-respect, and waits for the chance to
reclaim his rightful name as well as his family.
The Help
A 1960s-era Mississippi debutante sends her community into an uproar by conducting a series
of probing interviews with the black servants behind some of her community's most prominent
families. Skeeter (Emma Stone) has just graduated from college, and she's eager to launch her
career as a writer. In a moment of inspiration, Skeeter decides to focus her attention on the
black female servants who work in her community. Her first subject is Aibileen (Viola Davis), the
devoted housekeeper who has been employed by Skeeter's best friend's family for years. By
speaking with Aibileen, Skeeter becomes an object of scorn to the wealthy locals, who view her
actions as directly challenging to the established social order. Before long, even more servants
are coming forward to tell their stories, and Skeeter discovers that friendship can blossom under
the most unlikely of circumstances. Bryce Dallas Howard co-stars in a touching tale of race
relations based on author Kathryn Stockett's best-selling novel of the same name.
Roots
This award-winning six-part historical epic was one of the first examples of the miniseries format
and one of the highest-rated television programs in broadcasting history. Based on the bestselling novel by author Alex Haley, Roots chronicles the progress of Haley's own family across
many generations, from the kidnapping of an African warrior by American slave traders to
eventual post-Civil War freedom. Kunta Kinte (LeVar Burton) is a young tribesman of coastal
Africa who has passed the rituals marking his transition into manhood. Searching for wood to
build a drum, he is set upon by slavers who sell him in the United States after a nightmarish
Atlantic crossing. Defiant, Kunta refuses to consider himself a slave, despite some sage advice
from his mentor, the more mature Fiddler (Louis Gossett Jr.). As the years pass, the aging
Kunta (John Amos) is hobbled for his repeated escape attempts. Realizing he'll never return to
Africa, Kunta settles down, becoming husband to Bell (Madge Sinclair) and father to Kizzy
(Leslie Uggams), a girl infused with her father's independent spirit. Sold and then raped by her
new master, Kizzy has a son, Chicken George (Ben Vereen), a happy go lucky cockfighting
expert who uses his skills to buy his freedom. George paves the way for his children, the greatgrandchildren of Kunta Kinte, who finally become free in the aftermath of the Civil War. Roots
(1977) was followed by a sequel miniseries, Roots: The Next Generations (1979), and a madefor-television feature, Roots: The Gift (1988), as well as another telefilm based on the family
history of the Haley clan, Queen (1993).
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The Color Purple
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker, The Color Purple spans the years
1909 to 1949, relating the life of Celie (Whoopi Goldberg), a Southern black woman virtually
sold into a life of servitude to her brutal husband, sharecropper Albert (Danny Glover). Celie
pours out her innermost thoughts in letter form to her sister Nettie (Akousa Busia), but Albert
has been hiding the letters Nettie writes back, allowing Celie to assume that Nettie is dead.
Finally, Celie finds a champion in the don't-take-no-guff Sofia (Oprah Winfrey), the wife of
Glover's son from a previous marriage. Alas, Sofia is "humbled" when she is beaten into
submission by angry whites. Later, Celie is able to forge a strong friendship with Albert's
mistress Shug (Margaret Avery). Emboldened by this, Celie begins rifling through her husband's
belongings and finds Nettie's letters. Able at last to stand up to her husband, Celie leaves him to
search for a new life on her own. A major box-office hit, The Color Purple was nominated for
eleven Oscars. The film was co-produced by Quincy Jones, who also wrote the score.
In the Heat of The Night
The winner of the 1967 Oscar for Best Picture (as well as four other Oscars), In the Heat of the
Night is set in a small Mississippi town where an unusual murder has been committed. Rod
Steiger plays sheriff Bill Gillespie, a good lawman despite his racial prejudices. When Virgil
Tibbs (Sidney Poitier), a well-dressed northern African-American, comes to town, Gillespie
instinctively puts him under arrest as a murder suspect. Tibbs reveals himself to be a
Philadelphia police detective; after he and Gillespie come to a grudging understanding of one
another, Tibbs offers to help in Gillespie's investigation. As the case progresses, both Gillespie
and Tibbs betray a tendency to jump to culture-dictated conclusions. Still, the case is solved
thanks to the informal teamwork of the two law officers. Based on the novel by John Ball, In the
Heat of the Night inspired two sequels, both starring Poiter as Virgil Tibbs. In 1987, a TV series
version of In the Heat of the Night appeared, with Carroll O'Connor as Gillespie and Howard
Rollins as Tibbs.
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
Old-line liberals Matt and Christina Drayton (Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn) have raised
their daughter Joey (Katharine Houghton) to think for herself and not blindly conform to the
conventional. Still, they aren't prepared for the shock when she returns home from a vacation
with a new fiancé: African-American doctor John Prentice (Sidney Poitier). While they come to
grips with whatever prejudices they might still harbor, the younger folks must also contend with
John's parents (Roy Glenn Sr. and Beah Richards), who are dead-set against the union. To
complicate matters, the older couple's disapproving maid (Isabel Sanford) and Christina's
bigoted business associate (Virginia Christine) put in their two cents' worth. While Joey is
determined to go ahead with the wedding no matter what people think, John refuses to consider
marriage until he receives the unqualified approval of all concerned. The closing monologue
delivered by Spencer Tracy turned out to be the last scene ever played by the veteran film
luminary, who died not long after the production. The film was a success in the racially volatile
year of 1967 and was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won for
Hepburn and screenwriter William Rose.
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Red Tails
The thrilling true story of the Tuskegee Airmen buzzes to the big screen in this epic war
adventure from executive producer George Lucas and first-time feature director Anthony
Hemingway. In the fire and chaos of World War II, the U.S. military recruits a fearless group of
African-American fighter pilots to help reclaim the skies over Europe. Discriminated against both
as citizens and as soldiers, the Tuskegee Airmen take flight in planes distinguished by
distinctive red tails, and fight to defeat the tyranny of the Axis powers. As a result of their
bravery, the pilots emerge as true heroes, and prove that all men are truly created equal.
Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Bryan Cranston star.
Amistad
This Steven Spielberg-directed exploration into a long-ago episode in African-American history
recounts the trial that followed the 1839 rebellion aboard the Spanish slave ship Amistad and
captures the complex political maneuverings set in motion by the event. Filmed in New England
and Puerto Rico, the 152-minute drama opens with a pre-credit sequence showing Cinque
(Djimon Hounsou) and the other Africans in a violent takeover of the Amistad. Captured, they
are imprisoned in New England where former slave Theodore Joadson (Morgan Freeman),
viewing the rebels as "freedom fighters," approaches property lawyer Baldwin (Matthew
McConaughey), who attempts to prove the Africans were "stolen goods" because they were
kidnapped. Running for re-election, President Martin Van Buren (Nigel Hawthorne) overturns the
lower court's decision in favor of the Africans. Former President John Quincy Adams (Anthony
Hopkins) is reluctant to become involved, but when the case moves on to the Supreme Court,
Adams stirs emotions with a powerful defense. The storyline occasionally cuts away to Spain
where the young Queen Isabella (Anna Paquin) plays with dolls; she later debated the Amistad
case with seven U.S. presidents. The character portrayed by Morgan Freeman is a fictional
composite of several historical figures. For authentic speech, the Africans speak the Mende
language, subtitled during some scenes but not others.
The Butler
Director Lee Daniels (Precious) teams up with Emmy Award-winning screenwriter Danny Strong
to tell the remarkable story of White House butler Eugene Allen (played by Oscar-winner Forest
Whitaker), who served eight U.S. presidents over the course of 30 years, and witnessed
sweeping social change during his three decades of service at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Inspired by Wil Haygood's Washington Post article, the film features Robin Williams as Dwight
D. Eisenhower, James Marsden as John F. Kennedy, Liev Schreiber as Lyndon B. Johnson,
John Cusack as Richard M. Nixon, and Alan Rickman as Ronald Reagan. Oprah Winfrey, Cuba
Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Jane Fonda, David Oyelowo, Lenny Kravitz, Melissa Leo, and
Vanessa Redgrave co-star.
Moon Light
This drama charts the life of a black gay youth named Chiron as he grows up in a rough
neighborhood in Miami. In the first segment, Chiron is a ten-year-old nicknamed "Little" (Alex
Hibbert) who is taken in by a kindhearted Cuban drug dealer (Mahershala Ali) and his girlfriend
(Janelle Monáe). In the middle installment, a teenage Chiron (Ashton Sanders) explores his
sexuality as he falls in love with a close friend. The final chapter follows Chiron in his twenties
(Trevante Rhodes) as he reconnects with faces from his past. Directed by Barry Jenkins,
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Moonlight was adapted from a short play called In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue by Tarell
Alvin McCraney.
13th
Ava DuVernay (Selma) directed this documentary, which examines the disproportionate number
of African-Americans among those incarcerated in the U.S. The film includes interviews with
prominent civil-rights activists and politicians, and examines the nation's legacy of racism via
such events as the rise of the Ku Klux Klan and the passage of Jim Crow laws in the South.
The Great Debaters
Drawing inspiration from the true story of a temperamental debate coach who molded the
students of a small East Texas college into a formidable team that gave even Harvard's elite
squad a run for their money, Denzel Washington's The Great Debaters features the director
himself as the ambitious educator, and Forest Whitaker as the resentful father of a student
whose loyalties now lie almost exclusively with his coach. Melvin B. Tolson (Washington) is the
kind of educator who truly recognizes the remarkable power of knowledge. An outspoken Wiley
College professor who boldly challenged the discriminatory Jim Crow laws of the 1930s,
Tolson's recognizes that his young debate students possess the spark of a new generation.
Convinced that they could invoke great change if given the confidence and tools needed to do
so, the tireless educator implores his students to take responsibility for the future while furtively
attempting to protect them from his clandestine role as an organizer for the Southern Tenant
Farmers Union. Chief among Tolson's promising young students is a 14-year-old prodigy named
James Farmer, Jr. (Denzel Whitaker). Farmer's father, James Sr. (Forest Whitaker), is a
renowned scholar and an important presence in the emerging student's life. Yet despite his
formidable reputation, James Sr. has not yet learned how to truly harness the power of
knowledge through action and assertion. James Jr. has seen the raving effects of racism all
around him, and longs to live in a future where no one must be in fear simply because of the
color of their skin. Other talented debaters on Tolson's team include fiercely independent
student Henry Lowe (Nate Parker), and Samantha Brooke (Jurnee Smollett) -- the first ever
female ever to join the Wiley College debate team. While most educators may not have
recognized the remarkable potential of assembling such a disparate team, Tolson's unique
vision truly set him apart from the pack as the team begins to experience a series of consecutive
victories on their road to challenging Harvard at the National Championships.
Do The Right Thing
Director Spike Lee dives head-first into a maelstrom of racial and social ills, using as his
springboard the hottest day of the year on one block in Brooklyn, NY. Three businesses
dominate the block: a storefront radio station, where a smooth-talkin' deejay (Samuel L.
Jackson) spins the platters that matter; a convenience store owned by a Korean couple; and
Sal's Famous Pizzeria, the only white-operated business in the neighborhood. Sal (Danny
Aiello) serves up slices with his two sons, genial Vito (Richard Edson) and angry, racist Pino
(John Turturro). Sal has one black employee, Mookie (Spike Lee), who wants to "get paid" but
lacks ambition. His sister Jade (Joie Lee, Spike's sister), who has a greater sense of purpose
and a "real" job, wants Mookie to start dealing with his responsibilities, most notably his son with
girlfriend Tina (Rosie Perez). Two of Mookie's best friends are Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn), a
monolith of a man who rarely speaks, preferring to blast Public Enemy's rap song Fight The
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Power on his massive boom box; and Buggin' Out (Giancarlo Esposito), nicknamed for his cokebottle glasses and habit of losing his cool. When Buggin' Out notes that Sal's "Wall of Fame," a
photo gallery of famous Italian-Americans, includes no people of color, he eventually demands a
neighborhood boycott, on a day when tensions are already running high, that incurs tragic
consequences. Rosewood
Rosewood is the true story of an almost unknown incident in a small Florida town, (fictionalized,
but faithful to the known facts, as documented in a 1994 report by the Florida Legislature). The
town was inhabited almost entirely by quiet, "middle-class" African- Americans (most of them
home and land owners and better off than average at the time.) On New Year's day, 1923, the
town was wiped off the face of the earth by angry whites from a neighboring community. Based
on palpably false testimony by a single white woman against one "Black" stranger, many of the
men of Rosewood were hunted down and lynched, or shot, or burned. The rest of the town's
residents fled into the swamps and never returned. At the time, official reports stated that two to
six people from the black community were slain. Neither the perpetrators nor the victims spoke
of the incident again, which was promptly forgotten until 1983 when a reporter stumbled across
the old story and began investigating. Interviews with surviving victims indicated that the
previous reports were wrong; in reality, between 70 and 250 people were killed in Rosewood
during the four-day attack. The film is a human story, about human envy, greed and lust, about
the totally insane psychology of a mob, but also about the courage and decency of common
folks facing an unbelievable onslaught of evil. The courage of the black residents is self evident,
and the decency on the part of a few white neighbors is reluctant, until they realize that they
can't live with themselves if they don't help the woman and children to escape. The most notable
black heroes are Sylvester (Don Cheadle) -- a music teacher and the best-educated man in
town -- and Mann (Ving Rhames) -- a stranger on horseback with Samson-like strength who
becomes the focus of white hatred and black resistance. The penny-pinching, adulterous town
grocer John Wright (John Voight), one of the few white residents, also plays a key role in saving
lives, but before he does, he must resolve painful racial issues and make a difficult personal
choice. Eventually, though, he sees enough of the mob's evil to know what he must do, and with
the help of the reluctant owner-operators of the Gainesville railway, he does it. John Singleton's
powerful epic film does not present a "comfortable" view of the circumstances of this grim, littleknown page from American history.
Malcolm X
Writer-director Spike Lee's epic portrayal of the life and times of the slain civil rights leader
Malcolm X begins with the cross-cut imagery of the police beating of black motorist Rodney King
juxtaposed with an American flag burning into the shape of the letter X. When the film's
narrative begins moments later, it jumps back to World War II-era Boston, where Malcolm Little
(Denzel Washington) is making his living as a hustler. The son of a Baptist preacher who was
murdered by the Ku Klux Klan, Little was raised by foster parents after his mother was deemed
clinically insane; as an adult, he turned to a life of crime, which leads to his imprisonment on
burglary charges. In jail, Little receives epiphany in the form of an introduction to Islam; he is
especially taken with the lessons of Elijah Mohammed, who comes to him in a vision. Adopting
the name 'Malcolm X' as a rejection of the 'Little' surname (given his family by white slave
owners), he meets the real Elijah Mohammed (Al Freeman, Jr.) upon exiting prison, and begins
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work as a spokesman for the Nation of Islam. Marriage to a Muslim nurse named Betty Shabazz
(Angela Bassett) follows, after which X spearheads a well-attended march on a Harlem hospital
housing a Muslim recovering from an episode of police brutality. The march's success helps
elevate X to the position of Islam's national spokesperson. There is dissension in the ranks,
however, and soon X is targeted for assassination by other Nation leaders; even Elijah
Mohammed fears Malcolm's growing influence. After getting wind of the murder plot, X leaves
the Nation of Islam, embarking on a pilgrimage to Mecca that proves revelatory; renouncing his
separatist beliefs, his oratories begin embracing all races and cultures. During a 1965 speech,
Malcolm X is shot and killed, reportedly by Nation of Islam members.
Higher Learning
This drama examines the personal, political, and racial dilemmas facing a group of college
freshmen as they begin their first semester at Columbus University. Malik (Omar Epps) is an
African-American student attending on a track scholarship; academics are not his strong suit,
and he goes in thinking that his athletic abilities will earn him a free ride through college. Fudge
(Ice Cube), a "professional student" who has been at Columbus for six years so far, becomes
friendly with Malik and challenges his views about race and politics in America, while Professor
Phipps (Laurence Fishburne), a black man who teaches political science, firmly tells Malik that
he will not be graded on a different standard either because of his race or his ability to run
quickly. With Deja (Tyra Banks), Malik finds a girlfriend, a tutor, and a training partner all rolled
into one. Meanwhile, Kristen (Kristy Swanson), a somewhat naive young woman from California,
meets a boy named Billy (Jay R. Ferguson) after both have had too much to drink at a beer
blast; Kristen soon becomes a victim of date rape and becomes involved with a campus feminist
group to deal with the painful experience. While working with the women's group, Kristen gets to
know Taryn (Jennifer Connelly), a strong but understanding woman who is also a lesbian, and
she finds herself becoming attracted to her. And Remy (Michael Rappaport) is a confused
young man from the Midwest who feels lost in the multi-cultural atmosphere of Columbus. He is
approached by Scott (Cole Hauser), a member of a group of racist skinheads, who believe that
Remy is a perfect candidate to help carry out his group's violent goals. Keep an eye peeled for
Gwyneth Paltrow, who has a bit part as a student; rap stars Busta Rhymes, D-Knowledge and
Mista Grimm also appear in supporting roles.
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enough
Ntozake Shange's Obie Award-winning play exploring the plight of black women makes the leap
from stage to screen with this ensemble drama directed by Tyler Perry, and starring Janet
Jackson, Loretta Devine, Hill Harper, Thandie Newton, Whoopi Goldberg, Kerry Washington,
and Macy Gray.
Fresh
A bright young African-American boy attempts to survive life in the city by acting as an errand
boy for a drug dealer in this thoughtful, sharply plotted drama. Known as Fresh, the young man
must use his delivery jobs to support himself and his troubled sister, receiving nothing from his
distant, alcoholic father but the occasional chess lesson. His intelligence and quiet
determination serve him well, as he wins the trust of his employer and settles into an unpleasant
but survivable routine. Even this small comfort disappears, however, when Fresh accidentally
witnesses the killing of a classmate and becomes a potential target himself. Forced into an
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impossible situation, he puts his experience and strategic ability to good use, developing a tricky
plan to protect his own life and defeat the killers. First-time director Boaz Yakin emphasizes
restraint and realism, presenting potentially sensationalistic material with a minimum of violence
and flash. Instead, attention is placed on the strong, layered performances, particularly Sean
Nelson as Fresh and Samuel L. Jackson as his embittered father. While some have questioned
the film's treatment of inner city life, the film was generally acclaimed, thanks to its seriousness
and complexity.
Antoine Fisher
The directorial debut of Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington, Antwone Fisher is
an autobiographical drama written by the real-life Antwone Fisher. Played by newcomer Derek
Luke, Antwone is a volatile young sailor in the Navy, getting into trouble for his constant fighting.
When he gets appointed to see naval psychiatrist Dr. Jerome Davenport (Denzel Washington),
he begins to reveal the emotional problems behind his rage. Through an introduction to anger
management, Antwone is able to confront some secrets of his past and eventually search out
his family for a confrontation. Also starring model-turned-actress Joy Bryant as Antwone's
girlfriend, Cheryl, and Salli Richardson as Davenport's wife. Antwone Fisher's memoir, Finding
Fish, was released to book stores right before the film's theatrical release.
Documentaries:
Chisholm: Unbossed and Unbought
The Black Power Mixtape
Ethnic Notions
Unforgiveable Blackness
Good Hair
Slavery By Another Name
Soundtrack for a Revolution
Dark Girls
More than a Month
Hidden Colors
4 Little Girls
FBI War on Black America
Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes
Uprising: Hip Hop and the LA Riots
Style Wars
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