All 53 Films and Shows in Netflix’s New Black Lives Matter Collection
With the George Floyd protests currently going on across the country and even across the world, many people have taken this as an opportunity to further amplify the Black Lives Matter movement by watching and supporting content created by Black filmmakers. I wrote an article highlighting seven movies about police brutality and systemic racism made by Black directors, which you can read here.
Netflix has taken an extra step and added a new category to its homepage, a Black Lives Matter collection. It compiles all of the different movies and television shows they have on their service that are made by Black filmmakers.
I’ve put together a complete list of every piece of content that Netflix has in their Black Lives Matter collection. There are a lot of movies and shows in this collection that I didn’t even know were on Netflix. It has certainly given me a lot of new things to watch, as I’m sure it too will add to your watchlist.
1 | She’s Gotta Have It (1986) | Movie | Directed by Spike Lee
Starring: Tracy Camilla Johns, Tommy Redmond Hicks, John Canada Terrell
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Rating: R
Premise: Story of a woman and her three lovers.
2 | School Daze (1988) | Movie | Directed by Spike Lee
Starring: Laurence Fishburne, Giancarlo Esposito, Tisha Campbell-Martin
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Musical
Rating: R
Premise: A not so popular young man wants to pledge to a popular fraternity at his historically black college.
3 | Malcolm X (1992) | Movie | Directed by Spike Lee
Starring: Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Delroy Lindo
Genre: Biopic, Drama
Rating: PG-13
Premise: 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.
4 | Get on the Bus (1996) | Movie | Directed by Spike Lee
Starring: Ossie Davis, Charles S. Dutton, Andre Braugher
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Premise: A disparate group of African-American men travel by bus to Washington, DC for the Million Man March.
5 | Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019) | TV Series | Created by Jenji Kohan
Starring: Taylor Schilling, Danielle Brooks, Taryn Manning
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Premise: Convicted of a decade-old crime of transporting drug money to an ex-girlfriend, normally law-abiding Piper Chapman is sentenced to a year and a half behind bars to face the reality of how life-changing prison can be.
6 | Imperial Dreams (2014) | Movie | Directed by Malik Vitthal
Starring: John Boyega, Rotimi, Glenn Plummer
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Premise: A 21-year-old reformed gangster’s devotion to his family and his future is put to the test when he is released from prison and returns to his old stomping grounds in Watts, Los Angeles.
7 | What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015) | Movie | Directed by Liz Garbus
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-14
Premise: A documentary about the life of legend Nina Simone, an American singer, pianist, and civil rights activist labeled the “Highest Priestess of Soul.”
8 | 13th (2016) | Movie | Directed by Ava DuVernay
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-MA
Premise: An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation’s history of racial inequality.
9 | Barry (2016) | Movie | Directed by Vikram Gandhi
Starring: Devon Terrell, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jason Mitchell
Genre: Biopic, Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Premise: A look into the early life of U.S. President Barack Obama.
10 | Luke Cage (2016–2018) | TV Series | Created by Cheo Hodrai Coker
Starring: Mike Colter, Simone Missick, Mahershala Ali
Genre: Action, Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Premise: When a sabotaged experiment gives him super strength and unbreakable skin, Luke Cage becomes a fugitive attempting to rebuild his life in Harlem and must soon confront his past and fight a battle for the heart of his city.
11 | Moonlight (2016) | Movie | Directed by Barry Jenkins
Starring: Trevante Rhodes, Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Premise: A young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.
12 | Dear White People (2017) | TV Series | Created by Justin Simien
Starring: Logan Browning, Brandon P Bell, DeRon Horton
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Premise: At a predominantly white Ivy League college, a group of Black students navigate various forms of racial and other types of discrimination.
13 | LA 92 (2017) | Movie | Directed by Daniel Lindsay & T.J. Martin
Genre: Documentary
Rating: R
Premise: Twenty-five years after the verdict in the Rodney King trial sparked several days of protests, violence, and looting in Los Angeles, filmmakers examine the tumultuous period through rarely seen archival footage.
14 | Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982–1992 (2017) | Movie | Directed by John Ridley
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-MA
Premise: An in-depth look at the culture of Los Angeles in the ten years leading up to the 1992 uprising that erupted after the verdict of the police officers cleared of beating Rodney King.
15 | Mudbound (2017) | Movie | Directed by Dee Rees
Starring: Carey Mulligan, Jason Clarke, Jason Mitchell
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Premise: 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.
16 | Rodney King (2017) | Movie | Directed by Spike Lee
Starring: Roger Guenveur Smith
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Premise: Roger Guenveur Smith performs his one-man show focusing on the life and times of Rodney King.
17 | She’s Gotta Have It (2017–2019) | TV Series | Directed by Spike Lee
Starring: DeWanda Wise, Anthony Ramos, Lyriq Bent
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Premise: The story of one woman and her three lovers. TV series based on the film by Spike Lee.
18 | Strong Island (2017) | Movie | Directed by Yance Ford
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-MA
Premise: When filmmaker Yance Ford investigates the 1992 murder of a young Black man, it becomes an achingly personal journey since the victim, 24-year-old William Ford Jr., was the filmmaker’s brother.
19 | Teach Us All (2017) | Movie | Directed by Sonia Lowman
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-14
Premise: On the eve of the 60th anniversary of the 1957 Little Rock school desegregation crisis, educational inequality remains among the most urgent civil rights issues of our time. With its school district hanging in the balance following a state takeover in January 2015, Little Rock today presents a microcosm of the inequities and challenges manifesting in classrooms all across America. Through case studies in Little Rock, New York City, and Los Angeles, Teach Us All seeks to bring the critical lessons of history to bear on the current state of the U.S. education and investigate: 60 years later, how far have we come — or not come — and how do we catalyze action from here?
20 | TIME: The Kalief Browder Story (2017) | TV Series | Created by Jenner Furst
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-MA
Premise: After his arrest at age 16, Kalief Browder fought the system and prevailed, despite unthinkable circumstances. He became an American hero.
21 | All American (2018- ) | TV Series | Created by April Blair
Starring: Daniel Ezra, Samantha Logan, Michael Evans Behling
Genre: Drama, Sport
Rating: TV-14
Premise: When a star high school football player from South Central is recruited to play for Beverly Hills High School, two separate worlds collide.
25 | Black Hollywood: ‘They’ve Gotta Have Us’ (2018) | TV Series | Directed by Simon Frederick
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-14
Premise: The rise of Black actors as they have gone from being the backdrop to calling the shots. This is the inside story of the turning points of Black life on both sides of the lens, from Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte, to the present day.
26 | Bobby Kennedy for President (2018) | TV Series | Directed by Dawn Porter
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-MA
Premise: This four-part documentary series weaves together rare and exclusive footage of attorney general, U.S. senator, and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy in the 1960s.
27 | Jewel’s Catch One (2018) | Movie | Directed by C. Fitz
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-MA
Premise: Jewel’s Catch One celebrates the legacy of a legendary Los Angeles nightclub, Catch One, and the life-changing impact its owner, Jewel Thais-Williams, had on her community breaking down racial and cultural barriers and building the oldest black-owned disco in America. Jewel’s story celebrates music, fashion, celebrities, and activism that helped change the course of our country.
28 | Pose (2018- ) | TV Series | Created by Steven Canals, Brad Falchuk, & Ryan Murphy
Starring: Mj Rodriguez, Dominique Jackson, Indya Moore
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Premise: Pose is set in the world of 1987 and looks at the juxtaposition of several segments of life and society in New York: the rise of the luxury universe, the downtown social and literary scene, and the ball culture world.
29 | Quincy (2018) | Movie | Directed by Alan Hicks & Rashida Jones
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-MA
Premise: An intimate look into the life of icon Quincy Jones. A unique force in music and popular culture for 70 years, Jones has transcended racial and cultural boundaries; his story is inextricably woven into the fabric of America.
30 | ReMastered: The Lion’s Share (2018) | Movie | Directed by Sam Cullman
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-14
Premise: South African journalist Rian Malan searches for the original writers of the legendary song, “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”
31 | ReMastered: Who Killed Jam Master Jay (2018) | Movie | Directed by Brian Oakes
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-MA
Premise: Run DMC’s Jam Master Jay was shot and killed in a Jamaica, Queens recording studio in 2002. Despite six witnesses present at the murder, no one has ever been convicted.
32 | ReMastered: Who Shot the Sheriff? (2018) | Movie | Directed by Kief Davidson
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-MA
Premise: The violent political suppression of the roots reggae movement in Jamaica told through an investigation into Jamaican politics and the CIA’s involvement in the mysterious shooting of Bob Marley.
33 | Seven Seconds (2018) | TV Series | Created by Veena Sud
Starring: Clare-Hope Ashitey, Michael Mosley, David Lyons
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Premise: Tensions run high between African-American citizens and Caucasian cops in Jersey City when a teenage African-American boy is critically injured by a cop.
34 | Zion (2018) | Short Film | Directed by Floyd Russ
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-PG
Premise: A portrait of Zion Clark, a young wrestler who was born without legs and grew up in foster care.
35 | American Son (2019) | Movie | Directed by Kenny Leon
Starring: Kerry Washington, Steven Pasquale, Jeremy Jordan
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Premise: An estranged couple reunite in a Florida police station to help find their missing teenage son.
36 | The Black Godfather (2019) | Movie | Directed by Reginald Hudlin
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-MA
Premise: Follows the life of Clarence Avant, the ultimate, uncensored mentor and behind-the-scenes rainmaker in music, film, TV, and politics.
37 | Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé (2019) | Movie | Directed by Beyoncé Knowles-Carter & Ed Burke
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-MA
Premise: This intimate, in-depth look at Beyoncé’s celebrated 2018 Coachella performance reveals the emotional road from creative concept to a cultural movement.
38 | Miss Virgina (2019) | Movie | Directed by R.J. Daniel Hanna
Starring: Matthew Modine, Adina Porter, Vanessa Williams
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-14
Premise: A struggling inner-city mother sacrifices everything to give her son a good education. Unwilling to allow her son to stay in a dangerous school, she launches a movement that could save his future — and that of thousands like him.
39 | Oprah Winfrey Presents: When They See Us Now (2019) | Movie | Directed by Mark Ritchie
Genre: Talk Show
Rating: TV-14
Premise: Oprah Winfrey talks with the exonerated men once known as the Central Park Five, plus the cast and producers who tell their story in When They See Us.
40 | ReMastered: Devil at the Crossroads (2019) | Movie | Directed by Brian Oakes
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-PG
Premise: A look at the short, mysterious life of blues legend, Robert Johnson, who was said to have made a deal with the Devil at a crossroads in rural Mississippi.
41 | ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke (2019) | Movie | Directed by Kelly Duane
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-MA
Premise: An investigation into the circumstances and controversy surrounding Sam Cooke’s murder.
42 | See You Yesterday (2019) | Movie | Directed by Stefon Bristol
Starring: Eden Duncan-Smith, Dante Crichlow, Astro
Genre: Action
Rating: TV-MA
Premise: Two Brooklyn teenage prodigies, C.J. Walker and Sebastian Thomas, build make-shift time machines to save C.J.’s brother, Calin, from being wrongfully killed by a police officer.
43 | Trigger Warning with Killer Mike (2019- ) | TV Series | Created by Killer Mike, Vernon Chatman, Daniel Weidenfeld, & Nick Weidenfeld
Starring: Killer Mike
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-MA
Premise: Conducting a different social experiment in each episode — including only spending money in the Black community for three days, helping the Crips cash in on its brand by launching a line of soda, rethinking public school’s approach to education, and more — Killer Mike puts forward powerful, controversial ideas to help reshape perception in America.
44 | When They See Us (2019) | TV Series | Directed by Ava DuVernay
Starring: Asante Blackk, Caleel Harris, Ethan Herisse
Genre: Biography, Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Premise: Five teens from Harlem become trapped in a nightmare when they’re falsely accused of a brutal attack in Central Park. Based on the true story.
45 | Who Killed Malcolm X? (2019–2020) | TV Series | Directed by Phil Bertelsen & Rachel Dretzin
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-MA
Premise: Activist Abdur-Rahman Muhammad begins his investigation into the perplexing details surrounding the assassination of civil rights leader Malcolm X.
46 | All Day and a Night (2020) | Movie | Directed by Joe Robert Cole
Starring: Ashton Sanders, Jeffrey Wright, Isaiah John
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Premise: A young man who committed a homicide deals with the repercussions of his action.
48 | Becoming (2020) | Movie | Directed by Nadia Hallgren
Genre: Documentary
Rating: PG
Premise: Join former first lady Michelle Obama in an intimate documentary looking at her life, hopes, and connection with others during her 2019 book tour for “Becoming.”
49 | #BlackAF (2020- ) | TV Series | Created by Kenya Barris
Starring: Rashida Jones, Kenya Barris, Iman Benson
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Premise: A father takes an irreverent and honest approach to parenting and relationships.
50 | Da 5 Bloods (2020) | Movie | Directed by Spike Lee
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Jean Reno, Paul Walter Hauser
Genre: Drama, War
Rating: R
Premise: 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. Debuts on Netflix on June 12th.
51 | The Innocence Files (2020) | TV Series | Created by Dallas Brennan
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-MA
Premise: The hour-long episodes detail the personal stories behind eight cases of wrongful conviction that the Innocence Project and organizations within the Innocence Network have worked to highlight and overturn.
52 | Self Made: Inspired By the Life of Madam C.J. Walker (2020) | TV Series | Directed by DeMane Davis & Kasi Lemmons
Starring: Octavia Spencer, Tiffany Haddish, Carmen Ejogo
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Premise: The inspiring story of trailblazing African-American entrepreneur Madam C.J. Walker who built a haircare empire that made her America’s first female self-made millionaire.
53 | Uppity: The Willy T. Ribbs Story (2020) | Movie | Directed by Nate Adams & Adam Carolla
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-MA
Premise: An in-depth profile of the life and career of Willy T. Ribbs — the controversial Black driver who shattered the color barrier of professional auto-racing and became the first Black qualifier in the storied history of the Indy 500.
