15 Must Watch Black Films
Celebrate Black History Month With This Curated List of Black Cinema
In honor of Black History Month Black@Sprout has curated a list of must watch Black films. Ranging from iconic films like The Color Purple, to Oscar winning movies likes Moonlight, this list encompasses some of the best Black films of the past 40 years. This is not intended to be a “best of” list, but rather a wide selection of films that highlight various areas of the Black experience.
Historical Drama/Biopics
Marshall
This biopic focuses on Thurgood Marshall (Chadwick Bozeman), the first African American Supreme Court Justice, as he defends a black man (Sterling K. Brown) that is accused of sexual assault and attempted murder. With the help of Sam Friedman (Josh Gad), a Jewish lawyer, they build a strong case while also battling against racist and anti-Semitic views.
The Great Debaters
Denzel Washington stars and directs in this biographical drama based on Melvin B. Tolson who starts the first debate team at the predominantly black Wiley College. Over the course of the film, he leads and develops the first black debate team to challenge Harvard’s debate champions.
Fruitvale Station
Michael B. Jordan stars in this Ryan Coogler directed film. This powerful true story details the last days in the life of Oscar Grant, a 22 year old black man shot and killed by a Bay Area police officer.
Hidden Figures
The story of Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) as they lead one of the greatest operations in history to launch astronaut John Glenn (Glen Powell) into orbit.
Blackkklansman
Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) is the first African American detective to serve in the Colorado Springs Police Department. He teams up with Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) to infiltrate and expose the Ku Klux Klan.
Classic Films
The Color Purple
This powerful film that tells the story of Celie (Whoopi Goldberg), an African American woman living in the South, who survives incredible abuse. Over the course of the film various women help Celie find strength in herself. Eventually, a letter from her sister in Africa gives Celie the courage she needs to stand up to her abuser.
Do the Right Thing
On a hot Summer day in the Bed-Stuy district of Brooklyn, pizzeria owner Sal Fragione (Danny Aiello) is confronted by Buggin Out (Giancarlo Esposito) because Sal only has pictures of famous Italian-Americans on the pizzeria’s wall of fame when most of the customer are Black. Tensions rise as the wall becomes a symbol of racism.
Soul Food
Mama Joe (Irma P. Hall) has held her family together by having a weekly Sunday dinner of soul food. The family that is torn apart when Mama Joe falls into a coma during an operation to amputate her leg. Mama Joe’s grandson Ahmad (Brandon Hammond) comes up with an idea to bring the family back together.
Boyz in the Hood
This film focuses on three films growing up in South Central Los Angeles. Tre ( Cuba Gooding Jr.) lives with his father (Laurence Fishburne), who teaches Tre right from wrong. While Ricky (Morris Chestnut), and Doughboy (Ice Cube) struggle to keep from the dangers of street life without having the same support.
Friday
After being fired from his job Craig (Ice Cube), spends Friday with his best friend, Smokey (Chris Tucker), who owes the local drug dealer, Big Worm (Faizon Love), money. In this classic comedy, Craig and Smokey have to pay Big Worm $200 or be killed.
Contemporary Films
The Last Black Man in San Francisco
The artsy semi-autobiographical story follows Jimmie Fails and his best friend Mont (Jonathan Majors) as they attempt to reclaim a Victorian home that was previously built by Jimmies grandfather.
Get Out
Rose Armitage (Allison Williams) invites her boyfriend Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) to visit her parents for the weekend. Chris attributes the Armitage family’s weird behavior because of Rose and Chris’ interracial relationship. Over the course of the weekend, Chris discovers that there is something more disturbing going on with the Armitage family.
Moonlight
This coming of age story follows Chiron, a young black man growing up in Miami, through three defining chapters of his life. Chiron struggles to understand his identity and sexuality while juggling the everyday struggles of life.
If Beale Street Could Talk
If Beale Street Could Talk follows the story of young couple, Fonny (Stephan James) and Tish (Kiki Layne), whose lives are torn apart when Fonny is accused of a crime that he did not commit.
Fences
While struggling with coming to terms with the events of his life, Troy Maxson (Denzel Washington), creates further tension with his family when he interferes with his son’s opportunity to meet with a college football recruiter.
