Black history movies should be essential viewing throughout the year.
Even though many of these Black history movies are difficult to watch, legendary filmmaker Ava DuVernay believes everyone should.
“When we’re talking about diversity, it’s not a box to check. It is a reality that should be deeply felt and held and valued by all of us.” Ava DuVernay
These films follow Black innovators, changemakers, thinkers, and leaders who left their mark on the world.
So, check them out whenever you embark on a movie marathon of essential Black history cinema.
Rustin
Genre: Drama, Biography
Cast: Colman Domingo, Chris Rock, Jeffrey Wright, Audra McDonald
The Civil Rights Movement had many figureheads, but Bayard Rustin is among the unsung heroes.
He was one of the main organizers of the March on Washington and a former advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
As a gay Black man, Rustin also faced homophobia and racism.
This biopic chronicles his life and shouldn’t be one of the unsung Black history movies.
Dear White People
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Cast: Tyler James Williams, Tessa Thompson, Kyle Gallner, Teyonah Parris, Brandon P. Bell, Malcolm Barrett, Dennis Haysbert
Don’t let the genre category fool you; Dear White People is a movie that tackles serious issues.
It follows the growing racial tensions at a primarily white Ivy League college from the Black students’ points of view.
The film spawned a successful TV show on Netflix and is one of the most popular Black history movies of the past decade.
Mudbound
Genre: Drama
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Clarke, Jason Mitchell, Mary J. Blige, Rob Morgan, Jonathan Banks
Mudbound is set in rural Mississippi shortly after World War II.
However, the issues of class and race still exist to this day.
Mudbound follows two World War II vets, one Black and one white.
After the war, they go home and fight racism as they suffer from PTSD.
Da 5 Bloods
Genre: War, Action
Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Mélanie Thierry, Paul Walter Hauser, Jasper Pääkkönen, Jean Reno
Spike Lee’s Black History movies are always worth watching, and Da 5 Bloods is no different.
The film follows four aging Vietnam war vets who return to Vietnam to search for the remains of their squad leader.
They also look for the buried treasure they left behind.
Self Made
Genre: Drama
Cast: Octavia Spencer, Tiffany Haddish, Carmen Ejogo, Garrett Morris, Kevin Carroll
The Black community still gets persecuted for our hair.
However, it was infinitely worse a hundred years ago.
Self Made follows Madam C. J. Walker, a Black hair care pioneer who overcame blatant hostilities to become the country’s first Black self-made millionaire.
This is among the most inspirational Black history miniseries you can watch, and it’s on Netflix right now.
Malcolm X
Genre: Drama
Cast: Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Albert Hall, Al Freeman Jr., Delroy Lindo, Spike Lee
If you’ve ever been curious about Malcolm X’s life, this film does him justice.
Starring Denzel Washington, the film chronicles everything from Malcolm X’s early criminal career to his conversion to Islam, his marriage, and his assassination.
12 Years A Slave
Genre: Drama
Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Lupita Nyong’o
12 Years A Slave is among the most disturbing Black history movies on slavery.
It follows Solomon Northup, a Black man who was kidnapped by two conmen and sold into slavery.
Northup was a slave for 12 years before his release, during which time he saw and experienced unimaginable horrors.
The film also skyrocketed the gifted Lupita Nyong’o to fame.
Hidden Figures
Genre: Drama
Cast: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe
Hidden Figures follows the true story of Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughan.
These three women worked at NASA and their math calculations were instrumental in the Space Race, helping to launch astronaut John Glenn into orbit.
Red Tails
Genre: War, Drama
Cast: Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, Ne-Yo, Elijah Kelley, Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard
Red Tails follows the Tuskegee Airmen, Black men chosen to become US fighter pilots during World War II.
This film delves into their personalities and lives as they become master fighter pilots while dealing with racism on the ground.
Harriet
Genre: Drama
Cast: Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., Joe Alwyn, Janelle Monáe
Harriett is among the most moving Black history movies about a seminal Black woman.
It follows Harriett Tubman, a Black woman who escaped slavery.
Not content with just being free, she embarked on a mission to save other enslaved people through the Underground Railroad–a network of antislavery safe houses and abolitionists.
Do The Right Thing
Genre: Crime, Drama
Cast: Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Spike Lee
Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing is among the most quintessential Black history movies.
It follows simmering racial tensions in a Bed-Stuy neighborhood that explodes into a violent 24-hour period.
Judas and the Black Messiah
Genre: Crime, Drama
Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback, Ashton Sanders
Judas and The Black Messiah follows FBI informant William O’Neal, who infiltrates the Black Panther Party’s Illinois chapter.
O’Neal’s goal is to watch chairman Fred Hampton.
However, O’Neal’s resolve wavers as he witnesses Hampton’s growing power and influence.
This film is one of the essentials of Black history for anyone who wants an inside look at the Black Panther party.
Don’t Miss These Black History Movies And TV Shows
This list is not exhaustive, but these Black history movies and TV shows should be essential viewing throughout the year.
