Black Cinema/TV
A list of some of my personal favorite films and television programmes which star (or at least prominently feature) black or African-American protagonists or which focus primarily on themes of the struggle of people of color against racism.
I have included not only "serious" films, but also cartoons, comedies, reality TV, and genres such as sci-fi and horror, in which black protagonists are often underrepresented.
This is not intended to be an exhaustive list or a "best of," simply a reflection of my own picks among many possibilities.
I have included not only "serious" films, but also cartoons, comedies, reality TV, and genres such as sci-fi and horror, in which black protagonists are often underrepresented.
This is not intended to be an exhaustive list or a "best of," simply a reflection of my own picks among many possibilities.
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- CreatorSam LevinsonStarsZendayaHunter SchaferJacob ElordiA look at life for a group of high school students as they grapple with issues of drugs, sex, and violence.
- 2022–8.9 (276)TV EpisodeDirectorCraig ZiskStarsJacob AndersonSam ReidAssad ZamanLouis recounts Claudia's quest to find Old World Vampires amidst the backdrop of Europe during World War II.
- DirectorCharmaine VerhagenMatt BurnettBen LevinStarsPhilip SolomonNoël WellsMichael CronerCraig Williams is the shy, new kid in town. Little does he know, he'll soon set off on the biggest adventure he could ever dream of: treasure maps, pirate ships, and a villain who wants to destroy the Creek.
- CreatorKyle BradstreetStarsSamuel L. JacksonEmilia ClarkeDon CheadleFury and Talos try to stop the Skrulls who have infiltrated the highest spheres of the Marvel Universe.
- CreatorBranden Jacobs-JenkinsStarsMallori JohnsonMicah StockRyan KwantenA young aspiring writer discovers secrets about her family's past when she finds herself mysteriously being pulled back and forth in time to a 19th century plantation.
- DirectorHenry SelickStarsLyric RossKeegan-Michael KeyJordan PeeleTwo scheming demon brothers, Wendell and Wild, enlist the aid of 13-year-old Kat Elliot to summon them to the Land of the Living.
- DirectorCoralie FargeatStarsTom SturridgeBoyd HolbrookPatton OswaltOdd disturbances shake up The Dreaming, Rose sets out on a road trip with a new friend, and The Corinthian arrives with a guest at a creepy convention.
- 2017–202342mTV-146.4 (545)TV EpisodeDirectorClaudia YarmyStarsK.J. ApaLili ReinhartCamila MendesAfter learning that Percival's plan to reinvigorate Riverdale would lead to the demise of Pop's, Tabitha searches for a way to fight back. But when she is targeted by one of Percival's accomplices, the incident sends her back in time and searching for answers.
- DirectorMariama DialloStarsRegina HallZoe ReneeJulia NightingaleThree women strive to find their place at an elite Northeastern university. When anonymous racist attacks target a Black freshman, who insists she is being haunted by ghosts, each woman must determine where the real menace lies.
- CreatorMalcolm SpellmanStarsAnthony MackieSebastian StanWyatt RussellFollowing the events of 'Avengers: Endgame,' Sam Wilson/Falcon and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier team up in a global adventure that tests their abilities -- and their patience.
- DirectorMark TonderaiStarsOmari HardwickLoretta DevineLorraine BurroughsA man crash lands in rural Appalachia and awakens in the attic of a traditional Hoodoo practitioner. He desperately tries to break free from her dark magic and save his family from a sinister ritual before the rise of the blood moon.
- 2017–202453mTV-MA7.3 (5.1K)TV EpisodeDirectorOlatunde OsunsanmiStarsSonequa Martin-GreenDoug JonesAnthony RappArriving 930 years in the future, Burnham navigates a galaxy she no longer recognizes while searching for the rest of the U.S.S. Discovery crew.
- DirectorJoe MarcantonioStarsTamara LawranceEdward HolcroftJack LowdenPlagued by mysterious hallucinations, a pregnant woman suspects that the family of her deceased boyfriend has intentions for her unborn child.
- DirectorSydney FreelandStarsBrandee EvansNicco AnnanShannon ThorntonUncle Clifford goes to war for the hearts and minds of Chucalissa. Back at the club, the Pynk family comes together to prepare for its biggest night yet.
- 2018–202142mTV-147.5 (418)TV EpisodeDirectorSalim AkilStarsCress WilliamsChina Anne McClainNafessa WilliamsBlack Lightning faces off against Gravedigger.
- DirectorRemi WeekesStarsSope DirisuWunmi MosakuMalaika Wakoli-AbigabaA refugee couple makes a harrowing escape from war-torn South Sudan, but then they struggle to adjust to their new life in an English town that has an evil lurking beneath the surface.
- CreatorCaroline DriesStarsCamrus JohnsonRachel SkarstenMeagan TandyBatwoman seeks justice for Gotham City.
- DirectorMark PolishStarsMelissa LeoAri GraynorMichael AngaranoRon decides to get married. Goldie turns it into publicity. Nick moves out of Bill's and in with Cassie. Cassie auditions for Lorne Michaels, but Nick complicates that. Roy tests the limits of his mortality. Eddie makes a mistake with Goldie's daughter making Goldie question her parenting.
- CreatorJustin SimienStarsLogan BrowningBrandon P BellDeRon HortonAt a predominantly white Ivy League college, a group of black students navigate various forms of racial and other types of discrimination.
- DirectorDee ReesStarsJason MitchellCarey MulliganJason ClarkeTwo 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.
- CreatorDonald GloverStarsDonald GloverBrian Tyree HenryLaKeith StanfieldEarn and his cousin, Alfred, try to make their way in the world through Atlanta's rap scene. Along the way they come face-to-face with social and economic issues touching on race, relationships, poverty, status and parenthood.
- DirectorNick ChakwinDavid GuglielmoStarsFreya TingleyTom WilliamsonTimothy V. MurphyAn interracial teenage couple in the 1950's American South, rob and steal to escape their oppressive town, but when violence erupts they are forced to confront their own dark secrets.
- DirectorBernard DerrimanDon MacKinnonStarsJermaine FowlerRiki LindhomeMichael PeñaAspiring cowboy Morris and his best pal (and talking cow) Florence visit the rodeo to see their hero Jimmy Ray Royce. During their adventure, the duo encounters a wise goth, a down-on-his-luck bull, and a troupe of well-meaning clowns.
- StarsJonathan Rhys MeyersMalachi KirbyForest WhitakerAn adaptation of Alex Haley's "Roots." Chronicles the history of an African man and his descendants sold into slavery in America.
- DirectorBeyoncéKahlil JosephDikayl RimmaschStarsBeyoncéBrittani AlexanderJasmine BadieA view of a woman's journey through life.
- DirectorBeck ColeErica GlynnStarsAdam BriggsAaron Fa'aosoNakkiah LuiThere's a computer that comes up with Aboriginal names, the Tiddas make an announcement and we visit Wandaroorah, a little town that needs Aboriginals - and will do anything to get them.The Wandarooah segment in particular is hilarious
- StarsZach BroussardJeff JosephTanisha LongThe FOTP introduce sketches that include; the plight of house hunters in Gotham City, a preacher who suffers with an ungodly Wi-Fi connection, and a virginity story that ends in tragedy and jail time. Plus, the cast goes toe-to-toe with Mr. Belding, and Josh talks to New Yorkers about the amusements of subway riding.
- CreatorPeter NowalkStarsViola DavisBilly BrownJack FalaheeA group of ambitious law students and their brilliant criminal defense professor become involved in a twisted murder plot that promises to change the course of their lives.
- DirectorLuke GreenfieldStarsJake JohnsonDamon Wayans Jr.Rob RiggleTwo struggling pals dress as police officers for a costume party and become neighborhood sensations. But when these newly-minted "heroes" get tangled in a real life web of mobsters and dirty detectives, they must put their fake badges on the line.
- CreatorGeoff BarbanellArland DigirolamoStarsKalama EpsteinGregory E FreemanGianna LePeraNo invention is out of reach for makers Angus, Merle, and Jo as they create gadgets to help other kids at school.
- DirectorPhilippe CalandStarsAnthony MackieForest WhitakerSanaa LathanA successful author and spiritual advisor takes on a troubled man as a client, completely unaware that the man's fixation on his mother's death will soon put his life in jeopardy.
- DirectorRobert O'HaraStarsRochelle AytesGolden BrooksJanae BurneyFive ambitious cousins set out on a family reunion during the dead of winter. The purpose of the retreat is to secure their inheritance, a fortune that dates back many generations.
- DirectorBree NewsomeStarsSahr AliChristina FaisonBenton Greene'Everybody knows if you're fixin' to GOSSIP, you gotta have a little dirt on somebody. And everybody knows if you're fixin' to BURY, you gotta throw a little dirt on somebody. But don't everybody know that if you're fixin' to CONJURE, it's best to take a little dirt from a body...' So begins this Southern Gothic tale of 'root-work', self-righteousness and comeuppance.
- CreatorEric Ellis OvermyerDavid SimonStarsKhandi AlexanderRob BrownKim DickensLife after Hurricane Katrina as the residents of New Orleans try to rebuild their lives, their homes, and their unique culture in the aftermath of one of the worst natural disasters in the USA.
- DirectorErnie BarbarashStarsCuba Gooding Jr.Val KilmerMichael IronsideAfter a tragic accident nearly claims Luke Gibson's life, the Hexx Corporation hardwire an implant into his brain to save him, but Luke soon finds out that this new technology comes at price.
- DirectorGina Prince-BythewoodStarsDakota FanningJennifer HudsonQueen LatifahIn 1964, a teenage girl in search of the truth about her mother runs away to a small town in South Carolina and finds a family of independent women who can connect her to her past.
- DirectorBryan BarberStarsAndré 3000Big BoiTerrence HowardAt a sexy, sizzling nightclub, pianist Percival lives life by the rules, while Rooster, the club's flashy lead performer, struts his stuff on the stage. But all changes when greed, fame and murder threaten to destroy them and the joint.
- CreatorDavid S. GoyerStarsSticky FingazJill WagnerNelson LeeThe adventures of the half human/vampire hunter.
- DirectorDarnell MartinStarsHalle BerryRuben Santiago-HudsonMel WinklerA drama set in the 1920s, where free-spirited Janie Crawford's search for happiness leads her through several different marriages, challenging the morals of her small town. Based on the novel by Zora Neale Hurston.
- DirectorKeenen Ivory WayansStarsMarlon WayansShawn WayansBusy PhilippsTwo disgraced FBI agents go way undercover in an effort to protect hotel heiresses the Wilson sisters from a kidnapping plot.
- CreatorScott HallockKevin HealeyStarsShannen DohertyLauren AshSarah ColonnaThe show, just the latest in a string of "reality based programming" will feature "Candid Camera" like stunts inspired by scenes from Science fiction television programs and movies. The "victims" will witness alien abductions, hauntings, and various other X-Philean type gags and their reactions will be chronicled here on this series.
- DirectorVictor Dal CheleStarsPhil LaMarrJason MarsdenKevin ConroyCalled to the Justice League Watchtower to help in a critical power problem, Static and Gear then have to help stop Brainiac's consciousness from seizing control of the station.
- CreatorScott M. GimpleStarsOrlando BrownTara StrongDon LaFontaineFormer delinquent now fights for the good guys at X Middle School.
- DirectorJulie DashStarsAngela BassettPeter Francis JamesTonea StewartA seamstress recalls events leading to her act of peaceful defiance that prompted the 1955 bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama.
- DirectorErnest R. DickersonStarsSnoop DoggPam GrierMichael T. WeissOver 20 years after his death by a gunshot, Jimmy Bones comes back as a ghost to wreak revenge on those who killed him and to clean up his neighborhood.
- DirectorRachel PerkinsStarsDeborah MailmanTrisha Morton-ThomasRachael MazaThree sisters reunite after some years apart, for their mother's funeral. Cressy (Maza), the eldest of the three, is a diva - an opera singer who is reluctant to visit the past and definitely doesn't want to share it with her sisters. Mae (Morton-Thomas), has stayed behind looking after mum, and believes that Cressy hasn't shared enough. Nona (Mailman), the youngest and the party girl, just wants them to all be one happy family.
- DirectorJonathan DemmeStarsOprah WinfreyDanny GloverYada BeenerA slave is visited by the spirit of a mysterious young woman.
- DirectorDarrell RoodtStarsIce CubeElizabeth HurleyThokozani NkosiVusi Madlazi returns to the South African village he left as a young boy (he was organizing against apartheid and left in fear of his life) to bury his father. He meets up with his brother Ernest, who tells him he couldn't contact their other brother Stephen. Vusi goes to Johannesburg to find him, but at first can only find his neighbor/girlfriend Karin, a stripper. Vusi proceeds to learn how conditions have changed since the end of apartheid: not always for the better for Black men.
- DirectorCarl FranklinStarsDenzel WashingtonTom SizemoreJennifer BealsA Black war hero is hired to find a mysterious woman, and gets mixed up in a murderous political scandal in 1948 Los Angeles.
- DirectorRandall MillerStarsSinbadPhil HartmanKim GreistIn hot water with the mob over an unpaid debt, a con man poses as a family friend in an affluent Pennsylvania suburb.
- StarsAnn-MargretPatricia ClarksonTim DalyA plantation owner's son falls in love with a slave named Easter and together they have a Biracial daughter named Queen. As Queen grows up, she faces the struggle of trying to fit into the troubled world around her. She tries passing for white, but it leads to sorrow in post-Civil War America. Everywhere she goes, she faces obstacles and hardships while searching for happiness and a place to belong.
- DirectorIsaac JulienStarsValentine NonyelaMo SesayDorian HealyTwo disc jockeys have a friend's murder to solve in the fringe-group melting pot of 1977 London.
- DirectorRichard PearceStarsSissy SpacekWhoopi GoldbergDwight SchultzTwo women, black and white, in 1955 Montgomery Alabama, must decide what they are going to do in response to the famous bus boycott led by Martin Luther King.
- DirectorCharles BurnettStarsDanny GloverPaul ButlerDeVaughn NixonA charismatic old acquaintance drifts into town, stirring up trouble for a mild-mannered family.
- DirectorWilliam CrainStarsBernie CaseyRosalind CashMarie O'HenryWhen a black scientist develops a formula to regenerate dying liver cells and tests it on himself, it accidentally turns him into an albino monster with a lust for murdering prostitutes, pimps and drug dealers.
- DirectorRon HonthanerStarsVictor FrenchJanee MichelleJean DurandMurders occur at the southern estate of a voodoo priestess when four relatives gather to hear her will.
- DirectorClive DonnerStarsDavid NivenTeresa GravesPeter BaylissIn order to revive his long hibernating bride, Vampira, Count Dracula takes blood samples from several beautiful models, but during the transfusion, Vampira's race turns from white to black.
- DirectorWilliam A. LeveyStarsJohn HartIvory StoneJoe De SueEddie is a Vietnam war veteran who loses both his arms and his legs when he steps on a land mine. A brilliant surgeon is able to attach new limbs, but his assistant switches the DNA injections, transforming him into a huge hulking monster.