Initially, movies with blacks or made by blacks were backed so that the studios could boast of representation and diversity in their movies. Today, a high-budget movie headlined by a black actor or director does not come across as a surprise. But it was a struggle to make a big-budget black movie back in the day.
To pay a tribute to the success of black movies over the years, let’s look at the best black movies.
Best Black Movies
1. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
While mourning the death of King T’Challa, the people of Wakanda struggle to defend their nation against interfering global powers.
Director: Ryan Coogler
Language: English, Haitian, Xhosa, Maya, Spanish, French
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Main Cast:
- Letitia Wright
- Lupita Nyong’o
- Danai Gurira
IMDb Rating: 6.9
Running Time: 161 minutes
Movie Trailer: Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | Official Trailer
2. Mars One (2022)
A lower middle-class family goes through several difficult and significant changes, redefining themselves and their bonds to one another along the way.
Director: Gabriel Martins
Language: Portuguese
Genre: Drama
Main Cast:
- Cicero Lucas
- Carlos Francisco
- Camilla Damiao
IMDb Rating: 7.6
Running Time: 115 minutes
Movie Trailer: ARRAY Releasing’s MARS ONE | Official Trailer – Streaming on Netflix 1.5.23
3. The Inspection (2022)
To succeed in a system that would otherwise reject him, a young, gay Black man joins the Marines after being rejected by his mother and having few other options for the future.
Director: Elegance Bratton
Language: English
Genre: Drama
Main Cast:
- Jeremy Pope
- Gabrielle Union
- Bokeem Woodbine
IMDb Rating: 7.2
Running Time: 95 minutes
Movie Trailer: The Inspection | Official Trailer HD | A24
4. King Richard (2021)
A look at the development of Venus and Serena Williams as tennis players following the guidance of their father, Richard Williams.
Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green
Language: English
Genre: Biography, Drama, Sport
Main Cast:
- Will Smith
- Aunjanue Ellis
- Jon Bernthal
IMDb Rating: 7.5
Running Time: 124 minutes
Movie Trailer: KING RICHARD – Official Trailer
5. The Harder They Fall (2021)
A criminal gathers his gang to exact revenge when he learns that his adversary is about to be released from prison.
Director: Jeymes Samuel
Language: English
Genre: Action, Drama, Western
Main Cast:
- Jonathan Majors
- Zazie Beetz
- RJ Cyler
IMDb Rating: 6.6
Running Time: 140 minutes
Movie Trailer: The Harder They Fall | Official Trailer | Netflix
6. Passing (2021)
In “Passing,” two high school classmates unexpectedly cross paths again. Their rekindled friendship sparks a passion that endangers both of their carefully crafted realities.
Director: Rebecca Hall
Language: English
Genre: Drama
Main Cast:
- Tessa Thompson
- Ruth Negga
- Andre Holland
IMDb Rating: 6.7
Running Time: 98 minutes
Movie Trailer: Passing | Official Trailer | Netflix
7. Da 5 Bloods (2020)
When returning to Vietnam in search of the remains of their deceased squad leader and the gold treasure he assisted them in hiding, four African-American veterans fight against the forces of nature and man.
Director: Spike Lee
Language: English, Finnish, French, Vietnamese
Genre: Adventure, Drama, War
Main Cast:
- Delroy Lindo
- Jonathan Majors
- Clarke Peters
IMDb Rating: 6.5
Running Time: 154 minutes
Movie Trailer: Da 5 Bloods | Official Trailer | Netflix
8. Miss Juneteenth (2020)
A single mom is bent on preparing her daughter, a rebel of her own, for the “Miss Juneteenth Pageant,” who was also a former beauty queen.
Director: Channing Godfrey Peoples
Language: English
Genre: Drama
Main Cast:
- Nicole Beharie
- Liz Mikel
- Marcus M. Mauldin
IMDb Rating: 6.5
Running Time: 100 minutes
Movie Trailer: MISS JUNETEENTH Trailer (2020) Nicole Beharie Drama Movie
9. Sylvie’s Love (2020)
In 1950s Harlem, a young woman meets a budding saxophonist in her father’s record store. Their passion sparks a grand romance that defies the passage of time, distance, and professional accomplishment.
Director: Channing Godfrey Peoples
Language: English
Genre: Drama
Main Cast:
- Nicole Beharie
- Liz Mikel
- Marcus M. Mauldin
IMDb Rating: 6.5
Running Time: 100 minutes
Movie Trailer: Sylvie’s Love – Official Trailer | Prime Video
10. Queen & Slim (2019)
A police officer pulls over a couple on their first date, and it gets unexpected altogether.
Director: Melina Matsoukas
Language: English
Genre: Drama
Main Cast:
- Daniel Kaluuya
- Jodie Turner-Smith
- Bokeem Woodbine
IMDb Rating: 7.1
Running Time: 132 minutes
Movie Trailer: Queen & Slim – Official Trailer
11. Black Panther (2018)
T’Challa, the heir to the hidden kingdom of Wakanda, must take the initiative to guide his people into a new future and also face a threat from his nation’s history.
Director: Ryan Coogler
Language: English
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Main Cast:
- Chadwick Boseman
- Letitia Wright
- Lupita Nyong’o
IMDb Rating: 7.3
Running Time: 134 minutes
Movie Trailer: Marvel Studios’ Black Panther – Official Trailer
12. Fences (2016)
In the 1950s, a working-class African-American man strives to raise his family while figuring out his life experiences.
Director: Denzel Washington
Language: English
Genre: Drama
Main Cast:
- Denzel washington
- Viola Davis
- Stephen McKinley Henderson
IMDb Rating: 7.2
Running Time: 139 minutes
Movie Trailer: Fences Trailer 2 (2016) – Paramount Pictures
13. Night Catches Us (2010)
In 1976, when a young man returned to the racially divided Philadelphia neighborhood where he grew up during the Black Power struggle, complicated political and emotional forces were set in motion.
Director: Tanya Hamilton
Language: English
Genre: Drama, Romance
Main Cast:
- Anthony Mackie
- Kerry Washington
- Jamara Griffin
IMDb Rating: 6.2
Running Time: 90 minutes
Movie Trailer: Night Catches Us Trailer HD Starring Kerry Washington and Anthony Mackie
14. Monster’s Ball (2001)
A racist prison guard reevaluates his beliefs following a family tragedy. He also falls in love with the African-American wife of the last prisoner he hanged.
Director: Marc Forster
Language: English
Genre: Drama, Romance
Main Cast:
- Billy Bob Thornton
- Halle Berry
- Taylor Simpson
IMDb Rating: 7.1
Running Time: 111 minutes
Movie Trailer: Monster’s Ball (2001) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD]
15. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)
When a couple’s daughter introduces them to her African-American fiancé, their attitudes are tested.
Director: Stanley Kramer
Language: English
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Main Cast:
- Spencer Tracy
- Sidney Poitier
- Katherine Hepburn
IMDb Rating: 7.8
Running Time: 108 minutes
Movie Trailer: GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER (1967) – Official Trailer
Other Best Black Movies
1. Malcolm and Marie (2021)
Following a joyous film presentation, a filmmaker returns home with his girlfriend, eagerly anticipating critical and financial success. As truths about their relationships begin to surface, the evening takes a turn, putting their love to the test.
Director: Sam Levinson
Language: English
Genre: Drama and Romance
Main Cast:
- Zendaya
- John David Washington
IMDb Rating: 6.7
Running Time: 106 minutes
Movie Trailer: Malcolm & Marie (2021) – Move Trailer
2. Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)
Fred Hampton, a young, dynamic activist, is elected Chairman of the Black Panther Party’s Illinois chapter, putting him squarely in the sights of the government, the FBI, and the Chicago Police Department. The authorities, on the other hand, will need a man on the inside to put down the movement.
Director: Shaka King
Language: English
Genre: Biography, Drama, and History
Main Cast:
- Daniel Kaluuya
- Lakeith Stanfield
- Jesse Plemons
- Dominique Fishback
IMDb Rating: 7.5
Running Time: 126 minutes
Box Office: $6,795,355
Movie Trailer: JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH (2021)- Movie Trailer
3. The Forty-Year-Old Version (2020)
Radha is a down-on-her-luck New York playwright hoping for a break before she turns 40. In order to find her own voice, she reinvents herself as rapper RadhaMUSPrime, who vacillates between the worlds of Hip Hop and theater.
Director: Radha Blank
Language: English
Genre: Comedy and Drama
Main Cast:
- Radha Blank
- Peter Kim
- Oswin Benjamin
IMDb Rating: 7.2
Running Time: 129 minutes
Movie Trailer: The Forty-Year-Old Version (2020) – Movie Trailer
4. Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker (2020)
The Debbie Allen Dance Academy’s award-winning version of The Nutcracker, which combines a range of dance traditions, is shown behind the scenes.
Director: Oliver Bokelberg
Language: English
Genre: Documentary and Family
Main Cast:
- Debbie Allen
- Tichina Arnold
- Vivian Nixon
IMDb Rating: 7.1
Running Time: 80 minutes
Movie Trailer: Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker (2020) – Movie Trailer
5. One Night in Miami (2020)
A fictional tale of Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown getting together to discuss their involvement in the Civil Rights Movement and cultural upheaval of the 1960s.
Director: Regina King
Language: English
Genre: Drama
Main Cast:
- Kingsley Ben-Adir
- Eli Goree
- Aldis Hodge
- Leslie Odom Jr.
IMDb Rating: 7.1
Running Time: 114 minutes
Movie Trailer: One Night in Miami (2020) – Movie Trailer
6. Soul (2020)
Joe is a middle-school band director whose life has not gone quite as planned. His primary love is jazz, and he’s very talented at it. However, when he journeys to another realm to assist someone in discovering their true calling, he quickly learns what it means to have a soul.
Director: Pete Docter
Language: English
Genre: Animation, Adventure, and Comedy
Main Cast:
- Jamie Foxx
- Tina Fey
- Graham Norton
- Rachel House
IMDb Rating: 8.1
Running Time: 100 minutes
Box Office: $119,273,208
Movie Trailer: Soul (2020) – Movie Trailer
7. John Lewis: Good Trouble (2020)
JOHN LEWIS: GOOD TROUBLE highlights Lewis’ 60-plus years of social involvement and legislative action on racial rights, voting rights, gun control, healthcare reform, and immigration through interviews and rare archive footage. Porter recounts Lewis’ childhood experiences, his inspiring family, and his fateful meeting with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1957 using current-day interviews with Lewis, who is now 79 years old. Porter’s mostly cinema verité film contains interviews with political leaders, Congressional colleagues, and other persons that play heavily in Lewis’ life, in addition to her interviews with Lewis and his family.
Director: Dawn Porter
Language: English
Genre: Documentary
Main Cast:
- Elijah Cummings
- Anthony Johnson
- Hillary Clinton
IMDb Rating: 7.5
Running Time: 96 minutes
Movie Trailer: John Lewis: Good Trouble (2020) – Movie Trailer
8. Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am (2019)
The great storyteller’s life, works, and the tremendous topics she has tackled throughout her creative career are examined in this beautiful and sensitive discourse.
Director: Timothy Greenfield-Sanders
Language: English
Genre: Documentary
Main Cast:
- Toni Morrison
- Hilton Als
- Oprah Winfrey
IMDb Rating: 7.5
Running Time: 120 minutes
Box Office: $927,495
Movie Trailer: Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am (2019) – Movie Trailer
9. The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019)
Jimmie Fails IV, a third-generation San Franciscan, is a black man. Jimmie, who has a low-paying job as a nurse in a seniors’ care facility, moved back to San Francisco three years ago and has been staying in his closest buddy Montgomery Allen’s house, which he shares with his blind grandfather, Jimmie, who sleeps on the floor in Mont’s already small bedroom. Mont, despite the mansion, is in a similar predicament to Jimmie, who works at a supermarket fish counter while sketching and writing a play on the side.
Director: Joe Talbot
Language: English
Genre: Drama
Main Cast:
- Jimmie Fails
- Jonathan Majors
- Tichina Arnold
- Rob Morgan
IMDb Rating: 7.3
Running Time: 120 minutes
Box Office: $4,637,830
Movie Trailer: The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019) – Movie Trailer
10. Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool (2019)
Musicians, academics, family members, and friends reflect on Miles Davis’ life to expose the man behind the legend. Rare footage and images, outtakes from recording sessions, and new interviews are all available thanks to full access to Davis’ estate.
Director: Stanley Nelson
Language: English
Genre: Documentary and Biography
Main Cast:
- Carl Lumbly(voice)
- Miles Davis (archive footage)
- Reginald Petty
IMDb Rating: 7.4
Running Time: 114 minutes
Box Office: $2,764,517
Movie Trailer: Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool (2019) – Movie Trailer
11. The Black Godfather (2019)
Following WWII, two families—one black, the Jacksons, and the other white, the MacAllans—are forced to share a parcel of property in the muddy Mississippi Delta, maintaining a tenuous race-based peace. The long-awaited return of two war veterans—Ronsel, the Jacksons’ eldest son, and Jamie, Henry McAllan’s younger brother—will unexpectedly nurture a developing friendship that transcends prejudice and race, as they both battle with hardship and extreme poverty.
Director: Reginald Hudlin
Language: English
Genre: Documentary
Main Cast:
- Hank Aaron
- Dina R. Andrews
- Clarence Avant
IMDb Rating: 7.4
Running Time: 118 minutes
Movie Trailer: The Black Godfather (2019) – Movie Trailer
12. Just Mercy (2019)
“Just Mercy” is a compelling and thought-provoking real story of young lawyer Bryan Stevenson and his historic fight for justice. Bryan could have had his pick of wealthy professions after graduating from Harvard. Instead, he travels to Alabama to represent those who have been wrongfully imprisoned, with the help of local campaigner Eva Ansley. Walter McMillian was sentenced to death in 1987 for the infamous murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite a preponderance of evidence indicating his innocence and the fact that the lone witness against him was a felon with an incentive to lie.
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Language: English
Genre: Biography, Crime, and Drama
Main Cast:
- Michael B. Jordan
- Jamie Foxx
- Rob Morgan
- Tim Blake Nelson
IMDb Rating: 7.6
Running Time: 137 minutes
Box Office: $50,401,502
Movie Trailer: Just Mercy Trailer (2019) – Movie Trailer
13. Creed II (2018)
Years after making a name for himself under Rocky Balboa’s tutelage, Adonis Creed is crowned the World Heavyweight Champion. While Adonis’ life appears to be going well with his triumph and marriage to Bianca, trouble strikes in Philadelphia when Ivan Drago, the Russian boxer who murdered Adonis’ father, Apollo, arrives with his son, Viktor, to face Adonis. Adonis accepts the challenge against Rocky’s advice and pays the price in a brutal match that he only wins on a technicality. Adonis is now injured and discouraged, and he is unable to return to the game, putting his spirit and title in peril.
Director: Steven Caple Jr.
Language: English
Genre: Drama and Sport
Main Cast:
- Michael B. Jordan
- Sylvester Stallone
- Tessa Thompson
- Wood Harris
IMDb Rating: 7.1
Running Time: 130 minutes
Box Office: $214,215,889
Movie Trailer: Creed II (2018) – Movie Trailer
14. Amazing Grace (2018)
In January 1972, Aretha Franklin sang with her choir at the New Bethel Baptist Church in Watts, Los Angeles.
Director: Alan Elliott and Sydney Pollack
Language: English
Genre: Documentary and Music
Main Cast:
- Aretha Franklin
- James Cleveland
- Alexander Hamilton
IMDb Rating: 7.5
Running Time: 87 minutes
Box Office: $7,796,112
Movie Trailer: Amazing Grace (2018) – Movie Trailer
15. BlacKkKlansman (2018)
Ron Stallworth was employed as the first black officer in the Colorado Springs, Colorado police department in the early 1970s. Initially, Stallworth is assigned to the records room, where he is subjected to racial slurs from his employees. Stallworth asks for a transfer to go undercover and is assigned to infiltrate a local demonstration where national civil rights leader Kwame Ture (born Stokely Carmichael) is scheduled to speak.
Director: Spike Lee
Language: English
Genre: Biography, Crime, and Drama
Main Cast:
- John David Washington
- Adam Driver
- Laura Harrier
- Topher Grace
IMDb Rating: 7.5
Running Time: 135 minutes
Box Office: $93,413,709
Movie Trailer: BlacKkKlansman (2018) – Movie Trailer
16. The Hate U Give (2018)
Starr Carter lives in two worlds: the underprivileged, primarily black neighborhood where she lives and the wealthy, mostly white prep school that she attends. When Starr witnesses her childhood best friend Khalil being fatally shot by a police officer, the uncomfortable balance between both worlds is destroyed. Starr must now find her voice and speak up for what is right in the face of pressures from all sides of the community.
Director: George Tillman Jr.
Language: English
Genre: Crime and Drama
Main Cast:
- Amandla Stenberg
- Regina Hall
- Russell Hornsby
- K.J. Apa
IMDb Rating: 7.5
Running Time: 133 minutes
Box Office: $34,934,009
Movie Trailer: The Hate U Give (2018) – Official Trailer
17. Quincy (2018)
An inside glimpse into the life of Quincy Jones, the legendary musician. For 70 years, Jones has been a singular force in music and popular culture, transcending racial and ethnic barriers; his tale is indelibly woven into the fabric of America.
Director: Alan Hicks and Rashida Jones
Language: English
Genre: Documentary and Biography
Main Cast:
- Quincy Jones
- Rashida Jones
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
IMDb Rating: 7.6
Running Time: 124 minutes
Movie Trailer: Quincy (2018) – Movie Trailer
18. Get Out (2017)
Chris and his fiancée Rose spend the weekend with her folks in upstate New York. Chris initially interprets the family’s overly accommodating behavior as worried attempts to deal with their daughter’s interracial romance, but as the weekend progresses, a sequence of progressively horrifying revelations leads him to a truth he could never have anticipated.
Director: Jordan Peele
Language: English
Genre: Horror, Mystery, and Thriller
Main Cast:
- Daniel Kaluuya
- Allison Williams
- Bradley Whitford
- Caleb Landry Jones
IMDb Rating: 7.7
Running Time: 104 minutes
Box Office: $255,589,157
Movie Trailer: Get Out (2017) – Movie Trailer
19. Mudbound (2017)
After WWII, two families—one black, the Jacksons, and the other white, the McAllans—are compelled to share the same area of land in the muddy Mississippi Delta, maintaining a tenuous race-based truce. The long-awaited return of two war veterans—Ronsel, the Jacksons’ eldest son, and Jamie, Henry McAllan’s younger brother—will unexpectedly nurture a developing friendship that transcends prejudice and race as they both battle with hardship and extreme poverty.
Director: Dee Rees
Language: English
Genre: Drama and War
Main Cast:
- Carey Mulligan
- Garrett Hedlund
- Jason Clarke
- Jason Mitchell
IMDb Rating: 7.4
Running Time: 134 minutes
Box Office: $85,955
Movie Trailer: Mudbound (2017) – Movie Trailer
20. Detroit (2017)
In 1967, a police raid in Detroit culminated in one of the greatest racial riots in US history. The plot revolves around the Algiers Motel event, which occurred on July 25, 1967, during the racially violent 12th Street Riot in Detroit, Michigan. Three black men were killed, and nine other people have brutally beaten: seven black men and two white women.
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Language: English
Genre: Crime, Drama, and History
Main Cast:
- John Boyega
- Will Poulter
- Algee Smith
- Jacob Latimore
IMDb Rating: 7.3
Running Time: 143 minutes
Box Office: $23,355,100
Movie Trailer: Detroit Trailer (2017) | Movie Trailer
21. Marshall (2017)
Thurgood Marshall is an NAACP lawyer who travels the country in 1940 defending individuals of color who have been wrongfully accused of crimes due to racial prejudice. After returning to his New York office, he is assigned to represent Joseph Spell, a chauffeur accused of rape by his white employer, Eleanor Strubing, in a case that has captivated the media. Sam Friedman, an insurance lawyer in Bridgeport, is hired by his brother to persuade Marshall to join the local bar against his will.
Director: Reginald Hudlin
Language: English
Genre: Biography, Crime, and Drama
Main Cast:
- Chadwick Boseman
- Josh Gad
- Kate Hudson
- Dan Stevens
IMDb Rating: 7.3
Running Time: 118 minutes
Box Office: $10,116,816
Movie Trailer: Marshall (2017) – Movie Trailer
22. O.J.: Made in America (2016)
The rise and fall of O.J. Simpson, whose high-profile murder trial exposed the depths of racial tensions in America, revealing a shattered and divided country.
Director: Ezra Edelman
Language: English
Genre: Documentary, Biography, and Crime
Main Cast:
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (archive footage)
- Mike Albanese
- Muhammad Ali (archive footage)
IMDb Rating: 8.9
Running Time: 467 minutes
Movie Trailer: O.J.: Made in America (2016) – Movie Trailer
23. 13th (2016)
The film begins with the assertion that the United States houses 25% of the world’s jailed population. Despite the fact that the United States has only 5% of the world’s population. The film “13th” depicts the exponential expansion of America’s jail population; in 1970, there were over 200,000 inmates; today, there are over 2 million. The documentary covers a wide range of topics, including chattel slavery, D. W. Griffith’s film “The Birth of a Nation,” Emmett Till, the civil rights movement, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Richard M. Nixon, and Ronald Reagan’s declaration of war on drugs, among others.
Director: Ava DuVernay
Language: English
Genre: Documentary, Crime, and History
Main Cast:
- Melina Abdullah
- Michelle Alexander
- Cory Booker
IMDb Rating: 8.2
Running Time: 100 minutes
Box Office: $566
Movie Trailer: 13th (2016) – Movie Trailer
24. I Am Not Your Negro (2016)
James Baldwin described his next project, “Remember This House,” in a letter to his literary agent in 1979. The book was supposed to be a revolutionary, intimate narrative of three of his close friends’ lives and assassinations: Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Baldwin only left 30 finished pages of this manuscript behind when he died in 1987. Raoul Peck, a filmmaker, imagines the book that James Baldwin never finished.
Director: Raoul Peck
Language: English
Genre: Documentary and History
Main Cast:
- Samuel L. Jackson(voice)
- James Baldwin (archive footage)
- Martin Luther King (archive footage)
IMDb Rating: 7.9
Running Time: 95 minutes
Box Office: $8,345,298
Movie Trailer: I Am Not Your Negro (2016) – Movie Trailer
25. Hidden Figures (2016)
NASA discovered untapped ability in a group of African-American female mathematicians who acted as the brains behind one of the largest operations in US history as the US raced against Russia to put a man in space. We follow three of these women, known as “human computers,” as they quickly advance through the ranks of NASA alongside some of history’s greatest brains, specially tasked with calculating the historic launch of astronaut John Glenn into space and ensuring his safe return.
Director: Theodore Melfi
Language: English
Genre: Biography, Drama, and History
Main Cast:
- Taraji P. Henson
- Octavia Spencer
- Janelle Monáe
- Kevin Costner
IMDb Rating: 7.8
Running Time: 127 minutes
Box Office: $236,225,193
Movie Trailer: Hidden Figures (2016) – Movie Trailer
26. Moonlight (2016)
A young African-American man fights with his identity and sexuality as he navigates the challenges of childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood.
Director: Barry Jenkins
Language: English
Genre: Drama
Main Cast:
- Trevante Rhodes
- André Holland
- Janelle Monáe
- Ashton Sanders
IMDb Rating: 7.4
Running Time: 111 minutes
Box Office: $65,336,603
Movie Trailer: Moonlight (2016) – Movie Trailer
27. Beasts of No Nation (2015)
The story follows Agu, a young kid forced to join a troop of soldiers in a fictional West African country. While Agu fears his commander and many of the soldiers around him, the war raging across his country has cruelly broken his boyhood, and he is caught between revulsion and intrigue at first. Paints a nuanced, tough image of Agu as a child soldier, depicting the mechanics of battle and not shying away from raw, brutal detail.
Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
Language: English and Twi
Genre: Drama and War
Main Cast:
- Idris Elba
- Kurt Egyiawan
- Jude Akuwudike
- Emmanuel “King King” Nii
IMDb Rating: 7.7
Running Time: 138 minutes
Box Office: $90,777
Movie Trailer: Beasts of No Nation (2015) – Movie Trailer
28. Creed (2015)
Adonis Johnson is the son of Apollo Creed, the legendary boxing champion who died in a boxing battle in Rocky IV (1985). Adonis was born after his father died and wishes to follow in his father’s footsteps in the sport of boxing. Rocky Balboa, the retired heavyweight boxing champion and Apollo Creed’s former friend, is the mentor he seeks. Rocky eventually accepts to be Adonis’s mentor. They aim to gain a title job with Rocky’s help and confront even deadlier opponents than his father. But it has to be seen whether he is a true fighter.
Director: Ryan Coogler
Language: English
Genre: Drama and Sport
Main Cast:
- Michael B. Jordan
- Sylvester Stallone
- Tessa Thompson
IMDb Rating: 7.6
Running Time: 133 minutes
Box Office: $173,567,581
Movie Trailer: Creed (2015) – Movie Trailer
29. What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015)
Nina Simone was noted for her unfettered musical expression on stage, which thrilled audiences and won her life-long fans. Simone battled to reconcile her artistic identity and aspirations with her loyalty to a movement amid the violent, haunting, and senseless day-to-day of the civil rights era in 1960s America. This new video, culled from hours of autobiographical records, reveals the unbridled ego of a brilliant artist as well as the oddities of her period. Simone moved to Liberia and stopped singing at the height of her stardom, abandoning her family, country, job, and fans.
Director: Liz Garbus
Language: English
Genre: Documentary, Biography, and Music
Main Cast:
- Nina Simone (archive footage)
- Lisa Simone Kelly
- Roger Nupie
IMDb Rating: 7.6
Running Time: 101 minutes
Movie Trailer: What Happened, Miss Simone (2015) – Movie Trailer
30. Miss Sharon Jones! (2015)
Miss Sharon Jones: Dreams never die, but they are occasionally postponed. Miss Sharon Jones is the skilled and outgoing soul singer of “Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings,” a Grammy-nominated R&B band. Sharon Jones faces pancreatic cancer during the most difficult year of her life. The film delves into the mind and spirit of a powerful lady trying to reclaim the explosive singing career that has escaped her for 50 years as she tries to regain her health and voice.
Director: Barbara Kopple
Language: English
Genre: Documentary and Music
Main Cast:
- Sharon Jones
- Starr Duncan-Lowe
- Binky Griptite
IMDb Rating: 7.3
Running Time: 93 minutes
Box Office: $120,880
Movie Trailer: Miss Sharon Jones! (2015) – Movie Trailer
31. Straight Outta Compton (2015)
In 1987, five young men channeled their despair and rage about life in America’s most dangerous city into their most effective weapon: music, using brutally honest rhymes and heavy beats. Straight Outta Compton takes us back to the beginning, telling the true story of how these cultural outcasts, armed only with their rhymes, swagger, bravado, and raw talent, faced up to the authorities who tried to hold them down and founded the world’s most deadly group, N.W.A. And their voice sparked a social revolution that is still echoing today as they spoke the truth that no one had before and revealed life in the ghetto.
Director: F. Gary Gray
Language: English
Genre: Biography, Drama, and History
Main Cast:
- O’Shea Jackson Jr.
- Corey Hawkins
- Jason Mitchell
- Neil Brown Jr.
IMDb Rating: 7.8
Running Time: 147 minutes
Box Office: $201,634,991
Movie Trailer: Straight Outta Compton (2015) – Movie Trailer
32. Dope (2015)
For the post-hip hop generation, a coming-of-age comedy/drama. Malcolm is a geek balancing his senior year of college applications, interviews, and the SAT while surviving life in The Bottoms, a rough area in Inglewood, CA filled with gangsters and drug dealers. His ambition is to study at Harvard. Malcolm and his buddies are thrown into a “only in Los Angeles” gritty adventure full of odd personalities and bad decisions after an accidental invitation to a massive underground party. Malcolm will progress from being a geek to being dope to finally being himself if he can continue.
Director: Rick Famuyiwa
Language: English
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, and Crime
Main Cast:
- Shameik Moore
- Tony Revolori
- Kiersey Clemons
- Kimberly Elise
IMDb Rating: 7.2
Running Time: 103 minutes
Box Office: $17,986,781
Movie Trailer: Dope Official Trailer (2015) – Movie Trailer
33. The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (2015)
The birth and demise of the Black Panther Party, one of the most intriguing and controversial groups of the twentieth century, which caught the world’s attention for nearly 50 years, is chronicled in this film.
Director: Stanley Nelson Jr.
Language: English
Genre: Documentary and History
Main Cast:
- Blair Anderson
- Omar Barbour
- Julian Bond
IMDb Rating: 7.3
Running Time: 115 minutes
Box Office: $584,109
Movie Trailer: The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (2015) – Movie Trailer
34. Selma (2014)
The riveting true narrative follows Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during a tumultuous three-month period in 1965 when he led a perilous campaign to obtain equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. The historic march from Selma to Montgomery resulted in President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the civil rights movement’s major triumphs. “Selma,” directed by Ava DuVernay, depicts the tale of how Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a beloved leader and visionary, and his brothers and sisters in the civil rights movement sparked a transformation that permanently changed history.
Director: Ava DuVernay
Language: English
Genre: Biography, Drama, and History
Main Cast:
- David Oyelowo
- Tom Wilkinson
- Carmen Ejogo
- Giovanni Ribisi
IMDb Rating: 7.5
Running Time: 128 minutes
Box Office: $66,787,908
Movie Trailer: Selma (2014) – Movie Trailer
35. Keep On Keeping On (2014)
Jazz legend Clark Terry mentors Justin Kauflin, a 23-year-old blind piano prodigy, to participate in an international competition.
Director: Alan Hicks
Language: English
Genre: Documentary
Main Cast:
- Clark Terry
- Justin Kauflin
- Quincy Jones
IMDb Rating: 7.8
Running Time: 84 minutes
Box Office: $163,745
Movie Trailer: Keep On Keepin’ (2014) – Movie Trailer
36. 42 (2013)
Jackie Robinson is a Negro League baseball player in 1946 who refuses to accept racism. Branch Rickey is the owner of a Major League baseball team who has a bold idea. To that aim, Rickey recruits Robinson to become the first modern African American Major League player, breaking the unspoken color line. As both expect, this presents a significant difficulty for Robinson and his family, as they face continuous racist animosity from both players and fans on and off the pitch. Jackie finds allies and hopes in unlikely places as he fights against his propensity to bear such assault without complaining.
Director: Brian Helgeland
Language: English
Genre: Biography, Drama, and Sport
Main Cast:
- Chadwick Boseman
- Harrison Ford
- Nicole Beharie
- Christopher Meloni
IMDb Rating: 7.5
Running Time: 128 minutes
Box Office: $97,470,701
Movie Trailer: 42 (2013) – Movie Trailer
37. Fruitvale Station (2013)
This is based on the true story of Oscar, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident who feels something in the air as he wakes up on December 31, 2008. He takes it as a sign to get a head start on his New Year’s resolutions: being a better son to his mother, whose birthday falls on New Year’s Eve, being a better partner to his girlfriend, with whom he hasn’t been completely honest recently, and being a better father to T, their beautiful 4-year-old daughter. He gets off to a good start, but as the day progresses, he realizes that change isn’t going to be simple.
Director: Ryan Coogler
Language: English
Genre: Biography, Crime, and Drama
Main Cast:
- Michael B. Jordan
- Melonie Diaz
- Kevin Durand
- Chad Michael Murray
IMDb Rating: 7.5
Running Time: 85 minutes
Box Office: $17,385,830
Movie Trailer: Fruitvale Station (2013) – Movie Trailer
38. 20 Feet from Stardom (2013)
In the world of pop music, backup singers occupy an odd position: they are always in the shadow of the featured performers, even when they are performing in front of them, despite the fact that they offer a critical basis for the music. The history of these mostly African-American performers during the rock period is recounted through interviews with veterans and live video. In addition, special attention is given to remarkable standouts who attempted to make a living in the art despite a low profile and more personal job problems, particularly those who confronted the very different task of singing in front of the camera.
Director: Morgan Neville
Language: English
Genre: Documentary, Biography, and History
Main Cast:
- Darlene Love
- Judith Hill
- Merry Clayton
- Lisa Fischer
IMDb Rating: 7.4
Running Time: 90 minutes
Box Office: $5,839,368
Movie Trailer: 20 Feet From Stardom (2013 ) – Movie Trailer
39. 12 Years a Slave (2013)
Based on the true story of one man’s struggle for survival and liberty. Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is kidnapped and sold into slavery in the United States before the Civil War. Solomon fights not only to stay alive but also to maintain his dignity, as he is confronted with violence embodied by a wicked slave owner, as well as unexpected kindnesses. Solomon’s unexpected meeting with a Canadian abolitionist in the twelfth year of his epic journey will forever change his life.
Director: Steve McQueen
Language: English
Genre: Biography, Drama, and History
Main Cast:
- Chiwetel Ejiofor
- Michael Fassbender
- Lupita Nyong’o
- Benedict Cumberbatch
IMDb Rating: 8.1
Running Time: 134 minutes
Box Office: $187,733,202
Movie Trailer: 12 Years A Slave (2013) – Movie Trailer
40. Django Unchained (2012)
In 1858, a bounty hunter named King Schultz seeks out and purchases a slave named Django in order to locate the men he is seeking for. Django wants to track down his wife, Broomhilda, who was sold separately from him by his former owner for attempting to flee. If he chooses to stay with him and be his partner, Schultz offers to assist him. They eventually learn that she was sold to a Mississippi plantation. Knowing they can’t just walk in and declare they want her, they devise a strategy to get the owner to welcome them into his home and allow them to discover a way to get her.
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Language: English
Genre: Drama and Western
Main Cast:
- Jamie Foxx
- Christoph Waltz
- Leonardo DiCaprio
- Kerry Washington
IMDb Rating: 8.4
Running Time: 165 minutes
Box Office:$426,074,373
Movie Trailer: Django Unchained (2012)
41. The Central Park Five (2012)
Five black and Latino adolescents from Harlem were arrested and convicted of raping a white woman in Central Park in New York City in 1989. They spent between 6 and 13 years in prison before their convictions were reversed after a serial rapist confessed that he alone was responsible for the crime. The Central Park Five tells the story of that horrific crime, the rush to judgment by the police, a media clamoring for sensational stories and an outraged public, and the five lives upended by this miscarriage of justice, all set against the backdrop of a decaying city beset by violence and racial tension.
Director:
- Ken Burns
- Sarah Burns
- David McMahon
Language: English
Genre: Documentary, Crime, History
Main Cast:
- Antron McCray(voice)
- Kevin Richardson
- Kharey Wise
IMDb Rating: 7.7
Running Time: 119 min
Box Office: $325,653
Movie Trailer: The Central Park Five Official Trailer (2012) – Movie Trailer
42. Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
Hushpuppy, a brave six-year-old girl, lives in the Bathtub with her father, Wink, in a southern Delta village on the outskirts of the world. Wink’s rough love prepares her for the universe’s disintegration; for a moment when he isn’t there to protect her. When Wink catches a mysterious ailment, nature goes haywire. Temperatures soar, ice caps melt, and an army of prehistoric animals known as aurochs is unleashed. Hushpuppy goes in search of her missing mother as the waters rise, the aurochs approach, and Wink’s health begins to deteriorate.
Director: Benh Zeitlin
Language: English
Genre: Adventure, Drama, and Fantasy
Main Cast:
- Quvenzhané Wallis
- Dwight Henry
- Levy Easterly
IMDb Rating: 7.3
Running Time: 93 minutes
Box Office: $21,107,746
Movie Trailer: Beasts of the Southern Wild (2003) – Movie Trailer
43. The Help (2011)
Skeeter is a southern society girl who returns from college determined to become a writer, but her decision to interview the black women who have spent their lives caring for wealthy southern families turns her friends’ lives — and a Mississippi town — upside down. Skeeter’s closest friend’s housekeeper, Aibileen, is the first to open up, much to her friends’ dismay in the tight-knit black society. Despite the fact that Skeeter’s long-standing friendships are in jeopardy, she and Aibileen continue their partnership, and more women soon come forward to share their stories — and it turns out that they have a lot to say.
Director: Tate Taylor
Language: English
Genre: Drama
Main Cast:
- Jessica Chastain
- Viola Davis
- Bryce Dallas Howard
- Allison Janney
IMDb Rating: 8.0
Running Time: 146 minutes
Box Office: $216,639,112
Movie Trailer: The Help – Official Trailer 2011
44. Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest (2011)
Since their much-publicized breakup in 1998, the Queens NY group known as ‘A Tribe Called Quest’ has kept a generation yearning for more of their trailblazing music, having created a 20-year run as one of the most innovative and influential hip-hop acts of all time. Michael Rapaport chronicles the band’s inner workings and behind-the-scenes drama to this day. He considers what’s next for the pioneers of alternative rap, as many believe.
Director: Michael Rapaport
Language: English
Genre: Documentary and Music
Main Cast:
- Q-Tip
- Phife Dawg
- Ali Shaheed Muhammad
IMDb Rating: 7.6
Running Time: 97 minutes
Box Office: $1,200,326
Movie Trailer: Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest (2011) – Movie Trailer
45. The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 (2011)
A modern Swedish filmmaker edits together footage filmed by a group of Swedish journalists documenting the Black Power Movement in the United States.
Director: Göran Olsson
Language: Swedish
Genre: Documentary and History
Main Cast:
- Stokely Carmichael
- Martin Luther King Jr.
- Eldridge Cleaver
- Bobby Seale
IMDb Rating: 7.6
Running Time: 100 minutes
Box Office: $280,256
Movie Trailer: The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 (2011) – Movie Trailer
46. Pariah (2011)
In a frantic pursuit of sexual expression, a Brooklyn youngster juggles contradictory identities and risks friendship, heartbreak, and family.
Director: Dee Rees
Language: English
Genre: Drama
Main Cast:
- Adepero Oduye
- Kim Wayans
- Aasha Davis
IMDb Rating: 7.2
Running Time: 86 minutes
Box Office: $769,552
Movie Trailer: Pariah (2011) – Movie Trailer
47. Black Dynamite (2009)
This is the story of Black Dynamite, an African-American action hero from the 1970s. The Man murdered his brother, inundated the slum with counterfeit malt liquor, and injected heroin into local orphanages. The only hero willing to fight The Man all the way from the blood-soaked city streets to the sacred halls of the Honky House was Black Dynamite.
Director: Scott Sanders
Language: English
Genre: Action and Comedy
Main Cast:
- Michael Jai White
- Tommy Davidson
- Salli Richardson
IMDb Rating: 7.4
Running Time: 84 minutes
Box Office: $296,557
Movie Trailer: Black Dynamite (2009) – Movie Trailer
48. The Princess and the Frog (2009)
The Princess and the Frog is a modern-day version of the classic fable The Frog Prince. The lives of haughty, carefree Prince Naveen and diligent waitress Tiana cross paths in The Princess and the Frog. A cunning voodoo magician turns Prince Naveen into a frog, and Tiana follows suit after kissing the amphibious prince. Naveen and Tiana must race to break the enchantment and realize their goals with the help of a trumpet-playing alligator, a Cajun firefly, and an old blind lady who lives in a boat in a tree.
Director: Ron Clements and John Musker
Language: English
Genre: Animation, Adventure, and Comedy
Main Cast:
- Anika Noni Rose
- Bruno Campos
- Keith David
- Michael-Leon Wooley
IMDb Rating: 7.1
Running Time: 97 minutes
Box Office: $267,045,765
Movie Trailer: The Princess and the Frog (2009) – Movie Trailer
49. Precious (2009)
An overweight, beaten, and uneducated teen who is pregnant with her second child is encouraged to join an alternative school in Harlem, New York City, in approximately 1987, in the hopes that her life may take a different path.
Director: Lee Daniels
Language: English
Genre: Drama
Main Cast:
- Gabourey Sidibe
- Mo’Nique
- Paula Patton
- Mariah Carey
IMDb Rating: 7.3
Running Time: 110 minutes
Box Office: $63,649,529
Movie Trailer: Precious (2009) – Movie Trailer
50. The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
This is the story of Lily Owens, a 14-year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother, and is set in South Carolina in 1964. Lily flees with Rosaleen, her caretaker, and companion, to a South Carolina hamlet that bears the truth of her mother’s past, to escape her lonely life and tumultuous relationship with her father T-Ray. Lily finds consolation in the enthralling world of beekeeping after being taken in by the bright and independent Boatwright sisters.
Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Language: English
Genre: Drama
Main Cast:
- Queen Latifah
- Dakota Fanning
- Jennifer Hudson
- Alicia Keys
IMDb Rating: 7.2
Running Time: 110 minutes
Box Office: $39,952,437
Movie Trailer: The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
