Confronting Racism and Injustice
Cinema has a special capacity to convey perspectives, share experiences, and tell important stories. We have compiled a list of films worth seeing that discuss racism and injustice in Black communities. Some of these films have been shown at BMFI before. Some have not. This list is not exhaustive, but it is a place to start.
If you would like to use film as a tool for talking about racism and injustice with your children or students, you can find age-based reviews for these and other films at CommonSenseMedia.org.
NOTHING BUT A MAN
1964 · d. Michael Roemer
BLESS THEIR LITTLE HEARTS
1983 · d. Billy Woodbury
DO THE RIGHT THING
1989 · d. Spike Lee
BOYZ N THE HOOD
1991 · d. John Singleton
MALCOLM X
1992 · d. Spike Lee
COLOR ADJUSTMENT
1992 · d. Marlon Riggs
ROSEWOOD
1997 · d. John Singleton
THE BLACK POWER MIXTAPE 1967 – 1975
2011 · d. Göran Olsson
THE LOVING STORY
2011 · d. Nancy Buirski
THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE
2012 · d. Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon
LET THE FIRE BURN
2013 · d. Jason Osder
FRUITVALE STATION
2013 · d. Ryan Coogler
DEAR WHITE PEOPLE
2014 · d. Justin Simien
SELMA
2014 · d. Ava DuVernay
STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON
2015 · d. F. Gary Gray
I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO
2016 · d. Raoul Peck
13TH
2016 · d. Ava DuVernay
STRONG ISLAND
2017 · d. Yance Ford
WHOSE STREETS?
2017 · d. Sabaah Folayan, Damon Davis
MUDBOUND
2017 · d. Dee Rees
CRIME + PUNISHMENT
2018 · d. Stephen T. Maing
THE HATE U GIVE
2018 · d. George Tillman Jr.
WHAT YOU GONNA DO WHEN THE WORLD’S ON FIRE?
2018 · d. Roberto Minervini
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK
2018 · d. Barry Jenkins
SORRY TO BOTHER YOU
2018 · d. Boots Riley
TONI MORRISON: THE PIECES I AM
2019 · d. Timothy Greenfield-Sanders
JUST MERCY
2019 · d. Destin Daniel Cretton
WATCHMEN (TV series)
2019 · Created by Damon Lindelof
WHEN THEY SEE US
2019 · Created by Ava DuVernay
