16 Impactful Movies & Documentaries Every Black American Should See on July 4th Weekend
We compiled a list of movies from the BlackCinemadb.com database and found some powerful movies and films that make us rethink the notion of freedom from a social, political and psychological perspective (some of which are currently streaming on Netflix).
1. American Promise (2013) (Documentary)
Director: Joe Brewster, Michèle Stephenson
Filmmakers Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson follow their son and his best friend through the U.S. educational system. Though both boys start out at the prestigious Dalton School, circumstances later force one into a public high school.
WATCH MOVIE (now streaming on Netflix)
2. The Black Power Mixtape (2011) (Documentary)
Director: Göran Olsson
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 is a 2011 documentary film, directed by Göran Olsson, that examines the evolution of the Black Power Movement in American society from 1967 to 1975.
WATCH MOVIE (now streaming on Netflix)
3. Cry Freedom (1987)
(Biopic)
Director: Richard Attenborough
Starring: Denzel Washington, Kevin Kline
Writers: John Briley (screenplay), Donald Woods (books)
Set in apartheid-torn South Africa. Donald Woods is the editor of the East London Daily Express and Steve Biko is a young black leader struggling to improve life in the townships. The two form an unlikely friendship but when Biko is taken into police custody and then murdered, Woods is placed under house arrest. Fearing for his family's safety, he decides to smuggle them over the border.
4. Deathrow Stories (2014) (Documentary)
8 seasons
This documentary series puts the death penalty on trial, examining capital murder cases with questionable convictions - and devastating consequences.
WATCH MOVIE (now streaming on Netflix)
5. Finding Fela (2014)
(Documentary)
Director: Alex Gibney
Filmmaker Alex Gibney uses period interviews and performances plus highlights of the Broadway production of "Fela!" to tell the story of Afrobeat music pioneer Fela Kuti.
WATCH MOVIE (now streaming on Netflix)
6. For the Love of Liberty: The Story of America's Black Patriots (2010)
(Documentary)
Director: Frank Martin
Awards: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Documentary
America's black heroes and their pivotal role in the U.S. military, from the Revolution through modern times.
WATCH MOVIE (now streaming on Netflix)
7. Freedom on My Mind (1994)
(Documentary)
Director: Connie Field, Marilyn Mulford
Writer: Michael Chandler Awards: Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize - U.S. Documentary
Nominations: Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature
Filmmaker Connie Field and Marilyn Mulford profile the Mississippi voter registration project from 1961-'64.
8. Get on the Bus (1996)
Director: Spike Lee
Starring: Thomas JeffersonByrd, De'aundre Bonds, Ossie Davis, Charles S. Dutton
Writer: Reggie Rock Bythewood
Estimated budget: $2.4 million
U.S. Box Office: $5.7 million
A disparate group of African-American men climb on a bus bound for the Million Man March in Washington, D.C. -- among them, Evan Sr. (Thomas Jefferson Byrd) and his son, Smooth (De'aundre Bonds), who have been shackled together as a condition of Smooth's temporary probation. Although the group begins the trip as strangers, their shared stories and experiences unite them as their discourse builds a portrait of what it means to be black in America.
9. Glory
(Biopic)
Director: Edward Zwick
Starring: Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington, Andrew Braugher
Writer: Kevin Jarre
Estimated budget: $18 million
Box office: $26.8 million
Following the Battle of Antietam, Col. Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick) is offered command of the United States' first all-African-American regiment, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. With junior officer Cabot Forbes (Cary Elwes), Shaw puts together a strong and proud unit, including the escaped slave Trip (Denzel Washington) and the wise gravedigger John Rawlins (Morgan Freeman). At first limited to menial manual tasks, the regiment fights to be placed in the heat of battle.
10. Malcolm X
(Biopic)
Director: Spike Lee
Starring: Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Albert Hall
Writer: Spike Lee, Alex Haley, Arnold Perl
Estimated budget: $33 million
Box office: $48.1 million
A tribute to the controversial black activist and leader of the struggle for black liberation. He hit bottom during his imprisonment in the '50s, he became a Black Muslim and then a leader in the Nation of Islam. His assassination in 1965 left a legacy of self-determination and racial pride.
11. Mandela: The Long Walk to Freedom
(Biopic)
Director: Justin Chadwick
Starring: Idris Elba, Naomi Harris
Writer: William Nicholson (screenplay), Nelson Mandela (autobiography)
Estimated budget: $35 million
Box office: $8.3 million
The remarkable life of South African revolutionary, president and world icon Nelson Mandela (Idris Elba) takes center stage. Though he had humble beginnings as a herd boy in a rural village, Mandela became involved in the anti-apartheid movement and co-founded the African National Congress Youth League. His activities eventually led to his imprisonment on Robben Island from 1964 to 1990. In 1994, Mandela became the first president of democratic South Africa.
WATCH MOVIE (now streaming on Netflix)
12. Requiem for the American Dream (2015)
(Documentary)
Iconic intellectual Noam Chomsky states his case for how the bulk of America's wealth and influence has been transferred to the hands of the a few.
WATCH MOVIE (now streaming on Netflix)
13. Selma (2014)
(Biopic)
Director: Ava DuVernay
Starring: David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Tim Roth
Writer: Paul Webb
Estimated budget: $20 million
Box office: $52 million
Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 legally desegregated the South, discrimination was still rampant in certain areas, making it very difficult for blacks to register to vote. In 1965, an Alabama city became the battleground in the fight for suffrage. Despite violent opposition, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his followers pressed forward on an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, and their efforts culminated in President Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
14. Straight Outta Compton (2015)
(Biopic)
Director: F. Gary Gray
Starring: O'Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell
Writers: Jonathan Herman, Andrea Berloff
Estimated budget: $28 million
Box office: $160.9 million
In 1988, a groundbreaking new group revolutionizes music and pop culture, changing and influencing hip-hop forever. N.W.A's first studio album, "Straight Outta Compton," stirs controversy with its brutally honest depiction of life in Southern Los Angeles. With guidance from veteran manager Jerry Heller, band members Ice Cube (O'Shea Jackson Jr.), Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins), Eazy-E, DJ Yella and MC Ren navigate their way through the industry, acquiring fame, fortune and a place in history.
15. Through a Lens Darkly (Documentary)
Director: Thomas Allen Harris Awards: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Documentary – Theatrical
Filmmaker Thomas Allen Harris examines how photography has affected the lives of black Americans.
WATCH MOVIE (now streaming on Netflix)
16. What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015)
(Documentary)
Director: Liz Garbus
Classically trained pianist, dive-bar chanteuse, black power icon and legendary recording artist Nina Simone lived a life of brutal honesty, musical genius, and tortured melancholy.
WATCH MOVIE (now streaming on Netflix)
