MOVIES AND RACISM
Definition of racism: 1. The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability, and that a particular race is superior to others. / 2. Discrimination or prejudice based on race.
IMDb Watch Now Link: The Myth of Race and the Evolution of Skin Color
IMDb Watch Now Link: The Biology of Skin Color
Wikipedia: Race (human categorization)
Wikipedia: Racism
Film has made a significant contribution in exposing and addressing the cancer of racism in our society, and continues to create awareness to a very real and ongoing global issue.
Listed below are a number of films which address racism, racial issues, and race relations, in whole or in part.
"No one is born hating another person because of the color of their skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite. - Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)
"I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word." - Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)
Please note: Listing is in reverse chronological order and includes documentaries and short films.
IMDb Watch Now Link: The Myth of Race and the Evolution of Skin Color
IMDb Watch Now Link: The Biology of Skin Color
Wikipedia: Race (human categorization)
Wikipedia: Racism
Film has made a significant contribution in exposing and addressing the cancer of racism in our society, and continues to create awareness to a very real and ongoing global issue.
Listed below are a number of films which address racism, racial issues, and race relations, in whole or in part.
"No one is born hating another person because of the color of their skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite. - Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)
"I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word." - Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)
Please note: Listing is in reverse chronological order and includes documentaries and short films.
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- StarsCarrie KeaganTequoia UrbinaNancy Sutton PierceFour part documentary series about interracial life in America from 1940 to present day and how media (television, film and music) has both helped to divide and bring together it's people .
- DirectorCarolyn Battle-CochraneIt's an epidemic. How many viral videos do we need to see before the live deaths of unarmed black men stop. What is it going to take before we all care asks Dr. Anthony Burrow a professor from Cornell University, a participant in the documentary that speaks to a time when he was profiled, with guns drawn. On September 13, 2013, unarmed Jonathan Ferrell was in a serious car accident after a night out with work colleagues. After knocking on the first door he came to in search for help, the home owner called 911 and reported a break-in. When police officers showed-up almost 20 minutes later, Jon stood waiting, looking relieved that help had arrived. Within 17 seconds Jonathan was tased, then shot at 12 times and hit ten times. This documentary shares an intimate story, beyond the headlines of a love story cut short. Unconscious Bias is real says Cache', who was Jon's high-school sweet-heart and fiancé, she makes the strong point illicit bias is glaringly in the Justice system and shreds the idea of stereotypes with behind the scenes footage of who Jon really was. Cache' s diverse family, the Heidel family all speak to their loss in the aftermath of a bias driven tragedy. The love-story is juxtaposed between college educated and upper middle class black men and boys that speak to their fear of the police, when doing absolutely nothing wrong. We must have this conversation, if this country is to ever be united. The Heidel family is the perfect family to deliver the message.
- DirectorCarolyn Battle-CochraneGhost skin highlights the FBI's findings of white supremacy in the police force, questioning the roles of implicit and explicit bias considering unarmed black men are 5x more likely to be killed by police than whites of the same age. Ghost Skin, juxtaposes the intimate-raw story of Cache' Heidel, fiancé of Jonathan Ferrell, an unarmed man murdered by police officers in NC . heart felt interviews between middle class black college educated men, offering their personal experiences with policing in the land of their birth, while asking how do they survive in a world where they are feared and hunted by those that are suppose to protect them.
- DirectorAndrea KalinMark MoormannStarsStetson KennedyStetson Kennedy waged a lifelong war against racial inequality, institutional segregation and social injustice. An audacious, determined, larger-than-life character, his daring actions demonstrate how one man bravely risked his life to transform the destiny of a nation. A privileged son of Southern heritage, a young Kennedy could not ignore the bigotry and intolerance around him. In the 1940's, he went undercover to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan and fed information to the producers of the nationally broadcast Superman radio show to expose the identities of their leaders. A prolific author, crusading journalist, tireless activist, early environmentalist and chronic womanizer, Kennedy was a wild man, not above embellishment or self-promotion, but his courage, his actions and his accomplishments made him a legend. KLANDESTINE MAN is his story.
- DirectorSam SeligerThe history of the iconic song "Strange Fruit" and how its incredible power, stemming from the horror of its lynching theme, Billie Holiday's tremendous rendering and its haunting melody, helped eradicate the practice of lynching in America. Over 4,0000 African-Americans were lynched from the late 19th century through World War II, yet lynching remained a taboo subject for White America. The song was a catalyst for the Civil Rights movement, and ignited a culture of protest in the music industry, inspiring artists such as Nina Simone. Both the song's author, Abel Meeropol, and its singer, Billie Holiday, cared so deeply about the heinous impact of lynching that they were willing to promote the song at great personal and professional risk, both ultimately suffering as a result.
- DirectorCharles Westley PerryStarsErnest MarshMary RiitanoRamontay McConnellThe Black Cowboy is a look at a little-known chapter in the history of the United States. It is a story that illuminates the often overlooked people who contributed to the building of the ideal that is the American dream.
- DirectorChristian AlvartStarsFranco NeroThe renowned gunslinger fends off racism in 1914 America. He's up in years but still as deadly as ever.
- DirectorDennis DelemarStarsYasmine MejiaAs the nation is ignited in extreme racism, Negros from across the country seek prosperity in the Promised Land, Tulsa, Oklahoma,
- DirectorPatrick GillesStarsMike ColterDylan BakerEmma Caulfield FordThe true story of how one desperate man, armed with only his charm and wit, takes on a racist San Francisco corporation in 1971.
- DirectorKevin FordThe Pushback tells the story of a diverse group of progressive voices across Texas as they fight decades of institutional racism.
- DirectorNonie L. RobinsonStarsWhoopi GoldbergLouis Gossett Jr.Quincy JonesBreaking Bones, Breaking Barriers tells a story of diversity, inclusion, and the American dream. The film centers around the pioneer black stuntmen and women who broke racial, gender and economic barriers and opened doors to diversity in the stunt industry. The Black Stuntmen's Association was the first and only organization to fight for women and minorities in film and television when deep-seated racism and sexism penetrated every corner in America. Their struggle represents the broader picture of ongoing discrimination in every industry. Pulling back the curtain on Hollywood's most dangerous profession reveals an industry still marred by grievous discriminatory practices.
- StarsZaire AdamsCourtney AskinsKen BaskettYoung congressional staffer, risks it all to embark on a journey of faith to unite various ethical, racial, political, and socio-economic groups through conversation.
- DirectorRob RapleyStarsMarian AndersonAllida BlackAngela BrownOn Easter Sunday, 1939, contralto Marian Anderson stepped up to a microphone in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Inscribed on the walls of the monument behind her were the words "all men are created equal." Barred from performing in Constitution Hall because of her race, Anderson would sing for the American people in the open air. Hailed as a voice that "comes around once in a hundred years" by maestros in Europe and widely celebrated by both white and black audiences at home, her fame hadn't been enough to spare her from the indignities and outright violence of racism and segregation. Voice of Freedom interweaves Anderson's rich life story with this landmark moment in history, exploring fundamental questions about talent, race, fame, democracy and the American soul.
- DirectorEmily KunstlerSarah KunstlerStarsChief Egunwale AmusanJosephine Bolling McCallGwen CarrInterweaving lecture, personal anecdotes, interviews, and shocking revelations, lawyer Jeffery Robinson draws a stark timeline of anti-Black racism in the United States, from slavery to the modern myth of a post-racial America.
- StarsWill SmithBryan StevensonLarry WilmoreWill Smith hosts this look at the evolving, often lethal, fight for equal rights in America through the lens of the US Constitution's 14th Amendment.
- DirectorShaka KingStarsLaKeith StanfieldDaniel KaluuyaJesse PlemonsOffered a plea deal by the FBI, William O'Neal infiltrates the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party to gather intelligence on Chairman Fred Hampton.
- StarsDonahue TuittDenzel WashingtonEddie MurphyA 24 episode docu-series celebrating the amazing 75 year journey of Blacks on television in the United States.
- DirectorSacha JenkinsStarsHarry BelafonteBerry GordySmokey RobinsonExamines the groundbreaking career of pioneering television host Ed Sullivan, focusing on his platforming of Black musicians during the civil rights era.
- StarsHeather Ann ThompsonMarc Lamont HillAndrew YoungBoiling Point investigates instances of police brutality, voter suppression, school segregation, environmental racism and mass incarceration throughout American history, and the impact those injustices have had on equality.
- DirectorJosé Maria MartinelliStarsElizabeth AdofoMelissa JacquesNdan Marshall'Is the UK innocent?' explores the relationship between the transatlantic trade of enslaved African people between the 1600s to 1800s and racism today in the UK.
- DirectorKeli PriceStarsRobbie RogersEvander HolyfieldAimee MullinsAthletes who have struggled for acceptance due to race, religion, sexual orientation, and other prejudices, endure conflict in their quest to level the playing field.
- DirectorMichael HopwoodStarsDeMar DeRozanMichael HopwoodRon KnightAs the nation was gripped by the Watts riot and civil rights movement, An all-black basketball team in post-riot Compton, California was led by a white head coach called the John Wooden of high school basketball who transforms a team of athletes into living legends becoming the first team in California history to win 66 consecutive basketball games without a loss while becoming back-to-back undefeated State and National Champions. As National Champions they represented the city of Compton, the state of California and the nation. They faced racism and discrimination, and brutality on and off the court because of the color of their skin. 2019 marked the 50th anniversary of that historic accomplishment. Something that hasn't been done in over 50 years and may never be done again. The documentary Living Legends 66-0 tells the story of the longest winning record in California High School Basketball history, how it transformed the coaches and players lives and uplifted their communities. Those teams, players, and coaches became professional athletes, Hall of Fame coaches, college graduates, Olympians, teachers, veterans and elected officials but were left out of their rightful place in history.
- DirectorGlenn CutlerStarsK.C. ClydeCreek WilsonSidnei BarbozaThree Black Teens persuade their forty-something Jewish Neighbor to drive them from Miami to New York for a wedding. What could go wrong?
- DirectorMarcin WierzchowskiStarsGergana MuskallaFilip GomanÇetin GültekinThe murderer-assassin came from the neighborhood: On February 19, 2020, he shot and killed nine young people for racist motives. Survivors and relatives report how they experienced the night of the crime and the months after it and how they defend themselves against the logic of the perpetrator who wanted to make them strangers in their own homeland. Since that February night, they have been fighting for the memory of the victims and for clarifying what happened. And they ask many pressing questions about the night of the crime and the perpetrator that no one has wanted to answer so far. The documentary consistently looks at the crime from the perspective of the bereaved and uses their stories to tell about troublesome life of a citizen of foreign descent in Germany today, about inequality and about the everyday racism of the authorities and educational institutions.
- DirectorDavid SchendelStarsAllan B. CruseMichael GomesBoden KauffmanLed by John Steinbeck's editor, a group of women activists protest Japanese American incarceration and resist racism in WWII California. Recently in a dusty filing cabinet in Monterey, California a local historian made the amazing discovery of a 16mm film from 1938 showing the local Japanese American Community having fun at the wharf and playing baseball. Along with this remarkable never-before-seen film of a community about to be destroyed was a trove of signed petitions demanding the restoration of civil rights to those same Americans. As historian Tim Thomas dug deeper into the origins of both the film and the petition drive he discovered a story that stands as a lesson for all Americans interested in preserving our democracy. At a time when the fear of WWII gripped our nation, kitchen table conversations led to a door-to-door petition drive motivating citizens of the Monterey peninsula to resist economically motivated racism and welcome back fellow citizens held in concentration camps for 3+ years solely due to their Japanese ancestry. Toni Jackson-who worked as an editor for John Steinbeck and was Ed Ricketts' common-law wife-wrote the petition, A Democratic Way of Life for All, in 1945. It stands as the only organized public resistance to the well-funded hate campaign waged against Japanese-Americans as they began the painful return home to suspicious communities. "Enduring Democracy: the Monterey Petitions" explores the motivations of the wealthy individuals who financed hate campaigns as well as the daring women who spearheaded the carefully thought out response. A twitter war before mobile phones, the battle was fought in the editorial pages of several local newspapers as racists emboldened by Anti-Japanese war propaganda posted full page ads to discourage Japanese Americans from returning to their homes and businesses. Inspired by Mollie Sumida's letter to the editor written while imprisoned in camp and impervious to threats of violence, residents banded together to get their community to sign Toni Jackson's petition pledging "The Democratic Way of Life for All." The petition drive and subsequent posting in The Monterey Herald effectively put a stop to the public efforts of several well funded fear campaigns against California Japanese American Citizens.
- DirectorLázaro RamosStarsHeloísa JorgeReinaldo JúniorIzak DahoraThe special features 22 real testimonials from people like Mandela, Martin Luther King and Marielle Franco, who fought racism and freedom in favor of justice.
- StarsCierra ChenierArnould BurksBrandon OdumsAn unfiltered and in-depth look at the differences in the Black experience from one city to the next across the country, exploring issues like personal experiences around systemic racism.
- StarsSean EllisRosemary ScapicchioEdward McNelleyCharged as a teen in the 1993 killing of a Boston cop, Sean K. Ellis fights to prove his innocence while exposing police corruption and systemic racism.
- DirectorNancy BuirskiStarsGary DuncanRichard SobolLolis Eric ElieWashington, D.C. attorney Richard Sobol stands up to a racist legal system to defend Gary Duncan, a Black teenager wrongfully accused of assaulting a boy in 1966 New Orleans.
- DirectorToni VenturiVal GomesA doctor mistaken for a thief. A cleaning lady treated like a slave. A mother who lost a son killed by the police. What do they have in common? Their skin color. A documentary that unveils the structural racism rooted in Brazilian society.
- DirectorGillian MoselyJewish director Gillian Mosely journeys around Israel and the West Bank, spending time with everyone from a Jewish settler to a political member of Hamas. Alongside the film exposes how, when, and why the conflict began.
- DirectorSpike LeeStarsDelroy LindoJonathan MajorsClarke PetersFour African-American vets battle the forces of man and nature when they return to Vietnam seeking the remains of their fallen squad leader and the gold fortune he helped them hide.
- DirectorDudley AlexisStarsGwendolyn AndersonPerman AndersonEdna BuchananAn in-depth analysis on the 40th Anniversary of the life and untimely death of Arthur Lee McDuffie at the hands of Miami Dade police officers.
- DirectorMarcus BrownNotis StudiosStarsDan BelcherRhonda BlakeFaith BloomerThis film is a retelling of the worst act of American terrorism and racism in American History. The Tulsa race massacre of 1921, when mobs of white residents rampaged. attacked, and murdered black residents of the Greenwood District.
- DirectorGeorge NolfiStarsAnthony MackieSamuel L. JacksonNicholas HoultIn the 1960s, two African-American entrepreneurs hire a working-class white man to pretend to be the head of their business empire while they pose as a janitor and chauffeur.
- StarsDrew DorseyHost Drew Dorsey takes a look at 5 inspiring documentaries to stream this Black History Month.
- StarsAlbert LawrenceOn this IMDbrief, we celebrate four unsung Black heroes of film history and four films to watch to get to know them better.
- DirectorNate AdamsAdam CarollaStarsWilly T. RibbsPhillip RibbsGeraldine RibbsAn in-depth profile of the life and career of Willy T. Ribbs - the controversial Black driver who shattered the color barrier of professional auto-racing and became the first Black qualifier in the storied history of the Indy 500.
- DirectorSonia LowmanStarsCarmelo AnthonyCris CarterHarry EdwardsBLACK BOYS illuminates the spectrum of black male humanity in America. An intimate, inter-generational exploration, BLACK BOYS strives for insight to black identity and opportunity at the nexus of sports, education and criminal justice.
- DirectorTrenton LumpkinStarsTony DeMilRayven Symone FerrellDeborah TuckerBased on true life events. Through Her Eyes is a drama about an African American teenager struggling with self-esteem; who after deciding to attend a newly integrated school, must find the confidence to take the entrance exam, while facing racial prejudice.
- DirectorDaniel Joseph RizzutoStarsSam VincentDexter BellWilliam 'Big Sleeps' StewartA raw and unapologetic look into a police shooting, racism, and the connections they share. Without stating that we know the answers, but not being afraid to ask the direct questions.
- DirectorAnna KlühspiesAnna TillackStarsKatja AmbergerKatharina König-PreussSebastian LippA recent wave of right-wing violence with a racist and anti-Semitic background has shaken the Federal Republic of Germany. The state promises to show strength to its enemies. The motto that the interior minister gives as reason of state is: zero tolerance towards right-wing radicals and right-wing extremists. But does he keep the promises of tough law enforcement? The answer to this is shamefully sobering. Right-wing extremist crimes are rarely pursued in Germany, and if so, only reluctantly. Investigative misconduct and questionable judgments are not uncommon. Right-wing extremists can hope for leniency from the German judiciary. The tendentious sympathies of the state apparatus on the enforcement level among the public prosecution department and the police come forward here. The information provided by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution is insufficient. Many officially known right-wing extremists still have shotgun certificates. Racist right-wing music may be sold on despite the knowledge of the public prosecutor. Hounding people with a migration background in daylight is not uncommon, but as such does not appear in the police report and is covered up. This documentary shows people who feel abandoned by the state after experiencing right-wing violence and accompanies a lawyer in his fight for the victims of extreme right-wing violence, where he repeatedly comes up against limits.
- DirectorPatricia Bebia MawaThe Science Of Racism is a documentary that explores the intellectual and systematic study of traits and behaviour as it relates to racism through observation and experiment. It also answers the question; can racism be studied as a science?
- DirectorShahida TulaganovaStarsMaung ZarniRajuma BegumKhin NyuitThe silence behind the genocide of the Rohingyas in Burma.
- DirectorLaura ColemanAnthony PenneyStarsEva ColemanPamela SlaggJeannie WestA teenage biracial girl struggles to come to terms with her identity in a racially driven world.
- DirectorJohn G. WestStarsTed Williams IIIAndres WilliamsHuman Zoos tells the story of how thousands of indigenous peoples were put on public display in America in the early decades of the twentieth century. Often touted as "missing links" between man and apes, these native peoples were harassed, demeaned, and jeered at. Their public display was arranged with the enthusiastic support of the most elite members of the scientific community, and it was promoted uncritically by America's leading newspapers. The documentary also tells the story of a courageous group of African-American ministers who tried to stop one such 'Human Zoo' in New York City. The documentary features Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Pamela Newkirk, author of Spectacle: The Astonishing Life of Ota Benga.
- DirectorBrandon OrgillStarsJack Cunningham-NuttallBilly MhindurwaCaine Lewis HodgesA 15 year old boy remembers his friend after he was killed because of the colour of his skin. A 1980s short film set in the UK.
- DirectorFrank PanicoStarsWayne GillJoan HolmesChristopher MetzlerEach One Teach One is a compelling documentary film that dives deep into the culture surrounding African Americans in America. The main story-line revolves around righteous individuals who step up to the plate to carry on the legacy of Mrs. Ollie Harvey, the founder of a charity in Stuart Florida called Building Bridges to Youth. After her death, the charity almost went under. Through the selfless actions of the local African American community, the charity is now flourishing again.
- DirectorAnnebeth JacobsenStarsColin KaepernickTells the story of the football player Colin Kaepernick and how he became the icon of a protest movement.
- Colin Kaepernick has made fans and enemies around the world from on simple action - kneeling. While he may now be fighting a legal battle for his return to the field, there's a lot more to Colin's story than what dominates his media appearances, a lot more that has remained The Unknown.
- DirectorLinda Goldstein KnowltonWE ARE THE RADICAL MONARCHS documents an Oakland-based alternative to the Girl Scouts - specifically for girls of color, ages 8-13. The girls earn badges for units on social justice, such as Black Lives Matter, Radical Beauty, Disability Justice, and being an LGBTQ ally. Filmed over three years, we follow the dynamic Co-Founders as they face challenges in growing the organization, both pre-and-post the 2016 election.
- DirectorAnita CasalinaStarsAeeshah ClotteyKokomon ClotteyAt a time when racial friction has reached a new level, it turns out that the solution to racism is quiet and introspective.
- DirectorAlan R. SasiainStarsDaniel AdlerRosana AnesiLucas BaimaIn a community marked by youth unemployment and precariousness, a neo-Nazi organization makes its way violently until it finds itself a mobilized society that faces the hatred of racism, xenophobia and discrimination.
- DirectorPeter D. HutchisonAn exploration into the fate of the post-modern man.
- DirectorJoe TalbotStarsJimmie FailsJonathan MajorsRob MorganA young man searches for home in the changing city that seems to have left him behind.
- DirectorJamel LajuanStarsRichard ArringtonJim BaggetPhilip BlantonIn 1979, a city official seeks to get elected as the first Black mayor in Birmingham, Alabama in the midst of racial unrest after the fatal shooting of an unarmed Black girl by a White police officer.
- StarsMartha S. JonesAndia WinslowHenry Louis Gates Jr.A comprehensive and compelling history of the United States immediately following the Civil War.
- DirectorKimberly StephensStarsCrystal UsherJalil StephensDarrell Morton Jr.Shirley Chisholm the first black woman elected to the United States Congress and the first black candidate for a major party's nomination for President of the United States, and the first woman to run for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination .
- DirectorRock GrantStarsSarone CannonPatricia HarrisKyle HatzingerIntimate view of 100 years of American history seen through Isaac Pope, an African-American centenarian who's a spellbinding storyteller and unsung hero of war, the civil rights and workers' movements, and the tale of his -- and the nation's -- spirit, loss and love.
- DirectorKasi LemmonsStarsCynthia ErivoJanelle MonáeLeslie Odom Jr.The extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman's escape from slavery and transformation into one of America's greatest heroes, whose courage, ingenuity, and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history.
- DirectorBrett Michael InnesStarsZenobia KloppersLuca BornmanWayne SmithA coloured woman living in the arid Karoo takes in a lost white child and raises him as her own. Nine years later, the boy is removed and forced to live in the Knysna Forest with a family of woodcutters who claim that he is theirs.
- DirectorAran ToriStarsAran ToriGerard BattenIvan HumbleJournalist Aran Tori travels across Britain tracking down the nation's Far Right Extremists. The combination of BREXIT and Donald Trump presidency has empowered the Ultra Nationalist cause, leaving communities more divided than ever. Aran enters the world of White Nationalism with a friendly curiosity and open approach, reflecting on his own beliefs of British identity.
- DirectorSimon SheridanStarsJacob AndersonEddie AmooChris AmooDubbed 'the black Beatles' by the British tabloids, the 'other' four lads from Liverpool recount their incredible story from the tough streets of Toxteth to the bright lights of New York.
- CreatorAva DuVernayStarsAsante BlackkCaleel HarrisEthan HerisseFive teens from Harlem become trapped in a nightmare when they're falsely accused of a brutal attack in Central Park. Based on the true story.
- DirectorJulius OnahStarsNaomi WattsOctavia SpencerKelvin Harrison Jr.A married couple is forced to reckon with their idealized image of their son, adopted from war-torn Eritrea, after an alarming discovery by a devoted high school teacher threatens his status as an all-star student.
- DirectorTimothy Greenfield-SandersStarsToni MorrisonHilton AlsOprah WinfreyThis artful and intimate meditation on the legendary storyteller examines her life, her works and the powerful themes she has confronted throughout her literary career.
- DirectorNgardy Conteh GeorgeStarsWinston LaRoseWinston LaRose is an 80-year-old community activist affectionately known as Mr.Jane and Finch. He has dedicated the last 25 years to supporting residents who live in the troubled community of Jane and Finch. With gentrification high up on the political agenda, he decides, for the first time, to run for office as Councillor of Toronto's Ward 7 and challenge the established powers that be.
- DirectorXavier BurginStarsRusty CundieffErnest R. DickersonRobin R. Means ColemanA look at the history of black horror films and the role of African Americans in the film genre from the very beginning.
- DirectorJohn RashA portrait of a punk band and their role in the vibrant and eclectic underground music scene from which they were born. The idiosyncratic personalities of these three musicians demonstrates that, like all great artistic or political collectives, individuals with conflicting and confounding ideologies can be drawn together around a common cause. Championing the music, community, and politics of their beloved city of Memphis, TN, Negro Terror are far more than just another hardcore punk band with a provocative name.
- DirectorZanah ThirusStarsJessica AbellVeronica AppletonRae ChardonnayBlack Feminist is a feature length documentary film surrounding the double edged sword of racial and gender oppression that black women face in America. This documentary is told through interviews from scholars, lecturers, writers, business owners, veterans, comedians and authors. In addition to information interviews, this documentary is narrated by an animated character LaToya Johnson, played by Nadirah Lugg.
- DirectorAshley CusatoStarsRonald L. BaileyJohn L. BorstDoc Lowell Burwell"Major Capers: The Legend of Team Broadminded", is an honest and unflinching documentary that portrays the extraordinary true life story of Major James Capers, Jr., an American hero, who persevered through adversity during a time of civil unrest. After 50 classified/top secret missions and being wounded 19 times, Capers rose to become one of the most decorated Force Recon Marines in history. Capers and his Force Recon team, aptly named "Team Broadminded" overcame stereotypes and seemingly impossible missions. Capers' story begins childhood, as the son of a sharecropper, through his service as a Force Recon Marine in Vietnam to covert operations in Africa and Eastern Europe. The documentary features raw and honest audio recordings made by Capers in the battlefield, including recently declassified film and photographs that transport the viewer deep into the heart of a faithful warrior, through once classified or top secret missions.
- DirectorBrian Tetsuro IvieStarsGeorge Howard AdamsA.R. BernardNadine CollierAn inside look at the tragic event that took place in Charleston, South Carolina at the Emanuel AME Church, where 9 innocent churchgoers were gunned down.
- DirectorBarbara HallStarsWillie NelsonDolly PartonTanya TuckerThe first black superstar in the all white world of country music, Pride played down his racial difference and tried to avoid controversy.
- DirectorLauren MeyerStarsMonte IrvinMamie JohnsonMinnie MinosoThe story of racism, segregation and Civil Rights in America told through the lives of the Negro League baseball players. Features exclusive interviews with the men who played alongside of Jackie Robinson.
- DirectorJohn Reyer AfamasagaStarsJames MeredithRoy TurnerDavid McgeeFrom inside a broom closet through a cracked door, an African American janitor listens and learns art in segregated Mississippi. 1949 Segregated Mississippi While driving through Ercu, Mississippi to start his new job as the first chairman of the University of Mississippi art department, Prof. Stuart R. Purser discovers the roadside artwork of twenty-six-year-old African American primitive artist, M.B. Mayfield (1923-2005). It is here an amazing journey begins. Purser, whose father was a member of the Ku Klux Klan, installs Mayfield as a janitor at the university with the sole purpose of teaching him. From inside the classroom's broom closet with the door ajar, the artist listens and learns. And it is through this narrow opening these two men become an important part of Southern history. Door Ajar captures the true essence of the South, told by those who grew up in a different era. Sometimes their yarns are jarringly awkward to listen to, but it's always earnest and from the heart. From a close family member to townspeople, to a civil rights campaigner, politician, judge, authors, documentary makers, and historians...Door Ajar records tales that sound like folklore but true. Good Will Hunting goes South.
- CreatorChuck MacLeanStarsKevin BaconAldis HodgeLauren E. BanksIn early 1990s Boston, ADA, Decourcy Ward, forms an unlikely alliance with a corrupt venerated FBI veteran, Jackie Rohr. Together, they take on a case that changes the city's entire criminal justice system.
- DirectorTaika WaititiStarsRoman Griffin DavisThomasin McKenzieScarlett JohanssonA young German boy in the Hitler Youth whose hero and imaginary friend is the country's dictator is shocked to discover that his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home.
- DirectorJill NichollsAlan YentobStarsBoris PahorAllan CordunerNicholas FarrellAlan Yentob tells the story of Boris Pahor, at 106 the oldest known survivor of the Nazi concentration camps. A Slovenian from Trieste, Pahor wrote his novel Necropolis about his time in Natzweiler camp for political prisoners.
- DirectorRobin BissellStarsTaraji P. HensonSam RockwellBabou CeesayCivil rights activist Ann Atwater faces off against C.P. Ellis, Exalted Cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan, in 1971 Durham, North Carolina over the issue of school integration.
- DirectorDestin Daniel CrettonStarsMichael B. JordanJamie FoxxBrie LarsonWorld-renowned civil rights defense attorney Bryan Stevenson works to free a wrongly condemned death row prisoner.
- DirectorJeffrey WolfStarsRussell G. JonesJason Samuels SmithGreg TateAn inventive feature documentary capturing the vivid life of Bill Traylor, who in his late 80s, living homeless on the street in the thriving segregated black neighborhood of Montgomery, produced a body of extraordinary art. Born into slavery in 1853 on a cotton plantation in rural Alabama, Traylor witnessed profound social and political change during his life spanning slavery, Reconstruction, Jim Crow segregation, and the Great Migration. In his later years, Traylor poured out those memories from within, drawing and painting over 1,000 pieces of art from 1939-42. Using historic and cultural context, the film is designed to bring the spirit and mystery of Traylor's incomparable art to life. The transcendent surprise is while Traylor kept to himself leading an unassuming life, he was nurturing a remarkable creative gift that would not be expressed for decades. Tap dance, evocative period and original music, and dramatic readings are used in surprising ways in the film, balanced with insightful perspectives from Traylor family members and expert interviews. Traylor devised his own visual language to record the stories of his life, translating an oral culture into something unique, powerful, and culturally rooted. The film reflects a tumultuous time of a forgotten world and its marginalized people, still reverberating today. A new lynching memorial and Legacy Museum recently opened in Montgomery just blocks from where Bill Traylor used to sit and work. Bill Traylor: Chasing Ghosts explores the life of a unique American artist, a man with a remarkable and unlikely biography. The film is a compelling human narrative that gives voice to a man who endures a long life of extreme hardships during an era of legalized racial indignities, to become one of America's most prominent artists, exhibited in museums and collections worldwide.
- DirectorChristopher MorrisStarsAndrel McPhersonMiles RobbinsMarchánt DavisAn impoverished preacher who brings hope to the Miami projects is offered cash to save his family from eviction. He has no idea his sponsor works for the FBI who plan to turn him into a criminal by fueling his madcap revolutionary dreams.
- DirectorGurinder ChadhaStarsBilly BarrattRonak Singh Chadha BergesViveik KalraIn England in 1987, a teenager from an Asian family learns to live his life, understand his family and find his own voice through the music of American rock star Bruce Springsteen.
- DirectorTariq NasheedStarsShahrazad AliClaud AndersonDavid BannerHidden Colors 5 is the final installment of the critically acclaimed Hidden Colors documentary series. In this installment, the film explores the history of warfare as it relates to global Black society. The film is broken down into 7 chapters that examines the ways the system of racism wages warfare from a historical, psychological, sexual, biological, health, educational, and military perspective.
- DirectorDaniel GordonStarsAdam GoodesStan GrantNova Peris"The Australian Dream" is a theatrical feature documentary that uses the remarkable and inspirational story of AFL legend Adam Goodes as the prism through which to tell a deeper, more powerful story about race, identity, and belonging.
- DirectorIan DanielElliot PageStarsElliot PageIngrid WaldronLouise DelisleThe injustices and injuries caused by environmental racism in her home province, in this urgent documentary on Indigenous and African Nova Scotian women fighting to protect their communities, their land, and their futures.
- DirectorTasha HubbardStarsTasha HubbardThe story of the killing of Colten Boushie and his family's pursuit of justice.
- DirectorAaron J. ChristopherStarsAshe JaafaruA documentary exploring the historic roots and ongoing relationship between racism and American Christianity.
- DirectorAnthony FabianStarsMakhosi KhozaAdriaan BassonJustice MalalaA feature-length, 'state of the nation' cinema documentary which explores the recent crisis of confidence in South Africa, and what the next generation and civil society are doing to create a brighter future.
- DirectorRubika ShahStarsRed SaundersRoger HuddleKate WebbRock Against Racism was formed in 1976, prompted by Eric Clapton. It blends fresh interviews with archive footage to recreate a hostile environment of anti-immigrant hysteria and National Front marches.
- DirectorJon-Paul GatesStarsJon-Paul GatesIt's one thing to want to stand out from the crowd. It's quite another to be held back for the things that make you different. Worse still to be attacked for what makes you, you. Your voice. Your skin color. In this documentary Jon-Paul Gates explores racism in today's climate through stories from people of various races.
- DirectorLoki MulhollandWhite families in an all-white society and believe racism doesn't exist anymore until they adopt a black child.
- DirectorKek Huat LauStarsHassan MuthalibMahat AkiyaAluej bin AngahDerived from the proverb, "What the axe forgets, the tree remembers", the film presents the current situation in Malaysia. For fifty years, the racial conflicts in the 13 May Incident remains a taboo in Malaysia. It marks the beginning of the racial discrimination policies and practice whereas victims are forced to be silenced. This film tackles the origin of racism in Malaysia and the taboo of the racial riot in 1969.
- DirectorTina GharaviTribalism, racism, discrimination and losing white privilege - a montage film asking why it is that we still live in a divided world. At a time when our headlines are dominated by ethnic violence, religious conflict and remorseless anti-immigration policies, TRIBALISM IS KILLING US is a deeply evocative feature-length essay film that seeks to illuminate the roots of humanity's darkest truth. In an unflinching landmark documentary Sundance and BAFTA-nominated filmmaker Tina Gharavi takes an urgent and much-needed look at tribalism and the process of 'othering' or how we create insider/outsider groups. More importantly, the film examines the application of race as an instrument within strategies for power for dominant groups in contemporary society through Trump, Brexit, and the global rise of the far right.
- DirectorOmodada ProStarsBenjamin Levy AguilarTairat BaokuYemi BlaqWhen a Nigerian family with traditional values move to the ghetto from their Roswell Mansion to survive hard times, they soon find out that money is the least of their problems. Yinka and Ade Johnson, two Nigerian high school teenage siblings are dumped into the worst school in their new neighborhood after their family had to relocate to Decatur due to financial difficulties. They fast discover that despite moving to America with a visa lottery for a better life as adolescents, culture shock and rejection had only just begun with Crim High as they make a deep revelation the hard way that even in a city full of Blacks, there are two shades of black and that being Black isn't just enough. Cultural Clash is a story that explores how parental disapproval and racial discrimination can change the course of the lives of everyone and bring about a powerful lesson that has never been seen on screen; bridging cultural divides, revealing why minorities hate each other and the harm of being disunited. It is a tale that blends the romance of high school scenarios with a thrilling family conflict, intense racism and the spell-bounding action of the chase of the drug Lord and his gang. In this intriguing and dramatic romance, you will soon find out that everyone can be a little racist to even to their own race.
- DirectorJames TheresIn February 1945, the U.S. Army sent 855 black women from the Women's Army Corps "WACs" to England and France to clear the backlog of mail in the European Theater of Operations. The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, known as the SixTripleEight, was the only all-black female battalion to serve in Europe during WWII. Confronted with racism and sexism from their own leadership and troops, they served with honor and distinction completing their mission in six months. By war's end, the SixTripleEight had cleared over 17 million pieces of backlogged mail ensuring the troops stayed in touch with their loved ones back home. The last of the women returned home in March 1946. They were never fully recognized until now.
- DirectorRasethaba LebogangThe People Versus The People is a documentary film that seeks to look at how we as oppressed groups have internalized certain toxic behaviours, often operating from a place of hatred. Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy. The film shines a light on various internalized conflicts that exist within us that are a byproduct of systemic racism, patriarchy and a classist capitalist system. The film explores how these inner conflicts exist as a result of the absence of a deep sense of self-worth, a lack of a deeper understanding beyond very simple and romantic notions of love. It presents the idea of love as an instrument of liberation, healing and ultimately the capacity to transcend and see beyond.
- DirectorMahmoud JemniA powerful indictment against racism, through the eyes of strong characters, moving, convincing. A hot topic of the day, first discussed in Tunisia.
- DirectorIan DarlingStarsAdam GoodesAustralian documentary filmmaker Ian Darling re-examines the incidents that marked the final 3 years of footballer Adam Goodes' playing career.