This list aims to highlight the tremendous range and diversity of Black filmmaking talent in front of and behind the camera. It also looks to celebrate Black culture more generally and draw attention to its rich, and often painful history. Film is a hugely powerful medium to elicit empathy and understanding, but also to provoke debate. Many of the films here are unashamedly contentious and provocative, designed to stir a reaction from its audience and shake up an industry that is all too often bogged down in complacency. Lots of history is covered here, including slavery and the American Civil War, the Civil Rights movement, and contemporary issues around law enforcement that are unfortunately a fixture on our news screens. But many of the films also celebrate the vibrancy and style of much Black music and culture, demonstrating tremendously exciting work from younger artists. In film, as in any medium, representation is crucial, both in terms of people believing they can have a voice in the industry themselves and help bring about change, but also allowing for more general audiences to see people like them on the big screen, and celebrate the remarkable accomplishments of many of its heroes.
A further note to all educators - Into Film have made the decision to capitalise the B when making any reference to Black people and groups, as will be done with other ethnic group categorisations. This important mark of acknowledgment and respect has been embraced by several high-profile sites and style guides over the last few years and is now an official part of the Gov.UK Writing about Ethnicity Guidelines.
Cert
Age group5–12
Duration95 mins
Tiana is a feisty young woman with big dreams in Disney's New Orleans-set re-telling of the classic fairy tale.
This charming Disney fairy tale marked the first time that the animation powerhouse had placed a princess of colour at the centre of one of their stories. As well as being culturally significant, the film is also a delightful, enchanting and magical tale that marked the start of a creative renaissance at the house of mouse.
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Cert
Age group8–15
Duration76 mins
Stunning animation about a young Sudanese boy’s escape from slave traders and his incredible and perilous journey to Paris with an orphaned giraffe.
This beautiful animated adventure tells the story of Maki, a Sudanese boy who escapes from slave traders to become the protector of Zarafa, an orphaned giraffe who in turn becomes his best friend. Taking up with a band of explorers, pirates, and merchants, young Maki and Zarafa go on an incredible voyage by sea and air.
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Cert
Age group12+
Duration134 mins
T’Challa returns to his home of Wakanda to inherit the throne but soon finds himself having to defend it from a soldier with a mysterious past.
The first Marvel film with a predominantly black cast, this instalment of the MCU became a phenomenon on its release. Featuring a cast of some of Hollywood’s most established actors and visuals that celebrate black beauty, art and technology, this was an important moment in both black representation and the superhero film genre.
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Cert
Age group8+
Duration30 mins
A short British film exploring race relations in post-riots Notting Hill in the 1960s through the friendship of a little girl and boy.
This short black and white film from 1966 is set in a London still feeling the effects of the 1958 Notting Hill race riots. The film depicts the way an innocent friendship between Jonny, a white boy born to a white supremacist family, and Jemima, a black girl, daughter to Caribbean immigrants, affects the people around them.
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Cert
Age group16+
Duration120 mins
Widely considered to have kick-started black British cinema, this 1970s film focuses on a black school leaver well-qualified but unable to find a job.
Pressure is widely acknowledged to have kick-started black British cinema. The story of Tony, a young black school leaver who, despite having good academic qualifications, finds it all but impossible to find a job, remains as powerful and stirring as it was in 1976. It also echoes contemporary issues, such as ‘stop and search’.
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Cert
Age group12+
Duration99 mins
Absorbing costume drama about the illegitimate mixed-race daughter of a Royal Navy admiral in the 18th Century, blending period romance and politics.
Directed by Amma Asante, one of the most exciting British directors working today, this absorbing costume drama is the true story of the illegitimate, mixed-race daughter of a British admiral, who played an important role in the campaign to abolish slavery in England. The film combines historical drama with cinematic romance to winning effect.
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