Black History Month

This Black History Month, Celebrate Black Cinema! From SELMA to CHI-RAQ, celebrate Black voices, Black stories, and Black creators, both in front of and behind the camera, in this curated collection of just a few of the Angelika’s favorites.

Visionary director Ava DuVernay's chronicle of Dr. Martin Luther King's campaign to secure equal voting rights with his 1965 march
Selma
  • 2014
A thrilling glimpse into the civil rights movement in the 1960s, from Director Shaka King
Judas and the Black Messiah
  • 2019
August Wilson's Tony winning play comes to life on the big screen driven by groundbreaking performances by Denzel Washington and Viola Davis
Fences
  • 2016
Destin Daniel Cretton's film follows a civil rights attorney in his attempt to free a man from a wrongful death row sentence.
Just Mercy
  • 2018
Directed by Academy Award winning filmmaker Freida Mock, this is the intimate story of a woman who spoke truth to power.
Anita: Speaking Truth to Power
  • 2013
Oscar winner for Best Documentary Feature. Director Morgan Neville shines a spotlight on backup singers behind some of the music industry's greatest.
20 Feet From Stardom
  • 2013
Morgan Freeman directs "a handsomely crafted, potently played drama that brings the issue of apartheid down to a visceral human dimension" (Variety).
Bopha!
  • 1993
Spike Lee delivers a poignant take on coming of age in the 1980s
School Daze
  • 1988
A star-studded cast shines in the emotionally affecting biographical drama from Oscar nominated Director Lee Daniels.
Lee Daniels' The Butler
  • 2013
Director Sacha Jenkins' fascinating chronicle of hip-hop and urban fashion - a Sundance Film Festival Official Selection
Fresh Dressed
  • 2015
Director Ryan Coogler's directorial debut follows the true story of Oscar Grant (a brilliant Michael B. Jordan). Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner.
Fruitvale Station
  • 2013
Chris Rock explores the wonders of African-American hairstyles in this Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize winner.
Good Hair
  • 2009
Maya Angelou's sole feature directorial work was heralded as "a triumph" by Time Out New York, starring an outstanding Alfre Woodard
Down in the Delta
  • 1998
Will Smith earned an Academy Award for his unforgettable performance in this acclaimed biopic from Director Reinaldo Marcus Green
King Richard
  • 2021
"A reminder that sometimes films can venture into the realms of poetry and dreams" (Chicago Sun-Times)
Eve's Bayou
  • 1997
David LaChapelle's brilliant doc exuberantly demonstrates the rise of Clowning and Krumping, a startling new hip-hop dance subculture.
Rize
  • 2005
Director Bill Condon brings Tom Eyen's Tony award-winning Broadway musical to the big screen, featuring Jennifer Hudson's showstopping performance.
Dreamgirls
  • 2006
Director Lee Daniels' sophomore work - the "best picture of 2009" (Rolling Stone) - featuring a breakout performance by Gabourey Sidibe
Precious
  • 2010
Director Spike Lee delivers an explosive modern-day adaption of the ancient Greek play Lysistrata.
Chi-Raq
  • 2015
SXSW and Sundance Film Festival Official Selection. "All hail the new team of Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal" (Rolling Stone).
Blindspotting
  • 2018