BLACK FILM’S BEST

BY: Georgia Davis

February is Black History Month, and to celebrate those working in Hollywood, PROVOKR has put together a top-tier list of movies to watch this weekend. Black lives on screen are there to educate, celebrate and increase visibility. Sure, these filmmakers are Black, but that isn’t the reason their movies are great. They’re great because these filmmakers are amazing.

REGINA KING – ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI

We’ve seen Regina King win an Oscar for If Beale Street Could Talk and Emmys for roles like in Watchmen, but she hadn’t directed a feature film until One Night In Miami. The adaptation of the stage play recreates a fictional conversation between Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Muhammad Ali (Eli Goree), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom, Jr.) and Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge). King is well on her way to a history-making nomination.

One Night In Miami is available on Amazon Prime.

AVA DUVERNAY – 13TH

No documentary in the last decade has proven to be more educational than Ava DuVernay’s 13th. It shows how the 13th Amendment perpetuates slavery in the U.S. and mass incarceration’s role in that. If you want to get educated on the New Jim Crow, this is where you should start.

13th is available on Netflix.

STEVE MCQUEEN – WIDOWS

Steve McQueen is one of the best directors of the 21st century. If you missed Widows (don’t worry, the Oscars did too) then put this at the top of your must-watch list. The heist film stars Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez and Elizabth Debicki.

Widows is available to rent on YouTube.

SPIKE LEE – MALCOLM X

We agonized over which Spike Lee film to feature here. We finally settled on Malcolm X, which puts Denzel Washington in the titular role. This biopic doesn’t hold back, and that’s likely why the Academy didn’t nominate it. Sounds like they took it a little too personally. Well, Spike should have won an Oscar for this one and you’ll see why.

Malcolm X is available on HBO Max.

DENZEL WASHINGTON – FENCES

Speaking of Denzel, he’s currently in the process of adapting the 10 plays in August Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle. It all started with Fences, which Denzel Washington directed. He and co-star Viola Davis also played the lead roles on Broadway. 

Fences is available to rent on YouTube.

AMMA ASANTE – A UNITED KINGDOM

Are you looking for a little romance? Well, Amma Asante’s A United Kingdom is perfect. The film stars David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike in an interracial marriage that send the country of Botswana into diplomatic turmoil. The film is a PROVOKR favorite. 

A United Kingdom is available to rent on Amazon.

RYAN COOGLER – BLACK PANTHER

Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther never gets old. With the late Chadwick Boseman in the lead role, we remain captivated with every viewing. Black Panther is even getting the series treatment on Disney+, so celebrate by watching it this weekend.

Black Panther is available on Disney+.

JORDAN PEELE – GET OUT

Talk about the directors of this generation. Jordan Peele broke barriers in horror with genre-pushing Get Out. It put Daniel Kaluuya and Peele himself onto the map. Now it’s hard to find a project Peele doesn’t have his hands in.

Get Out is available to rent on YouTube.

SHAKA KING – JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH

If you’re looking for something new, Judas and the Black Messiah is the way to go. The film about Fred Hampton (Kaluuya) and the person who betrayed him (LaKeith Stanfield) marks Shaka King’s first major directing role.

Judas and the Black Messiah is available on HBO Max.

BARRY JENKINS – MOONLIGHT

Now, we come to the modern-day poet Berry Jenkins. No one holds a flame to Jenkins, whose 2016 film Moonlight captivated so many people and catapulted itself to win Best Picture. The poignant story about a Black, queer man throughout three moments in his life is a required viewing for all. 

Moonlight is available on Netflix.