Movie lovers have often testified of having some of their best moments after watching great movies that capture the lives of black people and the lost moments in the African-American community.
These films have contributed immensely, not only to the cinema but also to Black people, despite the challenges.
From 1895 when the first motion picture was released, it would take about 30 years for the first black person, Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry, to receive featured screen credit in a film. Then the likes of Hattie McDaniel followed, who would become the first black Oscar winner in 1939 before Sidney Poitier, who became the first black man to win that award.
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But only a few blacks still had roles in films even after these achievements. When blacks featured in movies, they were portrayed as “stereotypical caricatures, never as serious individuals.”
It would take years for films that fully explore African-Americans issues and themes to be introduced. This has, so far, led to some of the best black movies of all time, including horror, romantic comedies, and superhero movies.
If you are in the mood for the black experience, check the following movies out:
A Raisin in the Sun
Roots
The Loving Story
The Colour Purple
The Wiz
Malcolm X
12 Years a Slave
Moonlight
Black Panther
When They See Us
