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MOVIES THAT TEACH
Movies can be a great way to reach your student and make connections. Prior to watching the film, learn about the topic through analyzing maps, primary/ secondary source documents and key terms to create a framework for understanding. After watching the film: Assign activities that require research, writing, and presentation skills to evaluate the film in relation to actual events. The following films, in no particular order, provide historical context to the Black experience. For lesson plans and activities related to these films, search under the Resources section of this website. Read more about how movies can enhance the student learning experience here.
Make sure to watch film before showing to determine if appropriate for your audience.
Some schools may also require parent permission forms before viewing.
Woman King
The Woman King is the remarkable story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with skills and a fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen. Inspired by true events, The Woman King follows the emotionally epic journey of General Nanisca (Oscar®-winner Viola Davis) as she trains the next generation of recruits and readies them for battle against an enemy determined to destroy their way of life. Some things are worth fighting for.
Amistad
La Amistad is a slave ship transporting captured Africans from Spanish Cuba to the United States in 1839. Joseph Cinqué, a leader of the Africans, leads a mutiny and takes over the ship. The mutineers spare the lives of two Spanish navigators to help them sail the ship back to Africa. Instead, the navigators misdirect the Africans and sail directly north to the east coast of the United States, where the ship is stopped by the American Navy, and the surviving Africans imprisoned as runaway slaves. ~Wikipedia
Harriet
From her escape from slavery through the dangerous missions she led to liberate hundreds of slaves through the Underground Railroad, the story of heroic abolitionist Harriet Tubman is told.
Birth of a Nation
Set against the antebellum South, THE BIRTH OF A NATION follows Nat Turner (Nate Parker), a literate slave and preacher, whose financially strained owner, Samuel Turner (Armie Hammer), accepts an offer to use Nat's preaching to subdue slaves. As he witnesses countless atrocities, against himself and his fellow slaves, Nat orchestrates an uprising in the hopes of leading his people to freedom.~Amazon Prime
Roots
Roots is an American television miniseries based on Alex Haley's 1976 novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family. The series first aired on ABC in January 1977. Roots received 37 Primetime Emmy Award nominations and won nine. It also won a Golden Globe and a Peabody Award. It received unprecedented Nielsen ratings for the finale, which holds the record as the third-highest-rated episode for any type of television series, and the second-most watched overall series finale in U.S. television history. It was produced on a budget of $6.6 million.~Wikipedia
Alex Haley's Queen
Alex Haley's Queen (also known as Queen) is a 1993 American television miniseries that aired in three installments on February 14, 16, and 18 on CBS. The miniseries is an adaptation of the 1993 novel Queen: The Story of an American Family, by Alex Haley and David Stevens. The novel is based on the life of Queen Jackson Haley, Haley's paternal grandmother. Alex Haley died in February 1992 before completing the novel. It was later finished by David Stevens and published in 1993. Stevens also wrote the screenplay for the miniseries. Alex Haley's Queen was directed by John Erman, and stars Halle Berry in the title role. It tells the life story of a young woman and it shows the problems which biracial slaves and former slaves faced in the United States during the 19th and 20th centuries. Throughout her life, Queen struggles to fit into the two cultures of her heritage; and at times, each side shuns her. ~Wikipedia
Emancipation
"Emancipation" follows the harrowing journey of Peter, an enslaved man who escapes from a brutal plantation in the Confederate South during the Civil War. Fueled by the hope of reuniting with his family and driven by sheer willpower, Peter traverses treacherous swamps and dense forests. Along the way, he evades relentless slave catchers and faces numerous dangers, relying on his wits and determination to survive. The film climaxes in a powerful moment of resilience and freedom as Peter reaches Union lines, symbolizing the undying human spirit in the face of oppression. Inspired by the true story of "Whipped Peter," whose scarred back was famously photographed, the movie is a testament to the fight for freedom and the enduring quest for dignity.
The Color Purple
An epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie (Whoopi Goldberg), an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. After Celie's abusive father marries her off to the equally debasing "Mister" Albert Johnson (Danny Glover), things go from bad to worse, leaving Celie to find companionship anywhere she can. She perseveres, holding on to her dream of one day being reunited with her sister in Africa. Based on the novel by Alice Walker.
United States vs Billie Holliday
In the 1940s, the legendary jazz and blues singer Billie Holiday rises to fame with her soulful voice and captivating performances. However, her haunting rendition of the song "Strange Fruit," a powerful protest against the lynching of Black Americans, attracts the attention of the federal government.
The FBI launches a relentless campaign against Billie, using her struggle with drug addiction as a means to silence her activism. With the help of undercover agent Jimmy Fletcher, the government orchestrates a sting operation to entrap and arrest her.
"The United States vs. Billie Holiday" is a poignant and powerful exploration of the intersection between art, activism, and oppression. It portrays the resilience of a woman who refuses to be silenced and highlights the systemic racism embedded in American society. Through Billie's story, the film sheds light on the enduring struggle for civil rights and the price of standing up for justice.
The FBI launches a relentless campaign against Billie, using her struggle with drug addiction as a means to silence her activism. With the help of undercover agent Jimmy Fletcher, the government orchestrates a sting operation to entrap and arrest her.
"The United States vs. Billie Holiday" is a poignant and powerful exploration of the intersection between art, activism, and oppression. It portrays the resilience of a woman who refuses to be silenced and highlights the systemic racism embedded in American society. Through Billie's story, the film sheds light on the enduring struggle for civil rights and the price of standing up for justice.
Rosewood
Rosewood, Florida, is a small, peaceful town with an almost entirely African-American population of middle-class homeowners, until New Year's Day 1923, when a lynch mob from a neighboring white community storms the town. Among the carnage, music teacher Sylvester (Don Cheadle) and mysterious stranger Mann (Ving Rhames) stand tall against the invaders, while white grocer John (Jon Voight) attempts to save the town's women and children. The film is based on a true story.
Something the Lord Made
Although Vivien Thomas (Mos Def), a black man in the 1930s, is originally hired as a janitor, he proves himself adept at assisting the "Blue Baby doctor," Alfred Blalock (Alan Rickman), with his medical research. When Blalock insists that Thomas follow him to Johns Hopkins University, they must find a way to skirt a racist system to continue their study of infant heart disease. Thomas is indispensable to Blalock's progress, but Blalock is the only one who is allowed to receive the acclaim.
The Great Debaters
Poet and professor Melvin B. Tolson (Denzel Washington) teaches at the predominately black Wiley College in 1935 Texas. He decides to start a debate team, something nearly unheard of at a black college. While at first he butts heads with the influential father (Forest Whitaker) of one of his best debators, eventually he is able to form a team of strong-minded, intelligent young students, and they become the first black debate team to challenge Harvard's prestigious debate champions.
Imitation of Life
Lora Meredith (Lana Turner), a white single mother who dreams of being on Broadway, has a chance encounter with Annie Johnson (Juanita Moore), a black widow. Annie becomes the caretaker of Lora's daughter, Suzie (Sandra Dee), while Lora pursues her stage career. Both women deal with the difficulties of motherhood: Lora's thirst for fame threatens her relationship with Suzie, while Annie's light-skinned daughter, Sarah Jane (Susan Kohner), struggles with her African-American identity.
Self Made
A chronicle of the incredible story of Madam C.J. Walker, who was the first African American self-made millionaire.
Race
Young Jesse Owens (Stephan James) becomes a track and field sensation while attending the Ohio State University in the early 1930s. With guidance from coach Larry Snyder (Jason Sudeikis), Owens gains national recognition for breaking numerous records. After heated debates, the United States decides not to boycott the Olympics in Nazi Germany. Overcoming racism at home and abroad, Owens seizes the opportunity to show Berlin and the the world that he's the fastest man alive.
Miss Evers Boys
When nurse Eunice Evers (Alfre Woodard) is chosen to facilitate a program intended to curb syphilis rates among African Americans in rural Alabama, she is gratified to be able to serve her community. Over time, however, the study becomes twisted into a shocking human experiment in which patients are systematically denied much-needed medicine. Decades after the fact, Evers is called before a Senate committee to testify as to what really happened during the infamous "Tuskegee Study."
Miracle at St. Anna
During World War II, members of the U.S. Army's all-black division are stationed in the Tuscany region of Italy. Four of the soldiers (Derek Luke, Michael Ealy, Laz Alonso, Omar Benson Miller) become trapped behind enemy lines and separated from the rest of their unit after one of them risks his life to save an Italian boy.
Red Tails
During World War II, the Civil Aeronautics Authority selects 13 black cadets to become part of an experimental program at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. The program aims at training "colored personnel" to become fighter pilots for the Army. However, discrimination, lack of institutional support and the racist belief that these men lacked the intelligence and aptitude for the job dog their every step. Despite this, the Tuskegee Airmen, as they become known, more than prove their worth.
The Butler
After leaving the South as a young man and finding employment at an elite hotel in Washington, D.C., Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker) gets the opportunity of a lifetime when he is hired as a butler at the White House. Over the course of three decades, Cecil has a front-row seat to history and the inner workings of the Oval Office. However, his commitment to his "First Family" leads to tension at home, alienating his wife (Oprah Winfrey) and causing conflict with his anti-establishment son.
Devotion
The Korean War epic Devotion true story is based on the U.S. Navy's first Black pilot, Jesse Brown, and his wingman Tom Hudner. The film is based on the 2015 novel Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Friendship, and Sacrifice by Adam Makos, which retells the true story of the camaraderie between Jesse and Tom, recounting both Naval officers' experiences during the Korean War.
Selma
Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 legally desegregated the South, discrimination was still rampant in certain areas, making it very difficult for Blacks to register to vote. In 1965, an Alabama city became the battleground in the fight for suffrage. Despite violent opposition, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his followers pressed forward on an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, and their efforts culminated with President Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Boycott
When Rosa Parks (Iris Little-Thomas) defiantly refuses to take a back seat, she sets into motion a tumultuous string of events centered around the 1955 bus boycott in Montgomery, Ala. Using archival footage to establish the strained atmosphere of the era, this dramatization of that chapter of the Civil Rights Movement's history shows her interactions with such major figures as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Jeffrey Wright), Coretta Scott King (Carmen Ejogo) and Ralph Abernathy (Terrence Howard).
Malcolm X
A tribute to the controversial black activist and leader of the struggle for black liberation. He hit bottom during his imprisonment in the '50s, he became a Black Muslim and then a leader in the Nation of Islam. His assassination in 1965 left a legacy of self-determination and racial pride.
One Night in Miami
In February 1964, after Muhammad Ali’s surprise victory over Sonny Liston, he gathers with Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown in a Miami hotel room. The night evolves from a celebration into a deep discussion about their roles in the Civil Rights Movement and their responsibilities as prominent black men. Ali is on the verge of announcing his conversion to Islam under Malcolm’s guidance. Malcolm urges his friends to use their fame for activism, while Cooke and Brown wrestle with their own contributions to the cause. Through candid and passionate conversations, they confront the complexities of their identities and the impact they can have on the fight for equality. "One Night in Miami" is a compelling exploration of friendship, responsibility, and the quest for civil rights at a pivotal moment in history.
Selma Lord Selma
In 1965, Sheyann and Rachel, two African-American girls from Selma, Alabama, become active in the Civil Rights Movement after they witness a speech by Martin Luther King Jr. Along with a white seminary student named Jonathan, the two young girls participate in the famous Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights march, and remain strong even in the face of racism and violence.
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