Important Black Stories in Film, Streaming for Free
The following films are available to stream for free, as of June 10.
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- DirectorSteve McQueenStarsChiwetel EjioforMichael Kenneth WilliamsMichael FassbenderIn the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free Black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- DirectorRick RowleyStarsAnita AlvarezDean AngeloAlma BenitezA documentary examining the 2014 shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald by Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke and the cover-up that ensued.Available to stream for free on YouTube and Showtime.com
- DirectorBill DukeStarsForest WhitakerGregory HinesRobin GivensA gangster's girlfriend flees to Harlem with a trunkload of gold after a shootout, unaware that the rest of the gang are on her trail.Available to stream for free on IMDb TV
- DirectorBrian HelgelandStarsChadwick BosemanT.R. KnightHarrison FordIn 1947, Jackie Robinson becomes the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era when he was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers and faces considerable racism in the process.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- DirectorLes BlankSkip GersonStarsMance LipscombElnora LipscombHattie FranklinA deeply moving tribute to the Texas songster, Mance Lipscomb, considered by many to be the greatest guitarist of all time.Available to stream for free on The Criterion Channel
- DirectorDoug AtchisonStarsAngela BassettLaurence FishburneKeke PalmerAkeelah, a young gifted girl, comes from a dysfunctional family and is on the verge of quitting school. She discovers that she has a high aptitude for spellings and enters a spelling bee contest.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- DirectorMichael MannStarsWill SmithJamie FoxxJon VoightA biography of sports legend Muhammad Ali, focusing on his triumphs and controversies between 1964 and 1974.Available to stream for free on Prime Video and Fandango Now
- StarsKe'Shawn KumsaCharles Donalson Jr.Kendale McCoyFollows students, teachers and administrators in suburban Chicago's Oak Park and River Forest High School over the course of a year.Available to stream for free on STARZ
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsDjimon HounsouMatthew McConaugheyAnthony HopkinsIn 1839, the revolt of Mende captives aboard a Spanish owned ship causes a major controversy in the United States when the ship is captured off the coast of Long Island. The courts must decide whether the Mende are slaves or legally free.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- DirectorBilly WoodberryStarsRoscoe Lee BrowneSusanne CockrellOssie DavisA journey into the life and work of beat poet and activist Bob Kaufman and his insistence that poetry is fundamental to humanity's moral survival.Available to stream for free on The Criterion Channel
- DirectorDenzel WashingtonStarsDenzel WashingtonDerek LukeJoy BryantAntwone Fisher, a young navy man, is forced to see a psychiatrist after a violent outburst against a fellow crewman. During the course of treatment a painful past is revealed and a new hope begins.Available to stream for free on all digital platforms, including Prime Video, Apple TV, Fandango Now, Google Play, and more
- DirectorKhalik AllahFrom red light districts to lush rain-forests, 'Black Mother' is a loving and lyrical ode to Jamaica and its people, a visual poem that is at once deeply felt love letter and ecstatic street-corner prayer.Available to stream for free on The Criterion Channel
- DirectorAgnès VardaStarsBill BrentHuey P. NewtonStokely CarmichaelA short film of interviews and protests at a rally to free Huey P. Newton.Available to stream for free on The Criterion Channel
- DirectorCarlos López EstradaStarsDaveed DiggsRafael CasalJanina GavankarWhile on probation, a man begins to re-evaluate his relationship with his volatile best friend.Available to stream for free on Prime Video and Cineplex
- DirectorSophie FiennesStarsGrace JonesLowell 'Sly' DunbarJean-Paul GoudeElectrifying concert performances and intimate, personal footage showcase the life and talent of singer and actress Grace Jones.Available to stream for free on Kanopy
- DirectorOscar MicheauxStarsPaul RobesonMarshall RogersLawrence ChenaultA malevolent phony preacher plots to take advantage of a woman from his congregation who happens to be in love with his long-estranged identical twin brother.Available to stream for free on The Criterion Channel
- DirectorJohn SingletonStarsCuba Gooding Jr.Laurence FishburneHudhail Al-AmirFollows the lives of three young males living in the Crenshaw ghetto of Los Angeles, dissecting questions of race, relationships, violence, and future prospects.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- DirectorTom ShadyacStarsAldis HodgeGreg KinnearSherri ShepherdA football player's dreams to play in the NFL are halted when he is wrongly convicted and sent to prison. Years later, he fights to clear his name within an unjust system.Available to stream for free on all digital platforms, including Prime Video, Apple TV, Fandango Now, Google Play, and more
- DirectorSacha JenkinsStarsAlex AlonsoNicolas AlonsoB-RealExplores the roots of civil unrest in California and the relationship between African Americans and LAPD.Available to stream for free on YouTube and Showtime.com
- DirectorDarnell MartinStarsAdrien BrodyJeffrey WrightBeyoncéChronicles the rise of Chess Records and its recording artists.Available to stream for free on IMDb TV
- DirectorHorace JenkinsStarsRichard RomainTommye MyrickIlunga AdellThe romance between two African Americans who come from a different class background.Available to stream for free on The Criterion Channel
- DirectorThomas CarterStarsSamuel L. JacksonRick GonzalezRobert Ri'chardControversy surrounds high school basketball coach Ken Carter after he benches his entire team for breaking their academic contract with him.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- DirectorCamilla HallStarsJacob CrawfordKevin MooreRamsey OrtaShows "Cop watchers" dedicated to bringing awareness to their community and exposing police brutality/harassment. They are legally recording/documenting each arrest but often find themselves to be the victims of chaos.Available to stream for free on IMDb TV
- DirectorJulie DashStarsCora Lee DayAlva RogersBarbara OA languid, impressionistic story of three generations of Gullah women living on the South Carolina Sea Islands in 1902.Available to stream for free on The Criterion Channel
- DirectorKathryn BigelowStarsJohn BoyegaAnthony MackieAlgee SmithFact-based drama set during the 1967 Detroit riots in which a group of rogue police officers respond to a complaint with retribution rather than justice on their minds.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- DirectorSpike LeeStarsDanny AielloOssie DavisRuby DeeOn the hottest day of the year on a street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, everyone's hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes into violence.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- DirectorMaya AngelouStarsAlfre WoodardAl Freeman Jr.Mary AliceIn a desperate attempt to change her life, Loretta -- a troubled single mother from a tough Chicago neighborhood -- is sent to spend a summer at her family's ancestral home in rural Mississippi.Available to stream for free on The Criterion Channel
- DirectorTyler PerryStarsJanet JacksonAnika Noni RoseWhoopi GoldbergEach of the women portray one of the characters represented in the collection of twenty poems, revealing different issues that impact women in general and women of color in particular.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- DirectorRyan CooglerStarsMichael B. JordanMelonie DiazOctavia SpencerThe story of Oscar Grant III, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident, who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family, and strangers on the last day of 2008.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- DirectorJordan PeeleStarsDaniel KaluuyaAllison WilliamsBradley WhitfordA young African-American visits his white girlfriend's parents for the weekend, where his simmering uneasiness about their reception of him eventually reaches a boiling point.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- DirectorEdward ZwickStarsMatthew BroderickDenzel WashingtonCary ElwesRobert Gould Shaw leads the U.S. Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices from both his own Union Army, and the Confederates.Available to stream for free on Prime Video and Cineplex
- DirectorJeff StilsonStarsChris RockMaya AngelouAl SharptonChris Rock explores the wonders of African-American hairstyles.Available to stream for free on IMDb TV
- DirectorTheodore MelfiStarsTaraji P. HensonOctavia SpencerJanelle MonáeThe story of a team of female African-American mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- DirectorXavier BurginStarsRusty CundieffErnest R. DickersonRobin R. Means ColemanA look at the history of black horror films and the role of African Americans in the film genre from the very beginning.Available to stream for free on Shudder
- DirectorRaoul PeckStarsSamuel L. JacksonJames BaldwinMartin Luther KingWriter James Baldwin tells the story of race in modern America with his unfinished novel, Remember This House.Available to stream for free on Cineplex, PBS.org, Hoopla and Kanopy
- StarsIdris ElbaAri VatanenPaddy HopkirkA look at the world and history of racing cars.Available to stream for free on IMDb TV
- DirectorBarry JenkinsStarsKiKi LayneStephan JamesRegina KingA young woman embraces her pregnancy while she and her family set out to prove her childhood friend and lover innocent of a crime he didn't commit.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- DirectorJulie DashStarsLonette McKeeRosanne KatonNed BellamyAn African American woman rises to prominence in a fictional movie studio in the 1940s by passing as a white woman, affording others some dignity in the business that frequently portrayed movies as an illusion of a purely "white world."Available to stream for free on Kanopy
- DirectorZatella BeattyStarsAllen IversonTom BrokawLarry BrownIverson is the ultimate legacy of NBA legend Allen Iverson, who rose from a childhood of crushing poverty in Hampton, Virginia, to become an 11-time NBA All-Star and universally recognized icon of his sport. Off the court, his audacious rejection of conservative NBA convention and unapologetic embrace of hip hop culture sent shockwaves throughout the league and influenced an entire generation. Told largely in Iverson's own words, the film charts the career highs and lows of one of the most distinctive and accomplished figures the sport of basketball has ever seen.Available to stream for free on IMDb TV
- DirectorKathleen DowdeyStarsJuanita AbernathyBernard LafayetteJohn LewisJohn Lewis: Get in the Way is the first major documentary biography of John Lewis, civil rights hero, congressional leader and champion of human rights whose unwavering fight for justice spans the past 50 years. Following a film festival launch, the documentary had its national PBS premiere as a highlight of Black History Month. Get in the Way takes audiences on the journey of a man who fights for social justice using a radical tool: nonviolent direct action. Born into an era of profound social change, the son of sharecroppers in the Jim Crow South, Lewis made choices early in his life that propelled him to a vital role in U.S. history. He was often at the center of crucial events in the Civil Rights Movement, a leader on the ground and at the front lines of some of the most chilling confrontations. In 1963, he became the youngest speaker at the historic March on Washington. Two years later, he led the Bloody Sunday March in Selma, where Alabama State Troopers attacked peaceful protesters with billy clubs, bullwhips and tear gas. Their horrific actions were broadcast on the nightly news to living rooms across the nation. Eight months later, the Voting Rights Act was signed in to law. Through never-before-seen interviews shot over 20 years, filmmaker Kathleen Dowdey shapes a gripping and intimate tale of personal voice and revelatory moments. Once an activist pushing from the outside, Lewis' career as a congressman has solidified his stature as a strategically agile activist making noise on the inside. Here is a riveting portrait of Lewis' journey of courage, searing disappointments and hard-won triumphs as over the decades he inspires others to stand up and get in the way.Available to stream for free on PBS.org until July 5
- DirectorDestin Daniel CrettonStarsMichael B. JordanJamie FoxxBrie LarsonWorld-renowned civil rights defense attorney Bryan Stevenson works to free a wrongly condemned death row prisoner.Available to stream for free on Prime Video, Cineplex, iTunes, FandangoNow, Vudu, YouTube and On Demand
- DirectorAlan HicksStarsClark TerryJustin KauflinQuincy JonesA documentary that follows jazz legend Clark Terry over four years to document the mentorship between Terry and 23-year-old blind piano prodigy Justin Kauflin as the young man prepares to compete in an elite, international competition.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- DirectorJohn G. AvildsenStarsMorgan FreemanBeverly ToddRobert GuillaumeThe dedicated but tyrannical Joe Clark is appointed the principal of a decaying inner-city school he is determined to improve by any and all means.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- DirectorKathleen CollinsStarsSeret ScottBill GunnDuane JonesSara, a cold college professor, and her husband, an ecstatic painter, spend a summer away from the city, straining their rocky relationship.Available to stream for free on The Criterion Channel
- DirectorJeff NicholsStarsRuth NeggaJoel EdgertonWill DaltonThe story of Richard and Mildred Loving, a couple whose arrest for interracial marriage in 1960s Virginia began a legal battle that would end with the Supreme Court's historic 1967 decision.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- DirectorSpike LeeStarsDenzel WashingtonAngela BassettDelroy LindoBiographical epic of the controversial and influential Black Nationalist leader, from his early life and career as a small-time gangster, to his ministry as a member of the Nation of Islam and his eventual assassination.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- DirectorJustin ChadwickStarsIdris ElbaNaomie HarrisTerry PhetoA chronicle of Nelson Mandela's life journey from his childhood in a rural village through to his inauguration as the first democratically elected president of South Africa.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- DirectorReginald HudlinStarsChadwick BosemanJosh GadKate HudsonThe story of Thurgood Marshall, the crusading lawyer who would become the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, as he battles through one of his career-defining cases.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- DirectorDevon ShepardStarsMichael YoFamily first comedian and bonafide Blasian, Michael Yo, brings his uniquely personal blend of comedy to his debut stand up special. Born and raised in Houston, TX, Michael talks about the issues growing up half Black and Asian in a place where he really stood out. Fast forward to now, navigating marriage and of course his ultimate job as a father to his Black, Asian and White son.Available to stream for free on IMDb TV
- DirectorReinaldo Marcus GreenStarsJohn David WashingtonAnthony RamosKelvin Harrison Jr.The aftermath of a police killing of a black man, told through the eyes of the bystander who filmed the act, an African-American police officer and a high-school baseball phenom inspired to take a stand.Available to stream for free on Prime Video, Cineplex and YouTube.
- DirectorBarry JenkinsStarsMahershala AliNaomie HarrisTrevante RhodesA young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- DirectorCharles BurnettStarsEverett SilasJessie HolmesGaye Shannon-BurnettA man who has struggled personally has conflicts with his upwardly mobile lawyer brother and well to-do fiancee and is reluctantly to be the best man at their wedding.Available to stream for free on The Criterion Channel
- DirectorDeborah Riley DraperStarsBlair UnderwoodSada JacobsonSusan D. BachrachIn 1936 when 18 African-American athletes participated in the Berlin Olympic Games, history forgot all except one. This is the story of the other 17.Available to stream for free on IMDb TV
- DirectorDee ReesStarsAdepero OduyeKim WayansAasha DavisA Brooklyn teenager juggles conflicting identities and risks friendship, heartbreak and family in a desperate search for sexual expression.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- DirectorBill GunnStarsVertamae GrosvenorCarey BarnesAlan BecklesA partly improvised story of a complicated marriage, the people surrounding the central couple, friends they're having affairs with, and unwanted family.Available to stream for free on Kanopy
- DirectorJohn SingletonStarsJanet JacksonTupac ShakurRegina KingGrieving hairdresser Justice goes on a road trip from South Central L.A. to Oakland on a mail truck alongside her friend and an obnoxious postal worker.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- DirectorShirley ClarkeStarsJason HollidayShirley ClarkeCarl LeeBlack gay prostitute Jason Holliday is rigorously interviewed on his story and character, revealing nuanced truths about life and art.Available to stream for free on The Criterion Channel
- DirectorMelina MatsoukasStarsDaniel KaluuyaJodie Turner-SmithBokeem WoodbineA couple's first date takes an unexpected turn when a police officer pulls them over.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- DirectorTaylor HackfordStarsJamie FoxxRegina KingKerry WashingtonThe story of the life and career of the legendary rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles, from his humble beginnings in the South, where he went blind at age seven, to his meteoric rise to stardom during the 1950s and 1960s.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- StarsMartha S. JonesAndia WinslowHenry Louis Gates Jr.A comprehensive and compelling history of the United States immediately following the Civil War.Available to stream for free on PBS.org
- DirectorBoaz YakinStarsDenzel WashingtonWill PattonWood HarrisIn 1971 Virginia high school football was everything to the people of Alexandria. But when the school board was forced to integrate an all-black school with an all-white one, the very foundation of football's tradition was put to the test.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- DirectorMichael KasinoStarsJeffrey WrightKristen ClarkeWilliam FreyThis documentary examines how, since 2008, right-wing groups have worked with certain states, to make it harder to vote, particularly for minority groups and young people.Available to stream for free on IMDb TV
- DirectorLuciano BlottaStarsIce AnastaciaMikey BennetBrandishTakes the viewer off the beaten path far from any tourist attractions and sandy beaches yet still able to capture the beauty and magic that the Irie has to offer, from the deep countryside to the whirlwind ghettos of Kingston.Available to stream for free on IMDb TV
- DirectorAva DuVernayStarsDavid OyelowoCarmen EjogoOprah WinfreyA chronicle of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965.Available to stream for free on all digital platforms, including Prime Video, Apple TV, Cineplex, Fandango Now, iTunes, Google Play, and more until June 30
- DirectorLeilah WeinraubStarsEgyptJazmyneJuniorSHAKEDOWN chronicles explicit performances in an underground lesbian club in Los Angeles. The story functions as a legend where money is both myth and material. Cumulatively, questions arise about how to diagram the before and after of a utopic moment.Available to stream for free on The Criterion Channel
- DirectorCharles LaneStarsCharles LaneNicole AlysiaTom AlpernNearly silent comedy filmed in black and white follows a street artist (Charles Lane), who rescues a baby after her father was murdered. The artist then sets off to find the mother, but has to first learn how to care for the child. Ultimately he ends up in a horse drawn chase of the murderers.Available to stream for free on Kanopy
- DirectorBob PersichettiPeter RamseyRodney RothmanStarsShameik MooreJake JohnsonHailee SteinfeldTeen Miles Morales becomes the Spider-Man of his universe and must join with five spider-powered individuals from other dimensions to stop a threat for all realities.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- DirectorAmanda LipitzStarsGari McIntyreAmanda LeonardBlessin GiraldoSTEP documents the senior year of a girls' high-school step dance team against the background of inner-city Baltimore.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- DirectorCamille BillopsJames HatchStarsBillie BrowningSuzanne BrowningA documentary that chronicles a substance abused teenage girl and the downward spiral of her family.Available to stream for free on The Criterion Channel
- DirectorWilliam GreavesStarsPatricia Ree GilbertDon FellowsJonathan GordonFilmmaker William Greaves auditioned acting students for a fictional drama, while simultaneously shooting the behind-the-scenes drama taking place.Available to stream for free on The Criterion Channel
- DirectorGöran Hugo OlssonStarsAngela DavisStokely CarmichaelBobby SealeFootage shot by a group of Swedish journalists documenting the Black Power Movement in the United States is edited together by a contemporary Swedish filmmaker.Available to stream for free on Prime Video and Apple TV until June 12
- DirectorErik LjungStarsDontre HamiltonNate 'Junior' HamiltonMaria HamiltonAfter Dontre Hamilton was shot 14 times and killed by police in Milwaukee, his family embarks on a quest for answers, justice and reform.Available to stream for free on IMDb TV
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsDanny GloverWhoopi GoldbergOprah WinfreyA tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- 2016– 1h 30m8.7 (39)TV EpisodeDirectorFrançois ReinhardtStarsPhilippe BaudoinHelene HarterFranck LesjeanThe 369th Infantry Regiment was made up exclusively of black soldiers. Known as The Harlem Hellfighters, these men became the most decorated infantry regiment of the First World War, but what did they find upon returning home to America?Available to stream for free on IMDb TV
- DirectorGeorge Tillman Jr.StarsAmandla StenbergRegina HallRussell HornsbyStarr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Now, facing pressure from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what's right.Available to stream for free on Prime Video and Cineplex
- DirectorNorman JewisonStarsDenzel WashingtonVicellous ShannonDeborah Kara UngerThe story of Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter, a boxer wrongly imprisoned for murder, and the people who aided in his fight to prove his innocence.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- DirectorStella MeghieStarsIssa RaeLaKeith StanfieldChanté AdamsA series of intertwining love stories set in the past and in the present.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- DirectorGabriele MuccinoStarsWill SmithThandiwe NewtonJaden SmithA struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional careerAvailable to stream for free on Cineplex
- DirectorFrank PereginiStarsHarry HendersonNorman JohnstoneAnn KennedyAn educated, upscale young black musician marries a woman from a lower socioeconomic class to get her out of the clutches of her stepfather, who beats and abuses her. However, once he "saves" her, he won't let his new wife meet his mother, as he knows she will be angry and disappointed with him for marrying someone "below his station".Available to stream for free on The Criterion Channel
- DirectorGina Prince-BythewoodStarsDakota FanningJennifer HudsonQueen LatifahIn 1964, a teenage girl in search of the truth about her mother runs away to a small town in South Carolina and finds a family of independent women who can connect her to her past.Available to stream for free on all the digital outlets, including Prime Video, FandangoNOW, Apple TV, Google Play, and more
- DirectorCheryl DunyeStarsCheryl DunyeGuinevere TurnerValarie WalkerA young black lesbian filmmaker probes into the life of The Watermelon Woman, a 1930s black actress who played 'mammy' archetypes.Available to stream for free on The Criterion Channel
- StarsOprah WinfreyMary AliceOlivia ColeA multi-generational story of the lives of several black women who call an inner-city tenement home.Available to stream for free on IMDb TV
- DirectorTimothy Greenfield-SandersStarsToni MorrisonHilton AlsOprah WinfreyThis artful and intimate meditation on the legendary storyteller examines her life, her works and the powerful themes she has confronted throughout her literary career.Available to stream for free on Cineplex, Hoopla and Kanopy
- DirectorJordan PeeleStarsLupita Nyong'oWinston DukeElisabeth MossAdelaide Wilson and her family are attacked by mysterious figures dressed in red. Upon closer inspection, the Wilsons realize that the intruders are exact lookalikes of them.Available to stream for free on Cineplex
- DirectorSabaah FolayanDamon DavisStarsLezley McSpaddenMichael Brown Sr.David WhittAn unflinching look at how the police killing of 18-year-old Mike Brown inspired a community to fight back and sparked a global movement.Available to stream for free on PBS.org, Hoopla and Kanopy