Black Civil Rights
These films and documentaries chronicle the long, painful and often dangerous struggle of African-Americans to gain equality under the law. From the days of the slave trade to the political movements of the 1960s, there have always been extraordinary individuals who were not prepared to accept the status quo. It is almost incredible to think that such a large section of the population, living in 'the land of the free' did not even have full suffrage until 1965. For a broader perspective on racism throughout the world you may also like to try the Special Interest category 'Racial Intolerance'.
Pictured: Iconic Civil Rights Leader, Martin Luther King Jr.
Voices of Civil Rights: Volume 2 (2006)
In the summer of 2004 a group of journalists embarked on a bus tour that would take them around the US, recording first-hand stories of the Civil Righ... Read more
Forrest Gump (Blu-Ray) (1994)
8.8/10
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Gary Sinise, Haley Joel Osment, Peter Dobson, Robin Wright, Sally Field, Tom Han...
Slow-witted Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) has never thought of himself as disadvantaged, and thanks to his supportive mother (Sally Field), he leads anythi... Read more
Get On The Bus (1996)
6.8/10
Director: Spike Lee
Starring: Ossie Davis, Charles S Dutton, Andre Braugher
A vibrant, highly energised film about a bus load of black men heading from L.A. to the Million Man March in Washington D.C. in October 1995. This fil... Read more
Talk to Me (2007)
7.4/10
Director: Kasi Lemmons
Starring: Don Cheadle, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cedric The Entertainer, Taraji P Henson, Mike Epp...
Don Cheadle stars in this funky bio-pic of Petey Greene, an ex-con who became an iconic radio DJ and outspoken social activist in the turbulent 1960s.... Read more
Berkeley in the Sixties (1990)
7.6/10
Director: Mark Kitchell
Starring: Martin Luther King, Allen Ginsberg, Joan Baez
An acclaimed film of the major events of the 1960s, including the civil rights movement, free speech protests and anti-war rallies, as seen by 15 lead... Read more
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (2015)
7.3/10
Director: Stanley Nelson
On May 2, 1967, twenty-four black men and six white women dressed in blue shirts, black berets, and black leather jackets ascended the steps of the ca... Read more
Lackawanna Blues (2005)
7.9/10
Director: George C Wolfe
Starring: S Epatha Merkerson, Julie Benz, Robert A Bradley, Thomas Jefferson Byrd, Kathlee...
Based on a one-man show by Ruben Santiago-Hudson (played by Hill Harper) this is the inspiring story of Nanny Crosby (S. Epatha Merkerson) a big-heart... Read more
How To Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (And Enjoy It) (2005)
7.4/10
Director: Joe Angio
Starring: Melvin Van Peebles, Mario Van Peebles, Spike Lee, etc ...
The remarkable life and career of filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles is laid bare in this warts and all insight into a man whose life path has veered from t... Read more
Rebirth of a Nation (2007)
7.2/10
Director: Paul D (DJ Spooky) Miller
DJ Spooky's provocative 'remix' of D.W. Griffith's infamous 1915 masterpiece, "The Birth of a Nation". Originally commissioned as a live multimedia pe... Read more
12 Years a Slave ( Blu-ray ) (2013)
8.1/10
Director: Steve McQueen
Starring: Brad Pitt, Paul Giamatti, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Paul Dano, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mic...
In the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Read more