List Of African American Documentary Films
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This list of African American documentary films (1930s–present) includes films that were made by African Americans, as well as films on the topic of African Americans. (Films marked with an asterisk (*) are specifically about the Civil Rights Movement.)


1930s

* '' Marian Anderson: the Lincoln Memorial Concert'' * (1939)


1940s

* '' Commandment Keeper Church, Beaufort South Carolina, May 1940'' (1940) * ''
Henry Browne, Farmer ''Henry Browne, Farmer'' is an American short propaganda film produced in 1942 about African-American contributions to the war effort during World War II. It is narrated by Canada Lee. The film begins with stock footage of soldiers marching, t ...
'' (1942) * ''
Negro Colleges in War Time ''Negro Colleges in War Time'' is a short propaganda film produced by the Office of War Information in 1943. Other than in the title no reference is made to the students' race. The film begins with a shot of the famous statue of Booker T. Washing ...
(1943) * ''
The Negro Soldier ''The Negro Soldier'' is a 1944 documentary film created by the United States Army during World War II. It was produced by Frank Capra as a follow up to his successful film series ''Why We Fight''. The army used the film as propaganda to conv ...
'' (1944) * '' The Negro Sailor'' (1945) * ''
Wings for This Man ''Wings for this Man'' is a propaganda film produced in 1945 by the U.S. Army Air Forces First Motion Picture Unit about the Tuskegee Airmen, the first unit of African-American pilots in the US military formed during World War II. The film b ...
'' (1945) * '' The Quiet One'' (1948)


1950s

* ''
All My Babies ''All My Babies: A Midwife's Own Story'' is a 1953 educational film written, directed and produced by George C. Stoney which was used to educate midwives in the Southern United States and promote greater cooperation between midwifery and the moder ...
'' (1953) * '' A City Decides'' * (1956) * '' The Cry of Jazz'' (1959)


1960s

* '' The Five Cities of June'' * (1963) * '' Take This Hammer'' (1963) * ''
Children Without ''Children Without'' is a 1964 American short documentary film directed by Charles Guggenheim, about a young girl and her brother growing up in the housing projects of Detroit. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short, l ...
'' (1964) * ''
The March The March can refer to: * March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a 1963 civil rights event * Salt March, when Gandhi in 1930 walked to protest the British salt tax in India * Sherman's March to the Sea during the American Civil War * Long Mar ...
'' * (1964) * '' Nine from Little Rock'' * (1964) * ''
A Time for Burning ''A Time for Burning'' is a 1966 American documentary film that explores the attempts of the minister of Augustana Lutheran Church in Omaha, Nebraska, to persuade his all-white congregation to reach out to "Negro" Lutherans in the city's north s ...
'' (1966) * '' The Jungle'' (1967) * '' Legendary Champions'' (1968) * '' Eldridge Cleaver, Black Panther'' (1969)


1970s

* ''
A.k.a. Cassius Clay ''A.k.a. Cassius Clay'' (styled as ''a.k.a. Cassius Clay'') is a 1970 boxing documentary film about the former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali. Directed by Jimmy Jacobs, the film was made during Ali's exile from the sport for refusing to be ...
'' (1970) * '' Black Roots'' (1970) * '' Jack Johnson'' (1970) * '' King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis'' * (1970) * '' The Murder of Fred Hampton'' (1971) * '' Black Rodeo'' (1972) * '' Malcolm X'' * (1972) * ''
Black Shadows on a Silver Screen ''Black Shadows on a Silver Screen'' is a 1975 documentary film about African American cinema. It was distributed by Lucerne Films. Steven York directed and edited the film. Ossie Davis narrates. The movie was screened at the 1977 Cannes Film ...
'' (1974) * ''
Always for Pleasure ''Always for Pleasure'' is a 1978 documentary film by Les Blank about social traditions in New Orleans, Louisiana. The film has footage of musical events, Mardi Gras Indians, a " jazz funeral" with traditional music, various second-line par ...
'' (1978) * '' Goodnight Miss Ann'' (1978) * '' 80 Blocks From Tiffany's'' (1979) * '' Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist'' (1979)


1980s

* '' Miles of Smiles, Years of Struggle'' * (1982) * '' Style Wars'' (1983) * '' You Got to Move'' * (1985) * '' Ethnic Notions'' (1987) * ''
Eyes on the Prize ''Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Movement'' is an American television series and 14-part documentary about the 20th-century civil rights movement in the United States. The documentary originally aired on the PBS network, and it also ...
'', part I * (1987) * '' Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll'' (1987) * '' The Spirit Moves: A History of Black Social Dance on Film, 1900–1986'' (1987) * '' Adam Clayton Powell'' * (1989) * ''
Tongues Untied ''Tongues Untied'' is a 1989 American experimental documentary film directed by Marlon T. Riggs, and featuring Riggs, Essex Hemphill and Brian Freeman. The film seeks, in its author's words to, "...shatter the nation's brutalizing silence on matt ...
'' (1989)


1990s

* '' Paris Is Burning (film)'' (1990) * ''
Eyes on the Prize ''Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Movement'' is an American television series and 14-part documentary about the 20th-century civil rights movement in the United States. The documentary originally aired on the PBS network, and it also ...
'', part II * (1990) * '' Color Adjustment'' (1992) * ''
A Great Day in Harlem ''A Great Day in Harlem'' or ''Harlem 1958'' is a black-and-white photograph of 57 jazz musicians in Harlem, Manhattan, Harlem, New York, taken by freelance photographer Art Kane for ''Esquire (magazine), Esquire'' magazine on August 12, 1958. ...
'' (1994) * '' Freedom on My Mind'' * (1994) * '' Malcolm X: Make It Plain'' * (1994) * '' A Time for Justice'' * (1994) * '' Black is... Black Ain't'' (1995) *
VINTAGE - Families of Value
' (1995) * '' All God's Children'' (1996) * ''
All Power to the People ''All Power to the People: The Black Panther Party and Beyond'' is a 1996 documentary directed by Lee Lew-Lee. The film chronicles the history of the Black Panther Party, leadership, and members. The film also briefly chronicles the history of th ...
'' (1996) * ''
The Church of Saint Coltrane ''The Church of Saint Coltrane'' is a short documentary film produced by Alan Klingenstein, directed by Jeff Swimmer and edited by Andrew Fredericks. It was filmed in 1996. Its subject is the famous jazz saxophonist John Coltrane, who became deep ...
'' (1996) * ''
The Last Angel of History ''The Last Angel of History'' is a 45-minute documentary, directed in 1996 by John Akomfrah and written and researched by Edward George of the Black Audio Film Collective, that deals with concepts of Afrofuturism as a metaphor for the displaceme ...
'' (1996) * ''
4 Little Girls ''4 Little Girls'' is a 1997 American historical documentary film about the murder of four African-American girls (Addie May Collins, Carol Denise McNair, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Rosamond Robertson) in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Bi ...
'' * (1997) * '' Blacks and Jews'' (1997) * ''
Colors Straight Up ''Colors Straight Up'' is a 1997 American documentary film directed by Michèle Ohayon about the non-profit organization Colors United, which teaches drama to inner city youth. The film depicts the creation of a musical called ''Watts Side Stor ...
'' (1997) * '' Midnight Ramble'' (1997) * '' MPG: Motion Picture Genocide'' (1997)


2000s

* '' 4CHOSEN: The Documentary'' (2008) * ''
Afro-Punk Afro-punk (sometimes spelled Afro-Punk, Afropunk or AfroPunk) refers to the participation of African Americans and other Black people in punk and alternative subcultures, especially in the United States. History The term originated from the 200 ...
'' (2003) * '' Banished'' (2006) * '' Beah: A Black Woman Speaks'' (2003) * '' The Black Candle'' (2008) * '' The Black List: Volume 1'' (2008) * '' The Black List: Volume 2'' (2009) * '' The Blues'' (2003) * '' Hairkutt'' (2005) * ''
Colored Frames ''Colored Frames'' is a 2007 documentary film taking a look at the role of fine art in the Civil Rights Movement, as well as the legacy of discrimination in the art community both historically and contemporarily. The documentary is a showcase of a ...
'' * (2007) * ''
Dare Not Walk Alone ''Dare Not Walk Alone'' is a 2006 documentary film directed by Jeremy Dean. The film played the festival circuit in 2006 and in 2007 received the audience award at the Deep Focus Film Festival in Columbus, Ohio. It was signed by Indican Pictures fo ...
'' * (2006) *
E Minha Cara/That's My Face
' (2002) * '' Faubourg Treme: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans'' (2008) * '' February One: The Story of the Greensboro Four'' * * ''
Flight of the Red Tail ''Flight of the Red Tail'' is a 2009 historical documentary film by Adam White about the Red Tail Project's successful return to flight of a World War II P-51 Mustang. The plane had been originally flown by the United States Air Force 332d Fighte ...
'' * '' Frederick Douglass and the White Negro'' (2008) * '' From Swastika to Jim Crow'' * '' A Girl Like Me'' * ''
Good Hair ''Good Hair'' is a 2009 American documentary film directed by Jeff Stilson and produced by Chris Rock Productions and HBO Films, starring and narrated by comedian Chris Rock. Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2009, ''Go ...
'' * ''
Hardwood Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes from ...
'' * '' Home of the Brave''* (2004) * '' Jim Brown: All-American'' * '' LaLee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton'' * ''
Legacy In law, a legacy is something held and transferred to someone as their inheritance, as by will and testament. Personal effects, family property, marriage property or collective property gained by will of real property. Legacy or legacies may refer ...
'' (2000) * ''
Maafa 21 ''Maafa 21: Black Genocide in 21st Century America'' is an anti-abortion documentary film produced by anti-abortion activist Mark Crutcher in 2009. The film, which has been enthusiastically received by anti-abortion activists, argues that the m ...
'' * '' Marcus Garvey: Look for me in the Whirlwind'' * ''
Meeting David Wilson ''Meeting David Wilson'' is a 2008 American documentary film. It is a 90-minute video produced for initial presentation on the MSNBC cable channel. Its focus is the encounter between David A. Wilson, a black American filmmaker who grew up in Newar ...
'' * '' Mighty Times: The Children's March'' * * ''
Mississippi Cold Case ''Mississippi Cold Case'' is a 2007 feature documentary produced by David Ridgen of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation about the Ku Klux Klan murders of two 19-year-old black men, Henry Hezekiah Dee and Charles Eddie Moore, in Southwest Missis ...
'' * * '' My Nappy Roots: A Journey Through Black Hair-itage'' * '' Negroes with Guns: Rob Williams and Black Power'' (2004) * '' Neshoba'' * * '' The Pact'' (2006) * '' Red Tail Reborn'' (2007) * ''
Revolution '67 ''Revolution '67'' is a 2007 documentary film about the black riots of the 1960s. With the philosophy of nonviolence giving way to the Black Power Movement, race riots were breaking out in Jersey City, Harlem, and Watts, Los Angeles. In 1967, b ...
'' * '' Rize'' * '' Salute'' (2008) * '' Scottsboro: An American Tragedy'' * * '' Shouting Fire: Stories from the Edge of Free Speech'' * '' Sister Wife'' * '' Slavery and the Making of America'' * '' Soundtrack for a Revolution'' * * '' Street Fight'' * '' The Sugar Babies'' * '' Sweet Honey in the Rock: Raise Your Voice'' * '' This Is the Life'' (2008) * ''
Tradition Is a Temple ''Tradition Is a Temple'' is an American documentary film about New Orleans jazz culture and modernization's effect on American traditions, written and directed by Darren Hoffman and released in 2013. Synopsis Contemporary New Orleans jazz music ...
'' * '' Twelve Disciples of Nelson Mandela'' * ''
Why We Bang ''Why We Bang'' is a 2006 independent documentary film that documents the historical background of LA's Bloods and Crips gangs. The film follows several current and former members of the Bloods and Crips of Los Angeles through interviews. The ...
'' * '' The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306'' *


2010s

* ''
13th In music or music theory, a thirteenth is the note thirteen scale degrees from the root of a chord and also the interval between the root and the thirteenth. The interval can be also described as a compound sixth, spanning an octave pl ...
'' * '' The Barber of Birmingham'' * * '' The Black List: Volume 3'' (2010) * '' The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution'' * ''
The Czar of Black Hollywood ''The Czar of Black Hollywood'' is a 2014 documentary film by Bayer Mack that chronicles the early life and career of African-American filmmaker Oscar Micheaux (1884–1951). Mack conceived of and produced the film about Micheaux using Library of ...
'' * '' Dark Girls'' * '' The Fab Five'' * ''
Freedom Riders Freedom Riders were civil rights activists who rode interstate buses into the segregated Southern United States in 1961 and subsequent years to challenge the non-enforcement of the United States Supreme Court decisions ''Morgan v. Virginia' ...
'' * * '' Hale County This Morning, This Evening'' * '' Hidden Colors'', part 1: ''The Untold History Of People Of Aboriginal, Moor, and African Descent'' (2011) * '' Hidden Colors'', part 2: ''The Triumph of Melanin'' (2012) * '' Hidden Colors'', part 3: ''The Rules of Racism'' (2014) * '' Hidden Colors'', part 4: ''The Religion of White Supremacy'' (2016) * '' I Am Not Your Negro'' (2016) * ''
In the Hour of Chaos ''In the Hour of Chaos'' is a 2016 American documentary film directed by Bayer Mack about the life and trials of the Reverend Martin Luther King Sr. ("Daddy King"), father of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. The film's ensemble voice c ...
'' * * '' Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People'' * '' "Good Hair" and Other Dubious Distinctions'' * '' Motherland'' * '' No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson'' * '' No Lye: An American Beauty Story'' * '' O.J.: Made in America '' (2016) * '' Reincarnated'' (2013), on
Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...
's conversion to
Rastafari Rastafari, sometimes called Rastafarianism, is a religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control of ...


2020s

* '' Mama Gloria'' (2020)


See also


The Black Association of Documentary Filmmakers

The Black Association of Documentary Filmmakers West
* The Black Documentary Collective {{DEFAULTSORT:African-American documentary films List African American African American Documentary Documentary films