Eight Great Films by Black Directors

While most movie lovers are happy to celebrate the great actors in front of the camera, quite often the work of Black directors and writers goes unsung or is forgotten over time. I’d like to take the chance to highlight eight exciting films by Black directors that are premiering on Hollywood Suite during Black History Month. These films are part of our Black Excellence collection, which features over 35 films with significant contributions by black filmmakers and performers.

Sorry To Bother You (2018)

Premieres February 27 at 9pm ET on HS00
Available on demand in February

Director Boots Riley is the most recent breakout on our list, but actually had his start in the rap world of the 90s. He transitioned his politically charged and often satirical lyrics perfectly to the big screen with his absurdist and wild writer/director debut Sorry To Bother You. Riley is an outspoken communist and uses the story of a disaffected Black call centre worker (inspired by his own work experience) pushing against class and racial barriers to lift the curtain on the dystopian world of capitalist work, creating some shocking and hilarious moments along the way.

Car Wash (1976)

Premieres February 3 at 9pm ET on HS70
Available on demand in February

Michael Schultz made waves with his 1975 coming-of-age comedy Cooley High but it was Car Wash that kept him as the go-to Black comedy director through the 70s and 80s. The hangout movie drew all of comedy’s biggest stars including Richard Pryor and George Carlin thanks to Schultz’ previous successes directing for stage and screen. In Car Wash he creates a film that blends music, humour and a surprising amount of progressive politics that spoke to audiences even as many studios turned away from the Black cinema boom of the early 70s.

Save The Last Dance (2001)

Premieres February 4 at 9pm ET on HS00
Available on demand in February

It’s easy to presume that the occasionally dated-feeling story of ballerina Julia Stiles falling in love and learning hip hop dance from Sean Patrick Thomas is the product of some caucasian executive, but it’s elevated by the work of a veteran Black director and screenwriter. Cheryl Edwards can be counted as a trailblazer since women screenwriters, and especially Black women screenwriters, remain exceedingly rare in mainstream Hollywood pictures. Thomas Carter started his career acting on the small screen, notably on The White Shadow, which lead to his directorial debut on TV. By the end of the 90s he was the perfect choice with dozens of gigs under his belt including the equally excellent dance movie Swing Kids.

To Sleep With Anger (1990)

Premieres February 13 at 9pm ET on HS90
Available on demand in February

An indelible part of the Black film landscape in LA, Charles Burnett was a part of UCLA’s LA Rebellion period. Thanks to recent restorations of his work, he has the well-earned status as a living legend of Black independent film, beginning with 1978’s slice-of-life film Killer of Sheep. In spite of sweeping the Spirit Awards in 1991, Burnett’s tonally unusual To Sleep With Anger was mostly ignored by the white mainstream canon and only recently has earned its laurels for a challenging and moving story, and perhaps Danny Glover’s greatest on screen role.

Posse (1991)

Premieres February 22 at 9pm ET on HS90
Available on demand in February

The iconoclastic Melvin Van Peebles was changing the independent film game for Black creators around the same time as Burnett but equally impressive is the fact that his legacy continues through the work of his son Mario. Nineties kids may be more familiar with his presence in front of the camera, but since his directing debut New Jack City, Mario Van Peebles has maintained a healthy career behind the camera, including with this delightful western that also stars Van Peebles alongside Tone Loc, Tiny Lister and Blair Underwood.

I Like It Like That (1994) 

Premieres February 10 at 9pm ET on HS90
Available on demand in February

In 1994 Darnell Martin broke barriers by becoming the first Black woman to make a film for a major studio with this story of an Afro-Puerto Rican woman struggling with her relationships and livelihood in the South Bronx. The film was a huge critical success and made a star out of Luna Lauren Velez, but studio marketing support was not behind the film and it didn’t find its audience. One watch will convince you though that Darnell Martin was an exciting voice of the mid-90s and remains a director to watch!

House Party (1990)

Premieres February 26 at 9pm ET on HS90
Available on demand in February

Kid n’ Play’s House Party might seem like a fluffy 90s trifle, but as the brainchild of writer/director Reginald Hudlin it was a hugely important film for Black cinema as both a massively-grossing independent film (A twice-awarded Sundance hit!) and a significant step forward for R-rated comedies appealing to Black Audiences, a trend that’d continue through the 90s. Come for the early pairing of Tisha Campbell and Martin Lawrence, and stay for an absolutely assured feature film debut featuring great music and big laughs.

Gridlock’d (1997)

Premieres February 6 at 9pm ET on HS90
Available on demand in February

Another director whose acting sometimes outshines his career behind the camera is Vondie Curtis-Hall, who made his debut with this funny and thoughtful film starring Tim Roth and Tupac Shakur in one of his final roles. While his career continues mostly through TV directing, Curtis-Hall can also boast being a part of a Black Cinema power couple thanks to his long marriage to actor/director Kasi Lemmons.