The month of February gives us a lot of important things, with the entirety ofBlack History Monthbeing at the top of the list. This important time shines a light on a beautiful culture full of art, music, and diverse figures that have pioneered some of Black history’s most incredible moments. While there are endless ways to honor Black History Month and celebrate the many facets of Black culture,film is a fantastic place to start.
The sky is the limit when it comes to recognizing the importance of Black history. From witnessing brilliant minds make waves at NASA to following the journey of individuals who have paved new roads for the Black and LGBTQ+ communities, there are thousands of movies perfect for the occasion. The best part is that these films offer something for every age group, so it’s easy for everyone to get involved! Here’s our list of some great movies that honor Black History Month.
Update July 17, 2025: by Samuel Cormier: If you are looking for more movies to enjoy for Black History Month, you will be happy to learn that this article has been updated with more titles and where you can stream each entry.
15Fences (2016)
Fencesis a periodical tale that takes place in 1950s Pittsburgh. Protagonist Troy (Denzel Washington) works as a garbage collector but used to be an incredible baseball player who faced prejudice in the form of ‘color barriers’ in the NBL. As he struggles to deal with racism and give his family the life they deserve, he attempts to stop his son Cory from becoming an athlete, fearing that he’ll face the same barriers in his career. He also has to deal with his younger brother, Gabriel, a WWII veteran who has a brain injury. On top of this, Lyons, Troy’s son from a previous relationship, is a criminal and constantly asks him for money.
What Makes It Great
Fencesweaves a narrative of love, loss, and trying to make the right decisions in a world that is constantly against them. While Troy is often shown as strict and sometimes abusive, the viewer cannot help but trust that he is doing his best. He is dealing with the post-liberation, pre-civil rights movement in America, attempting to navigate racial discrimination in sports, work, veteran care, and even medical care later on in the film.Fenceswas praised for masterfully dealing with the variety of issues faced by Black people at that time, as well asoutstanding acting performances from Washington and Viola Davis.Fencesis currently streaming on Paramount+ and Showtime.
14The Color Purple (1985)
The Color Purple
Based on Alice Walker’s 1982 novel of the same name,The Color Purplefollows Celie (Whoopi Goldberg), a young woman who faces abuse at the hands of her father and her forced husband throughout her life. As time passes, she bonds with the women in her circle – the assertive Sofia (Oprah Winfrey), free-spirited blue singer Shug Avery, and eventually her estranged sister Nettie, ultimately finding the courage to speak out against her abusers and take her life back.
Capturing the difficulty of sexism and abuse with tact and grace,The Color Purplehas rightfully earned the widespread critical acclaim it’s received over the years. It also explores the difficulty of being Black in the rural South soon after the Civil War: the law freed them, but white people did not. Goldberg delivers the performance of a lifetime, seamlessly showing Celie’s slow personal liberation throughout her life. the cinematography is wonderful and brings some literal light to Celie’s bleak life. In 2023,a more light-hearted musical remakecame out starring Fantasia Barrino as Celie that showed the ti.The Color Purpleis currently streaming on Max.
13The Princess and the Frog (2009)
The Princess and the Frog
InThe Princess and the Frog, heroine Tiana has a natural gift for cooking, and she aspires to fulfill her father’s dream of opening a restaurant right on the water. In the meantime, she works double shifts as a waitress to save money (quite atypical for a Disney princess). After a voodoo witch doctor turns her and a spoiled prince, Naveen, into frogs, the duo must band together to set things right and, along the way, discover that dreams really can come true.
Interestingly enough,The Princess and the Frogis the first Disney film to feature the “prince turned into a frog” trope, which is always entertaining to kids. Featuring great music, fantastic humor and a lot of heart, it is also an enjoyable watch (and rewatch) for adults as well. Disney did an incredible job with theirfirst black princess, featuring a unique setup that highlights the richness of Black culture in 1920s New Orleans, full of Cajun food, jazz music, and voodoo magic. This can be a great way to introduce the concept of Black History Month to children.The Princess and the Frogis currently streaming on Disney+.
12Hidden Figures (2016)
Hidden Figures
Hidden Figuresis a historical drama following Katherine Goble Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe), three brilliant mathematicians who face workplace discrimination for their gender and race. Despite numerous attempts to stifle them, the three women go on to become indispensable members of NASA during the space race, ultimately gaining well-deserved respect in the industry.
Some of NASA’s most innovative mathematicians were women of color, andHidden Figuresbrings recognition to their groundbreaking work, which is most often overlooked. While dealing with important issues of racism intersecting with sexism, the film does so in a surprisingly heartwarming way,highlighting the women’s different personalities and shared resilience. The three main actresses do their characters justice, showing incredible chemistry on screen. Any viewer will come out of watching this movie having learned something new.Hidden Figuresis currently streaming on Disney+.
Related:Here’s 5 Great Films That Fight For Civil Rights
11Tangerine (2015)
Tangerineaccompanies Sin-Dee Rella (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) and Alexandra (Mya Taylor), two transgender sex workers. As they try to overcome prejudice, they navigate the world of prostitution, cheating boyfriends, abusive pimps, and even looking for artistic success. Their clients often have various ethnic backgrounds and keep the nature of their attraction a hidden fantasy, adding another layer of difficulty that the women have to deal with.
Aptly blending comedy and drama,Tangerineputs the spotlight on Black andtransgender characters. It’s definitely a film for adults, but it’s as hilarious as it is eye-opening and honest. In an unfortunately unusual fashion for such films, both of the main actresses are actually transgender, hence being the most authentic pick for the characters that they play. If Stonewall rioter and sex worker Marsha P. Johnson is the most famous Black transgender woman in history, one must not forget that her legacy still lives on today, and that a majority of Black transgender women still face traumatizing hardships.Tangerinesheds a benevolent light on such situations though, preferring the route of humor as a coping mechanism.Tangerineis currently streaming on Paramount+, Kanopy, and Showtime.
10Moonlight (2016)
Written and directed by Barry Jenkins, Moonlight follows Chiron (Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders, and Alex Hibbert) during three stages of his life, starting in childhood and progressing all the way up through adulthood. The film explores themes of identity and sexuality, chronicling Chiron’s life as a gay black man growing up in Miami to an abusive, drug-addicted mother.
Thebeautiful coming-of-age movieMoonlightshares the emotional story of Chiron, a young boy who faces countless obstacles in life. Receiving no love from his crack-addicted mother, Chiron struggles to open up about his sexuality in the face of torment by a relentless bully. Over time, he creates an unbreakable bond with his friend Kevin, and the two find peace and support in each other as they grow – with some falling down.
Moonlightmanages to hit all the marks, being one of the most well-received LGBTQ+ movies, coming-of-age movies, and Black movies ever. All three actors playing Chiron at different times of his life (Alex R. Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, and Trevante Rhodes) seamlessly suspend disbelief that they indeed represent one man, and all manage to convey Chiron’s complex feelings behind his mute facade. This film also has one of the most researched cinematography on this list, making incredible use of colored lights and low lighting.Moonlightis a modern take on Blackness, intersecting it with homosexuality without forgetting common tropes of broken families, drug dealing and use, and men having difficulty expressing feelings. The movie won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.Moonlightis currently streaming on Max and Kanopy.
942 (2013)
For baseball fans,42is an amazing retelling of the life of NBL legend Jackie Robinson, the first Black player to join the Major League. Robinson was a hot-tempered man, which was both a blessing and a curse during his career. In parallel to crossing the color line, Robinson was a family man, and the film follows him getting married and having children. The number 42 is a reference to Robinson’s jersey number, which was retired in his honor in 1997.
42is an uplifting and epic tale of athletic success by a Black man.The late Chadwick Boseman gives a performance for the ages, and his love and dedication to the role shows through in the final product. Through him, audiences get to enjoy the unrelenting spirit and unbridled talent of Robinson, who made waves and saw countless wins in his career. This film is unmissable for fans of sports movies and is such an important piece in drawing the full picture of Black history.42is currently streaming on Max.
Related:The Importance of Black Joy in Film, Explained
8One Night in Miami… (2020)
One Night in Miami
One Night in Miami…is a fictionalized recall of a 1964 meeting between Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Muhammad Ali (Eli Goree), Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), and Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) in a room at the Hampton House. While the reason for the four men meeting is Ali’s surprise title win over Sonny Liston, the conversation evolves into debating whether Black athletes and artists entertaining white audiences is a positive outcome, among other things.
Despite approaching a two-hour runtime,One Night in Miami…does an incredible job of managing pacing and tension to keep viewers hooked. While the central conversation is highly fictional, it does an effective job at succinctly presenting those important men’s views on life as well as personal struggles. The real-life Brown even praised the film for its portrayal of himself.One Night in Miami…is the first film by a female Black-American director (Regina King, in her feature directorial debut) to make it to the Venice Film Festival.One Night in Miami…is currently streaming on Prime.
7Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)
Judas and the Black Messiah
Offered a plea deal by the FBI, William O’Neal infiltrates the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party to gather intelligence on Chairman Fred Hampton. Starring Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield and Jesse Plemons.
Read Our Review
Judas and the Black Messiahby Shaka King takes place in 1960s Chicago and is about the betrayal of Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya), a high-ranking Black Panther Party member, by William O’Neal (LaKeith Stanfield), a BPP member and FBI informant. This treachery eventually resulted in the death of Hampton,during a massive attack by the FBI against the Party. The film also dives into Hampton’s work within the bPP, including the creation of the multiracial Rainbow Coalition; as well as his personal relationships.
Judas and the Black Messiah, as its mere title can suggest, is a particularly gripping story of fighting and betrayal. Hampton’s demise is awaited throughout the film by an audience knowing the traitor, managing suspense in a very successful way. The film’s event, although they took place almost sixty years ago, also remain surprisingly relevant, and the writing does a great job at drawing parallels. Hampton’s son, Fred Hampton Jr., who heads the Black Panther Party Cubs with his mother, gave his blessing for the film.Judas and the Black Messiahis currently streaming on Hulu and Max.
6BlackKklansman (2018)
BlacKkKlansman
Directed by Spike Lee,BlackKklansmanis set in the 1970s in Colorado Springs and follows Ron Stallworth (John David Washington), the first African-American detective in the city’s police department as he sets out to infiltrate and expose the local Ku Klux Klan chapter with the help of white officer Detective Philip “Flip” Zimmerman (Adam Driver). The movie features Topher Grace as David Duke, the then-grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.
BlackKklansmanis a powerful, gripping tale that wisely makes sure to highlight how hate crimes and racist bigotry are still sadly prominent today as the film’s final montage shows footage from the Unite the Right rally in 2017 and footage of then President Donald Trump and a speech by David Duke. The film was theatrically released in the United States on July 06, 2025, a day before the first anniversary of the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia and spoke to a nation that was grappling with the reality that despite the belief that racism was a thing of the past, it was still going strong in modern day. The movie was widely praised and was nominated for six Academy Awards, winning Spike Lee his first Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.BlackKklansmanis a must-watch.BlackKklansmanis available to stream on FuboTV and Peacock.
