Black History Month kicks off with a plethora of visuals that recount, dramatize and honor the experience of Black people from the time they landed as enslaved Africans in what is now the United States of America to today.
Below are five online destinations for some of the best films, movies and documentaries for, about, and by African Americans in recognition of 2021’s Black History Month.
The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) reviews and spotlights films and TV shows highlighting the Black experience, especially those produced, written, and/or directed by persons from the African Diaspora. Check out its current recommendations. The Association curated film and TV show selections to be featured on Comcast NBCUniversal’s Black Experience on Xfinity for Black History Month.
American Black Film Festival launches a new series this month, titled Hollywood Homecoming, in collaboration with IMDb, a platform for information on movies, TV shows and celebrities. Hollywood Homecoming premieres with The Best Man, the 1999 romantic comedy directed by Malcolm D. Lee.
Bounce, the first African-American broadcast network founded by the likes of Ambassador Andrew Young and Martin Luther King III, and Brown Sugar, a subscription video-on-demand service, present specially-curated movies, documentaries and specials that recognize the sacrifice, resilience, and contributions of African-Americans.
This year’s New York African Film Festival, presented by Film at Lincoln Center, Maysles Cinema and the American Film Festival, runs from February 4 to March 4. The event will showcase 10 features and 21 short films from Africa, Europe, North America and South America, under the banner, “Notes from Home: Recurring Dreams & Women’s Voices.”
Rotten Tomatoes, a review-aggregation website for film and television, adds new lists to its Black History Month Hub honoring the work of Black filmmakers and performers. New lists include: “20 Under-The-Radar Black Movies You Should Seek Out;” “15 Up-And-Coming Black Directors Set To Shape The Future Of Hollywood;” “40 Movies That Celebrate Black Joy;” and “Race Films: The Black Film Industry That Told Black Stories In Cinema’s Earliest Days.”
Also, check out “Sidney Poitier’s 7 Most Memorable Performances” at the site’s Total Recall page
