Early Black Cinema (1900s-1970)
Oscar Micheaux made the film Within Our Gates partly as a direct response to the notoriously racist 1915 film directed by D.W. Griffith.
The Birth of a Nation
On the hottest day of the year on a single block in Brooklyn, racial tensions between a local pizzeria owner and the neighborhood residents rise to a boiling point, exploding into a violent conflict.
Do The Right Thing
This 1995 comedy film follows Craig Jones over the course of a single day in South Central Los Angeles and stars Ice Cube and Chris Tucker.
Friday
Which 2019 cult-classic horror film stars Octavia Spencer, whose villain famously says, "Don’t make me drink alone!"
Ma
"Set It Off" (1996) is about four friends pulling off a bank heist. It stars Jada Pinkett Smith, Vivica A. Fox, Kimberly Elise, and who else?
Queen Latifah
What is the name of the early-1970s film movement characterized by Black casts, urban stories, and funk-soul soundtracks made for Black audiences?
Blaxploitation
This show is based on the 1989 Central Park jogger case. The series dramatizes the wrongful conviction of five Black and Latino teenagers.
When They See Us
This sketch comedy series created by Keenen Ivory Wayans launched the careers of Jim Carrey and Jamie Foxx.
In Living Color
In "Nope" (2022, Jordan Peele), what animal attacked people on the sitcom set shown in flashbacks?
A chimpanzee named Gordy
What pop singer stars in "Waiting to Exhale"(1995) and is famously told, "He's a good man, Savannah!"
Whitney Houston
What independent Black film movement began at UCLA in the late 1960s and emphasized politically conscious filmmaking?
L.A. Rebellion
This person made history at the 64th Academy Awards (1992) as the first African American and the youngest person (age 24) ever nominated for Best Director for Boyz n the Hood.
John Singleton
This 1984 action-comedy made Eddie Murphy a box-office star.
Beverly Hills Cop
Which Black-led film ranks as the 12th highest-grossing horror movie of all time?
Sinners
Halle Berry was the first and only Black woman to win Best Actress at the Oscars in 2002. What movie was she awarded for?
Monster's Ball
Who is widely considered the first major Black American filmmaker, directing and producing over 40 films between 1919–1948?
Oscar Micheaux
This actor intentionally rejected roles that negatively portrayed Black characters — even when it meant fewer offers. He became the first Black man to win Best Actor at the Oscars in 1963.
Sidney Poitier
Good Times takes place primarily in this U.S. city.
Chicago
In Candyman, how many times do you have to say Candyman’s name into a mirror to summon him?
5 times
This actress did most of her own stunts in Blaxploitation films like Foxy Brown (1974), becoming one of the first women action stars in American cinema
Pam Grier
She was the first Black person to win an Academy Award, receiving the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Gone with the Wind (1939) at the 12th Academy Awards in 1940
Hattie McDaniel
If Beale Street Could Talk follows the systemic reality of false incarceration for Black men in the U.S. Who wrote the original novel in 1974?
This 1997 comedy stars Halle Berry and Natalie Desselle as aspiring businesswomen who scam a dying millionaire.
B.A.P.S
What 1968 zombie movie is historically recognized for introducing the first Black lead character in American horror?
Night of the Living Dead
Which filmmaker directed Daughters of the Dust (1991), the first feature film by a Black woman to receive wide theatrical release in the U.S.?
Julie Dash