The following is a list of Black films that were released in the 2010s. Black films listed here are generally associated with the peoples from the African diaspora; the cinema of Africa is distinct from this topic (see list of African films). Lawrence Ware of The New York Times said "the 2010s were the most important decade for black film in America" and that such films across various genres were "all being taken seriously critically, and most were successful financially".
List of films
2010 Film Date Description Film festival Commercial release The post-apocalyptic film stars Denzel Washington and is directed by the Hughes brothers. Brooklyn's Finest The crime film, directed by Antoine Fuqua, stars Don Cheadle and Wesley Snipes (along with Richard Gere and Ethan Hawke). The film is set in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Death at a Funeral The black comedy film is an American remake of the British film and features a predominantly black cast. For Colored Girls The tragedy film, directed by Tyler Perry, is an adaptation of Ntozake Shange's play about black women. The film stars Janet Jackson, Loretta Devine, Kimberly Elise, Hill Harper, Michael Ealy, Omari Hardwick Thandie Newton, Whoopi Goldberg, Kerry Washington, Macy Gray, Anika Noni Rose and Phylicia Rashad. I Will Follow The independent drama film, directed by Ava DuVernay, follows a woman who grieves over her aunt's recent death. Just Wright The romantic comedy film stars Queen Latifah as a physical therapist who falls in love with professional basketball player, played by Common. The martial arts film, starring Jaden Smith, is a remake of the 1984 film of the same name. Lottery Ticket The comedy film is directed by Erik White and features an ensemble cast of black actors. Night Catches Us The drama film, directed by Tanya Hamilton, is set in 1976 and stars Anthony Mackie as a former Black Panther who returns to his hometown of Philadelphia. Kerry Washington also stars as the widow of a slain Panther. Our Family Wedding The romantic comedy film about an interracial relationship is directed by Rick Famuyiwa and stars Forest Whitaker and Lance Gross (along with America Ferrera and Carlos Mencia). Preacher's Kid The Christian drama film stars LeToya Luckett, Kiki Sheard, Durrell Babbs, Clifton Powell, Gregalan Williams, and Sharif Atkins. Speed-Dating The comedy film revolves around three black bachelors, played by Wesley Jonathan, Chico Benymon, and Leonard Robinson. Takers The action crime drama thriller film features an ensemble cast that includes Idris Elba, Michael Ealy, Tip "T.I." Harris, and Chris Brown. Why Did I Get Married Too? The comedy-drama film, produced and directed by Tyler Perry, is a sequel to Why Did I Get Married? and features a black cast.
2011 Film Date Description Film festival Commercial release 35 and Ticking A romantic comedy about a group of friends learning what it is like to have children. All Things Fall Apart Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son CornerStore Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone Fast Five I Will Follow The independent drama film, directed by Ava DuVernay, follows a woman who grieves over her aunt's recent death. Jumping the Broom Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain Madea's Big Happy Family Mooz-lum Pariah A 17-year-old girl learns to accept her lesbian identity. Politics of Love Shame
2012 Film Date Description Film festival Commercial release Beasts of the Southern Wild Changing the Game Christmas in Compton Django Unchained Flight Good Deeds Joyful Noise Julian Bond: Reflections from the Frontlines of the Civil Rights Movement Let It Shine Madea's Witness Protection Mama, I Want to Sing! Red Hook Summer Red Tails Sparkle The final film of Whitney Houston Think Like a Man We the Party
2013 Film Date Description Film festival Commercial release 12 Years a Slave 42 1982 After Earth Belle Black Nativity Fruitvale Station Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom Memphis Peeples Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor
2014 Film Date Description Film festival Commercial release About Last Night Addicted Beyond the Lights Blackbird Da Sweet Blood of Jesus Dear White People Fishing Without NetsOctober 27, 2014 Get on Up Girlhood Ride Along Selma Think Like a Man Too Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People Top Five Keep on Keepin' On
2015 Film Date Description Film festival Commercial release Ayanda Beasts of No Nation Bessie Blackbird Brotherly Love Chi-Raq Chocolate City The story is focused on a college student who becomes a male stripper. Creed Da Sweet Blood of Jesus Dope Fifty Freetown Miles Ahead Runaway Island Straight Outta Compton Tangerine War Room
2016 Film Date Description Film festival Commercial release Bars4JusticeFebruary 14, 2016A hip hop activist gives more than his talent when he comes face to face with the justice system in Ferguson Missouri. Starring, Jasiri X, Talib Kweli, Common, Cornel West, Barbershop: The Next Cut Fences Fifty Shades of Black Hidden Figures Hunter Gatherer I Am Not Your Negro In the Hour of Chaos The Weekend The film is about three friends from London who find a bag full of money and make a deal on spending the money over the weekend but trouble comes their way. Starring Joivan Wade, Percelle Ascott and Dee Kaate. Directed by Sheridan De Myers.Written by Kojo Amin. Kiki Knucklehead Loving Ride Along 2 Meet the Blacks Moonlight Queen of Katwe Based on the true story of a chess player. Saving Barbara Sizemore Southside with You
2017 Film Date Description Film festival Commercial release All Eyez on Me Black CopSeptember 11, 2017May 5, 2018Canadian film starring Ronnie Rowe as a black police officer who takes revenge after being a victim of racial profiling."Nova Scotia film Black Cop to debut at TIFF". CBC News, August 12, 2017. Boo 2! A Madea Halloween Burning Sands Crown Heights Dayveon Deidra & Laney Rob a Train Detroit Get Out Girls Trip Grow House Marshall Mudbound Roxanne Roxanne Sleight Strong Island
2018 Film Date Description Film festival Commercial release Acrimony And Breathe Normally The Icelandic drama film features two women—a single Icelandic mother and an African political asylum seeker—whose lives intersect. BlacKkKlansman The American comedy-drama film, set in the early 1970s, features a black detective who infiltrates the Ku Klux Klan chapter in Colorado Springs. Black Panther The superhero film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe features the black superhero Black Panther. It became the ninth-highest-grossing film of all time (at the peak of the movie's success), the third-highest-grossing film in the U.S. and Canada, and the second-highest-grossing film of 2018. Blindspotting The American comedy-drama film features two friends, a black man and a white man, who work as movers and experience the gentrification of the neighborhood in Oakland, California where they grew up. The American romantic drama film, set on the night of the 2016 United States Presidential election, features a Los Angeles club promoter who meets a visitor from the Midwestern United States, and the two embark on a journey to challenge each other and realize their dreams. Brian Banks Burden The drama film features a member of the Ku Klux Klan in 1996 South Carolina who tries to leave the organization with the help of an African-American pastor. Canal Street Come Sunday The drama film stars an evangelist who preaches that there is no hell and is subsequently kicked out of his church. Crime + Punishment Farming The horror film, the fourth installment in the Purge franchise, features black and brown perspectives. Green Book The American comedy-drama, based on a true story, follows African-American classical pianist Don Shirley being transported around concerts in the American South by a racist Italian-American driver. Hale County This Morning, This Evening If Beale Street Could Talk The film, directed by Barry Jenkins, is an adaptation of If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin. King in the Wilderness The documentary film explores the last years of Martin Luther King Jr. Mariannes Noires Matangi/Maya/M.I.A. The documentary features the Sri Lankan artist and musician M.I.A. Minding the Gap The documentary features three skateboarding friends in Rockford, Illinois, including a black teenager whose experience differs from his friends'. Monster The drama film is based on the novel of the same name by Walter Dean Myers. Monsters and Men The drama film features a black man in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn who catches on video the wrongful shooting by a white police officer and who faces a dilemma about releasing the video or not. The film also explores others' lives based on the fallout from the shooting. Mr. Soul! Night Comes On The drama film features a black woman who is released from juvenile detention on her 18th birthday. She teams up with her ten-year-old sister to avenge their mother's death. Night School The American comedy film is directed by Malcolm D. Lee, produced by Will Packer, and stars Kevin Hart (who also produced) and Tiffany Haddish. Proud Mary In the action thriller film, Taraji P. Henson plays hitwoman Mary. After learning that emergency shelters are at full capacity when a brutal Midwestern cold front makes its way to Cincinnati, Ohio, a large group of homeless library patrons refuse to leave the downtown public library at closing time. Quincy The American documentary film features the life of American record producer, singer and film producer Quincy Jones. Sorry to Bother You The comedy film, set in Oakland, California, features a telemarketer who discovers a magical ability that empowers him to succeed in his profession. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse The superhero film features the Afro-Latino superhero Miles Morales / Spider-Man. Step Sisters The comedy film stars a black sorority sister who teaches step dance to her white sorority sisters.Superfly The crime film, a remake of the 1972 blaxploitation film Super Fly, features a cocaine dealer who is attempting to make one last successful deal before quitting drug-dealing for life. Tales from the Hood 2 This One's for the Ladies Tyrel The drama film features a group of male friends taking a trip to the Catskill Mountains for a birthday weekend. The only black man in the group, Tyler, begins to feel uneasy among the alcohol and testosterone. Romantic comedy starring Sasheer Zamata, Tone Bell, and DeWanda Wise. Written and directed by Stella Meghie. What You Gonna Do When the World's on Fire? Where Hands Touch Widows The English-language heist film, directed by Steve McQueen, stars actresses Viola Davis and Cynthia Erivo among others. The fantasy film, based on the 1962 novel, features a mixed race girl, her brother, and her friend embarking on a search for her missing father. Yardie The crime film is an adaptation of the 1993 novel of the same name.
2019