Black in Britain: Watch List

BFI via here
A celebration of black culture in film and TV, dive into a selection that flows deep and far.

Black Britain on Film via BFI, available here
Striking, illuminating and sometimes surprising images of black culture, community and characters, spanning over a century of British film and TV.

Before Windrush via BFI, available here
Precious glimpses and surprising rediscoveries: snapshots of black Britain in the decades before the great postwar migrations.

Black Lives via BFI, available here
Portraits of public and private lives against the shifting social climate of 20th century Britain.

Black British Filmmaking via BFI, available here
A selection of shorts and features by black writers and directors, from milestones of the 60s and 70s to contemporary hits.

BBC via here
Bold, vibrant, provocative stories exploring what it means to be black in Britain today.

ALL 4 via here
A celebration of black history

New Creatives via BBC, available here
New Creatives Innovative new short films, audio and interactive works from young artists.

Netflix via here
A collection of shows, movies, and documentaries by Black creators.

The Homecoming: A Short Film about Ajamu (1995) | BFI
Queer activist and artist Ajamu prepares to leave Brixton for an exhibition of his work in his hometown, Huddersfield.

Flight of the Swan (1992) | BFI
A young black ballerina rejects prejudice and finds her African spirit in Swan Lake.

Horrible Histories: Black History Month with Oti Mabuse (2019) | BBC iPlayer In celebration of Black History Month, Oti Mabuse brings you a selection of Horrible Histories sketches and songs.

*Andre Gray: Black Icons, Inked (2019) | BBC iPlayer
From Muhammad Ali to Martin Luther King, Jr, the BBC's archive brings to life footballer Andre Gray's black history tattoos and the icons that inspired them.

Cedar Wood & Silk (1995) | BFI
Insightful exploration of the relationship between a Jamaican mother and her British-born daughter.

Nice (1984) | BFI
BFI Monologue about a West Indian and his descent into postcolonial cynicism, performed by the legendary Norman Beaton

*Living Differently S3: E3. I'm Proud Of My Albinism (2018) | BBC iPlayer Leo is 22 and has albinism, a condition which affects the body's production of the pigment that gives skin, hair and eyes their colour

Black and Scottish (2019) | BBC iPlayer
What does it mean to be black and Scottish? Director Stewart Kyasimire seeks out a range of black Scots of different ages and from diverse backgrounds to hear some compelling answers.

We the Ragamuffin (1992) | BFI
Julian Henriques' urban musical showcases the style, vernacular and vibrancy of British Caribbean Dancehall culture.

Black Fish (2019) | BBC iPlayer
A grieving mother finds pictures of the life her son would have had if he’d lived.

Blues Is My Middle Name (1999) | BFI
Troubled relationship amidst a background of a Jazz Club scene.

Focus: Four Men Share Their Beard Stories (2020) | BBC iPlayer Four black men come together to talk about their beard journey and the struggles they have had.

Tunde's Film (1973) | BFI
Tired of being hassled by the police and with no job opportunities, a group of teenage East End lads plan to rob a bank.

Inside Games: Shorts: 3. Black Hair in Games (2020) | BBC iPlayer Elle Osili-Wood asks, what makes a black video game character feel truly authentic

Burning an Illusion (1981) | BFI
A love story that traces the emotional and political growth of a young black couple in Thatcher's London

Playing Away (1986) | BFI
A cricket match is held in an idyllic Suffolk village played by the local team and a visiting West Indian team from Brixton, London. The arrival of the team leads to new friendships but also unexpected hostility.

Young Soul Rebels (1991) | BFI
The Queen's Silver Jubilee beats to the sounds of Funkadelic, Sylvester and the O'Jays in Isaac Julien’s feature debut.

Babymother (1998) | BFI
Neeta and her crew rise to dancehall fame in North West London's Caribbean community, in the first Black British musical.

Bullet Boy (2004) | BFI
An inner-city London youth, Ricky has served prison time for a stabbing but is trying to turn his life around.

The Stuart Hall Project (2013) | BFI
Composed of film, music and photographs from the archives, a fascinating portrait of the life and times of the founder of cultural studies and the New Left Experience.

She's Gotta Have It (1986) | Netflix
A window into the life and loves of a young black woman in Brooklyn.

When They See Us (2019) | Netflix
When They See Us tells the story of the 'Central Park Five'. When a woman is attacked whilst jogging in Central Park in the summer of 1989, five Black teens from Harlem are arrested, coerced into confession, and convicted.

Da 5 Bloods (2020) | Netflix
Four African American veterans return to Vietnam decades after the war to find their squad leader's remains — and a stash of buried gold.

All Day and a Night (2020) | Netflix
While serving life in prison, a young man looks back at the people, the circumstances and the system that set him on the path toward his crime.

*Black to Life: Rethinking the Black Presence within British History (2019) | BBC iPlayer Director Akinola Davies unearths forgotten Black British histories in this visually compelling series.

*Desmond’s (1989-1994) | ALL4
A black sitcom set in a Peckham barbershop.

*I May Destroy You (2020) | BBC iPlayer, HBO
The series is set in London and stars Michaela Coel as Arabella, a young woman who rebuilds her life after her drink is spiked.

*Chewing Gum (2015) | ALL4, Netflix
The show features 24-year-old shop assistant Tracey Gordon, a restricted, religious virgin, who wants to have sex and learn more about the world.

*Noughts + Crosses (2020) | BBC iPlayer
In a dystopian London, Sephy and Callum fall in love despite the odds. Can they breach the divide between the black elite and white underclass? Based on Malorie Blackman's novels.

The Real McCoy (1991 -1996) | BBC iPlayer
Pioneering sketch show that ran from 1991 to 1996, featuring an array of black and Asian comedy stars performing material with various comedy sketches and musical guests.

*Meet the Adebanjos (2012-) | Netflix
A sitcom which follows a British-Nigerian family living in Peckham, South London, consisting of Nigerian parents, British children and unwanted extended family.

The Richard Blackwood Show (1999) | ALL4
Richard Blackwood hosts the first of his own urban entertainment shows, with celebrity guests and the live sounds.

Pose | BBC iPlayer, Netflix
Groundbreaking US series about the underground world of 1980s ball culture, set at the height of the AIDS epidemic.

*Dear White People (2017-) | Netflix
Adapted from the film of the same name, the Netflix series focuses on Black students navigating various forms of discrimination and microaggressions at an Ivy League college.

The Get Down (2017) | Netflix
In 1977 New York City, the talented and soulful youth of the South Bronx chase dreams and breakneck beats to transform music history

Seven Seconds (2018) | Netflix
The death of a 15-year-old African American boy in Jersey City sets off a police cover-up and a search for the truth.

*Black Is the New Black (2016) | BBC iPlayer
Documentary series celebrating Britain's black community.

Black and British: A Forgotten History (2016) | BBC iPlayer
Olusoga explores the relationship between Britain and people whose origins lie in Africa. David uncovers a history that is as surprising as it is revealing.

The Unwanted: The Secret Windrush Files (2019) | BBC iPlayer
How black immigrants who made Britain their home came face to face with the government's 'hostile environment'. David Olusoga exposes the secret files behind the Windrush scandal.

Justice for Joy (1995) | ALL 4
A documentary examining the death of Joy Gardner in 1993 and the subsequent public campaign that culminated in the trial at the Old Bailey of those accused of causing her death

Ghetto Britain: 30 Years of Race (2006) | ALL4
Dr Robert Beckford embarks on a polemical quest exploring the legacy of the Race Relations Act. Has it succeeded in creating a multicultural dream, or has the plan spectacularly backfired?

Sticks and Stone (2005) | ALL4
Ashley Walters explores how and why racially offensive language has become such an ingrained part of our lives.

Unremembered - Britain's Forgotten War Heroes (2019) | ALL4
David Lammy MP reveals the shocking story of how 100,000 or more Africans who died in their own continent serving Britain during World War I were denied the honour of an individual grave.

gal-dem presents: Black British History | ALL4
Six short films authored by rising stars from the gal-dem community that ask provocative questions of what it is to be black British, and to be British today.

Storyville: The Black Panthers (2016) | BBC iPlayer Documentary exploring the Black Panther party, its culture and political awakening for black people, which weaves archival footage with the voices of the people who were there.

*Back in Time for Brixton (2016) | BBC iPlayer
Documentary following a family who give up their modern lives for one summer. The Irwins learn how a new generation of black Britons forged their way through the 70s, 80s and 90s

Time: The Kalief Browder Story (2017) | Netflix
This series traces the tragic case of Kalief Browder, a Black Bronx teen who spent three horrific years in jail, despite not being convicted of a crime.

Strong Island (2017) | Netflix
The forces of family, grief and racial injustice converge in this Oscar-nominated documentary exploring the murder of filmmaker Yance Ford's brother.

Jewel's Catch One (2016) | Netflix
The story of famed L.A. nightclub Catch One and owner Jewel Thais-Williams, who defied all odds and provided a safe space for Black LGBT communities.

ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke (2019) | Netflix
Sam Cooke rose to stardom as a soul singer, his outspoken views on civil rights drew attention that may have contributed to his death at age 33

Disclosure (2020) | Netflix
Leading trans creatives and thinkers share heartfelt perspectives and analysis about Hollywood's impact on the trans community.

1500 & Counting (2019) | Trailer
A documentary film investigating deaths in custody and police brutality in the UK.

Injustice (2001) | Vimeo
A film about the stuggles for justice by the families of people that have died in police custody.

Will Britain Ever Have a Black Prime Minister? (2016) | BBC iPlayer
British TV and movie star David Harewood investigates the obstacles facing black Britons in rising to positions of power and influence.

Whoever Heard of a Black Artist? Britain's Hidden Art History (2018) | BBC iPlayer
Brenda Emmanus follows acclaimed artist Sonia Boyce in the lead up to a new exhibition at Manchester Art Gallery, highlighting groundbreaking artists of African and Asian descent.

Black Mother (2018) | ALL4
Khalik Allah's experimental documentary explores all aspects of his mother's homeland of Jamaica, with a special focus on the lives and experiences of the island's women

Warrior Women with Lupita Nyong'o (2019) | ALL4
In this immersive and epic documentary, Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o journeys across Benin in West Africa to uncover the remarkable truth about an army of female fighters

ReMastered: The Lion's Share (2019) | Netflix
After discovering the family of Solomon Linda, the writer of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," a reporter tries to help them fight for fair compensation.

Too White for Me Nick (1992) | ALL4
Broomfield's 1992 film follows Chicco Twala, one of South Africa's few aspiring black millionaires, as he tries to promote a Tracy Chapman concert in Johannesburg

What Happened, Miss Simone (2015) | Netflix
Using never-before-heard recordings, rare archival footage and her best-known songs, this is the story of legendary singer and activist Nina Simone

imagine... 2020: 1. Lenny Henry: Young, Gifted and Black (2020) | BBC iPlayer Alan Yentob meets Lenny Henry as he publishes a first volume of autobiography, charting his early years in show business.

 I Am Not Your Negro | BBC iPlayer, Netflix
The film brings powerful clarity to how the images and reality of black lives in America today are fabricated and enforced, narrated entirely in the words of James Baldwin.

Tuesday Documentary: The Heart of Apartheid (1968) | BBC iPlayer
Black and Asian South Africans are interviewed in this eye-opening documentary about their views on apartheid.

Black Power: America's Armed Resistance (2016) | BBC iPlayer
Dan Murdoch returns to America to revisit some of the people he met from the KKK and also meet members of the Black Liberation Movement.

This World Unarmed Black Male (2016) | BBC iPlayer
Film following the murder trial of a white police officer in Portsmouth, Virginia, accused of shooting an unarmed black teenager.

Who Killed Malcolm X? (2020) | Netflix
Decades after the assassination of African American leader Malcolm X, an activist embarks on a complex mission seeking truth in the name of justice. 

LA 92 (2017) | Netflix
Stark footage traces decades of police brutality and public uprising leading up to the 1992 acquittal of four LAPD officers filmed beating Rodney King.

13th (2016) | Netflix, Youtube
Combining archival footage with testimony from activists and scholars, director Ava DuVernay's examination of the U.S. prison system looks at how the country's history of racial inequality drives the high rate of incarceration in America

Black Music Legends of the 1980s: 4. Public Enemy: Prophets of Rage (2011) | BBC iPlayer Documentary about Public Enemy, the world's biggest rap group in the late 80s, who sold millions preaching pro-black politics to fans of all races and changed the sound of hip hop. 

The Devil's Music: S2 E4 (1979) | BBC iPlayer
First transmitted in 1979, the last of four programmes exploring American Blues music. Alexis Korner focuses on contemporary Chicago Blues.  

Miss World 1970: Beauty Queens and Bedlam (2020) | BBC iPlayer The story of the 1970 Miss World contest, when protestors dramatically disrupted the event, kickstarting a feminist revolution in front of an audience of millions.

Open Space: Bad Meaning Good (1987) | BBC iPlayer
The hip-hop or rap scene came to this country from New York in the early 1980s. The media exploited the new craze and then dropped what has become, for a growing number of young black Britons, a way of life. 

James Baldwin & Nikki Giovanni, a conversation (Taped in London, November 1971) | Youtube

Akala, Full Address and Q&A on Oxford Union (2015) | Youtube

Unfiltered with James O'Brien #32: Akala deconstructs race, class, and Britain's modern myths (2018) | Youtube

*#INTROSPECTION: Akala - “I Won’t Sell Out To Succeed” (2019) | Youtube

*#INTROSPECTION: Akala - "The Global System And Future World" (2015) | Youtube

Kimberlé Crenshaw: The urgency of intersectionality (2016) | TED, Youtube