Behind the lens: Directors telling stories in shades of black

ChiRaq
ChiRaq Unit Stills

Black film directors are probably the most underutilized and least recognized categories of people in Hollywood. Their unique perspective and ability to tell stories through film perhaps made greater by the fact they need to overcome this lack of inclusion before their films are even produced. Yet they press on, making films we (ah-hem) people want to see and grossing billions of dollars at the box office. Here are some black directors whose films should be on everyone’s must watch list.

Gordan Parks on set

Gordon Parks

Legendary photographer, journalist, writer, musician and film director, Gordon Roger Alexander Buchanan Parks is best known for his photojournalism of civil rights and other issues surrounding the African American journey through American life.

His first film and directorial debut of The Learning Tree (1969) is a teenage coming of age story based on a semi-autobiographical novel by Parks of the same title. Gordon Parks is best known as a director for the hit film Shaft (1971), which was among the first in a series of black films in the sixties and seventies known as the blaxploitation era. The film’s score, composed by Isaac Hayes earned an Oscar. Shaft is perhaps one of the first movies to take the musical score just as seriously as the film, providing great inspiration for future directors like Spike Lee.

Gordon Parks went on to direct four other films and he also made several television projects. Although Gordon Parks is no longer with us, there are several publications and documentaries about his life to ensure his legacy lives.

Must Watch
The Learning Tree poster
The Learning Tree (1969)
Shaft poster
Shaft (1971)
Shaft's Big Score! poster
Shaft's Big Score! (1972)
Leadbelly poster
Leadbelly (1976)
American Playhouse - Solomon Northup's Odyssey poster
American Playhouse: Solomon Northup's Odyssey (1984)
Robert Townsend on set

Robert Townsend

With a brief blink-and-you-might-miss-him appearance in Cooley High (1975), Robert Townsend has been affiliated with movie making for quite some time, yet it was Hollywood Shuffle (1987) that put him on the map as a director.

Hollywood Shuffle gave the world one liners like “how much for one rib” and “don’t make me hop after you” and the visual of fish tank platforms that will live on for all eternity. It was the start of a long time film career for actors like John Witherspoon, Keenan Ivory Wayans, and Damon Wayans. He also directed Eddie Murphy’s RAW that same year, which went on to become one of the highest grossing stand-up comedic films of all time.

Robert Townsend’s directorial career went on to include movies we “heart” like The Five Heartbeats (1991) and B.A.P.S. (1997), and others we may have missed like 10,000 Black Men Named George (2002) and Phantom Punch (2009). Robert Townsend has paved the way for all of those mentioned on this list whose careers have followed. He took risk and was not a shamed to tell our stories, or even mock them, making him a pioneer of our time. Although it has been a while since directing a major film, we are still graced with Robert Townsend’s directorial work on the small screen with Black Lightning (2019) and American Soul (2019), ensuring his presence remains alive and well in the industry.

Must Watch
Hollywood Shuffle poster
Hollywood Shuffle (1987)
Eddie Murphy: Raw poster
Eddie Murphy: Raw (1987)
The Five Heartbeats poster
The Five Heartbeats (1991)
The Meteor Man poster
The Meteor Man (1993)
10,000 Black Men Named George poster
10,000 Black Men Named George (2002)
Spike Lee on-set

Spike Lee

Perhaps the first black film director to make the qualification ‘black film director’ a term used in a sentence, Spike Lee has made some of the most prolific black films of our time. Spike Lee’s signature use the movie camera to display images within his movies, combined with his love for music to tell a complete story not only makes viewers want to see his movies on the release date, but they also want to own the DVD and purchase the accompanying sound track.

More than 30 years later, we are still “Doing Da Butt” from School Daze (1988) at family reunions and “Fighting the Power” against the slayings of unarmed black boys in our communities like Radio Raheem in Do the Right Thing (1989). Since 1983, Spike Lee’s directorial film credits include She’s Gotta Have It (1986), Malcolm X (1992), Crooklyn (1994), Girl 6 (1996), Miracle at St. Anna (2008), and Chi-Raq (2015). He has directed countless movies, documentaries, television episodes, stage shows, and music videos, finally achieving his first Oscar for directing BlacKkKlansman (2018), a film he also wrote and produced, depicting a black rookie police officer’s infiltration of the KKK in Colorado Springs, based on a true story.

It’s obvious Spike Lee is not waiting for Hollywood recognition in his quest to tell great stories so there is no doubt there will be plenty more Spike Lee Joints for our viewing pleasure in the future.

Must Watch
Do the Right Thing poster
Do the Right Thing (1989)
Mo' Better Blues poster
Mo' Better Blues (1990)
Malcolm X poster
Malcolm X (1992)
Inside Man poster
Inside Man (2006)
Miracle at St. Anna poster
Miracle at St. Anna (2008)
Tyler Perry on set

Tyler Perry

Tyler Perry is living proof that hard work and determination, combined with creativity and imagination, and a little bit of branding truly pays off. In 1999, Tyler Perry created Madea, the grandmother everyone wished they had, with the stage play, I Can Do Bad All by Myself. Soon after, Madea became a fixture in Perry’s stage plays, which he wrote, directed, produced, and starred, and the common denominator that has carried right through his films, some having the same titles as his plays, which he has done the same.

From sleeping in his car, to collaborations with Oprah, to owning his very own Tyler Perry Film and TV studios in Atlanta, Tyler Perry has used his ability to write, act, and direct to create a cult like following of his works which still include live stage plays and movies with revenue that have continuously earned him spots on various Forbes lists of people with money.

Breaking away from the Madea films which made him famous, Tyler Perry has written and directed a number of movies successfully omitting the character from the screen, including Why Did I Get Married – 1 & 2 (2007 & 2010), For Colored Girls (2010), The Single Moms Club (2014), Acrimony (2018) and Nobody’s Fool (2018). Now that Tyler Perry is in the midst of Madea’s final stage play tour around the country, it will be interesting to watch where he takes his creativity and imagination in the years to come.

Must Watch
Why Did I Get Married?
Why Did I Get Married? (2006)
Madea Goes to Jail
Madea Goes to Jail (2006)
Daddy's Little Girls
Daddy's Little Girls (2007)
Good Deeds
Good Deeds (2012)
Acrimony
Acrimony (2018)
Ava DuVernay on set

Ava DuVernay

Since the release of her first documentary film Compton in C Minor (2009), Ava DuVernay has been fresh out of the box with a number of documentary films, film shorts, television episodes, commercials, and music videos to her credit, including Jay-Z’s “Family Feud” featuring Beyoncé. Her first feature film directorial credit, I Will Follow (2011), burst on to the film scene paving the way for Ava DuVernay to achieve some sort of first with every film she has touched.

Her second film, Middle of Nowhere, premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival where she won the U.S. Directing Award: Dramatic, become the first African-American woman to ever win the prize. Ava DuVernay’s rise to fame came with the release of the critically acclaimed Selma (2014) that won an Oscar for best original song, “Glory”. Yet the biggest uproar following that Oscar ceremony was due to the fact Ava DuVernay was not nominated for Best Director, causing outrage amongst Black Twitter with the hashtag #Oscarsowhite.

Despite any perceived setback, Ava DuVernay pressed forward to direct A Wrinkle in Time (2018) with a budget of over $100 million making her the first African American woman to direct a live-action film with of such a budget. The film went on to bring in $33 million it’s opening weekend, no doubt putting Ava Duvernay in the position to be called upon for many more directorial opportunities in the future.

Must Watch
I Will Follow
I Will Follow (2010)
Middle of Nowhere
Middle of Nowhere (2012)
Selma
Selma (2014)
13th poster
13th (2016)
A Wrinkle in Time poster
A Wrinkle in Time (2018)
F. Gary Gray

F. Gary Gray

Felix Gary Gray began his directorial career directing music videos for Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, TLC, and Outkast, so it would make sense that his first feature film directorial debut was Friday (1995), also Ice Cube’s first feature film which he starred and co-wrote, given their work together in music.

Perhaps its F. Gary Gray’s versatility through the direction of music videos to include other artists like Jay-Z, Whitney Houston, Barry White, R. Kelly, and Babyface, that has made him a go-to director in Hollywood.

Other than Friday, Set it Off (1996), and Straight Outta Compton (2015), F. Gary Gray has directed movies that wouldn’t necessarily be considered black movies like The Negotiator (1998), The Italian Job (2003), Law Abiding Citizen (2009), and The Fate of the Furious (2017). Upon release, Straight Outta Compton and The Fate of the Furious both set records for highest grossing films by a black director, and The Fate of the Furious, the 8th release of the franchise, became the first film with a black director to gross over $1 billion worldwide, demonstrating Gray is a force to be reckoned with, not only for black movies, but for movies as a whole. If money talks in Hollywood, F. Gary Gray is here to stay.

Must Watch
Friday poster
Friday (1995)
Set It Off poster
Set It Off (1996)
Be Cool poster
Be Cool (2005)
Law Abiding Citizen poster
Law Abiding Citizen (2009)
Straight Outta Compton poster
Straight Outta Compton (2015)
John Singleton

John Singleton

Since the release of Boyz N the Hood (1991), John Singleton has been behind the camera directing movies people were excited to watch. John Singleton’s movies put celebrity faces on common inner-city stories and made those stories relatable to the masses.

From street life and gang violence, to baby daddy drama, being black in college, and of course, black love, his movies have amassed such a huge following over the years that not only are they cherished by those living the lives portrayed on screen, they have become bona fide American classics. Affording him the opportunity to take his gift of making movies to create films like Poetic Justice (1993), Higher Learning (1995), Shaft (2000), and Baby Boy (2001) to the main stream with 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), Four Brothers (2005), and Abduction (2011).

John Singleton passed on April 29, 2019 which inspired this list. He leaves behind a directorial legacy of movies, TV show episodes – Billions, Empire, Snowfall, and music videos, including Michael Jackson’s Remember the Time, to ensure we remember John Singleton and his stories live on for generations to come.

Must Watch
Boyz In The Hood poster
Boyz in the Hood (1991)
Poetic Justice poster
Poetic Justice (1993)
Higher Learning poster
Higher Learning (1995)
Baby Boy poster
Baby Boy (2001)
Four Brothers poster
Four Brothers (2005)
Antoine Fuqua on set

Antoine Fuqua

Getting his start directing music videos as far back as 1994, Antoine Fuqua directed videos for Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Toni Braxton, Prince, and Stevie Wonder, brushes with greatness in the music industry undoubtedly ensured he’d drift toward working with greatness throughout his film career.

The Replacement Killers (1998) produced by the legendary John Woo starring Chow Young Fat was Antoine Fuqua’s directorial debut. He can even be credited for possibly making one of the greatest actors of all time, Denzel Washington, even better through his direction of Training Day (2001), which earned Denzel his first Best Actor Oscar. Antoine Fuqua directed Denzel Washington in three other films The Magnificent Seven (2011) a remake of the 1960s movie, and The Equalizer 1 and 2 (2014 & 2018). Antoine Fuqua is currently in the process of remaking Scarface which should be a delight considering his track record of action films.

Must Watch
The Replacement Killers poster
The Replacement Killers (1998)
Bait poster
Bait (2000)
Training Day poster
Training Day (2001)
Shooter poster
Shooter (2007)
Brooklyn's Finest poster
Brooklyn's Finest (2009)
Mario Van Peebles on set

Mario Van Peebles

Son of film director Melvin Van Peebles, Mario Van Peebles grew up with movies as a way of life and a part of his DNA, which is evident in Baadasssss! (2003), the biopic which he starred, co-wrote, and directed about his father’s efforts to produce the film Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song to show there is a viable African American community to support black stories in film.

Before Baadasssss!, Mario Van Peebles acted in a host of movies (The Cotton Club (1984), Jaws: The Revenge (1987)) and television shows (The Cosby Show (1985), LA Law (1986), 21 Jump Street (1989-1990), Living Single – (1995)). Despite his lineage and resume, Mario Van Peebles didn’t achieve mainstream recognition until the success of New Jack City (1991), a film he directed and co-starred with Ice-T and Wesley Snipes. He went on to direct Posse (1993), a black western, and 1995’s Panther, a film about the Black Panther Party, proving that like his father, Mario Van Peebles wanted to tell stories about all aspects of black lives. Most recently, Mario Van Peebles has directed episodes of television shows like Once Upon A Time and Empire, proving that out of sight doesn’t mean not working.

Must Watch
New Jack City poster
New Jack City (1991)
Posse poster
Posse (1991)
Panther poster
Panther (1995)
Baadasssss! poster
Baadasssss! (2003)
All Things Fall Apart poster
All Things Fall Apart (2011)
Oscar Micheaux on set

Oscar Micheaux

Oscar Devereaux Micheaux was an author who could also be considered the first African-American film director and independent movie producer.

He was a vital part of the Lincoln Motion Picture Company, the first movie company owned and controlled by black filmmakers. The Homesteader (1918), his first film, an adaptation of his first novel The Conquest: The Story of a Negro Homesteader – dedicated to Booker T. Washington, was the first feature production released through Micheaux Film & Book Company. A company he founded in Chicago.

The Homesteader garnered Devereaux Micheaux critical acclaim and he went on to produce and direct more than 40 more films. In 2014 Block Starz Music Television released the documentary film The Czar of Black Hollywood, a chronicle of Devereaux Micheaux’s life and early career using Library of Congress archived footage, photos, music, and illustrations.

Must Watch
The Homesteader poster
The Homesteader (1919)
Within Our Gates poster
Within Our Gates (1920)
The Exile
The Exile (1931)
The Girl from Chicago
The Girl from Chicago (1932)
Birthright poster
Birthright (1939)
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6 comments
  1. Rashia,

    With every article, you can see the growth in your writing. The stories jump off the page, it draws you in. You will never forget the persons or things you write about. I know that you do not have much turn around time when writing your articles. However, they are so well written…you are a natural at this. Another great article. Thank you.

  2. Thankkk QQQ Xtremely Much 4 This Lady,

    As Someone Who Had The Pleasure Of Meeting & Chatting With Spike Lee & Gordon Parks I Felt Like I Had Died & Went 2 Heaven Upon Reading Your Article!!! I Met Spike At The Izod Center As He Chatted With Patrick Ewing!!! My Cousin Was “A DOG” In The Opening Montage Of “She’s Gotta Have It.” When I Told Him I’ve Been Following Him Since His Short Film “Joe’s Barbershop, We Cut Heads” He Was Cracking Up.
    I Met Gordon Parks When He Was Honored As Part Of The Newark Museum Black Film Festival Where His Film “The Learning Tree” was featured. Mr. Parks Was 94 Years Old, Dapped Down In An Electric Blue Suit, Full Head Of Hair, & Was As Vibrant & Present As Ever. He Electrified Me. That Night I Brought A Beautiful Oversized Coffee Table Book On His Life & I Was Fascinated After Reading His Full Life Story. I Immediately Realized That All My Life I Was Nothing More Than A “Gordon Parks Starter Kit.”

    Itz Rare When You Catch Me W/O My Trusty 35MM Digital Camera, I Am Also The Video Guy As I Am Quick 2 Set Up My Camcorder 2 Video What’s Happening In My Life, & As A Musician In My Own Band, Studio Owner, & Hard Core Prince Fan Music Is Never Ever Far From My DNA!!! In My Own Circle Of Friends I Consider Myself “THE DOCUMENTER!!!”

    Think Of All Those People You Loved Who Have Left Your Life 4ever & You Have Nothing 2 Remember Them By. That’s Why I’m The Pain In The Azz Who’s Sticking My Camera/Phone In Your Face Taking Pictures, Recording Videos, Or Writing Down Whatever Events We Have Going Down Just So I Can Have A Reference Of It. My Own Personal Hieroglyphics If You Will, So That When I Am Gone…, The Story Will Be There 4 Future Generations 2 See!!!

    I Loved How You Weaved The Thread Through The Lineage Of All These Gentlemen Taking It All The Way Back 2 Mr. Devereaux Micheaux. Our Stories Need 2 Be Told Through Our Voices Where We Can Truly Deliver All The Insight That Can Only Be Garnered By Having Gone Through The Journey.
    I Truly Felt That Way When Spike Lee Dropped Malcolm X As He Rebelled Against This Story Being Directed By A Legendary White Director. I DID NOT Have A Problem With The Story Being Told By Another Culture, But The Fact That Spike Told It Truly Took Us Down A Deeper Path Allowing It 2 Resonate Inside Of Us.

    Great Job, Great Article, & Keep On Keeping On!!! I Wait With Anticipation 4 Your Next Commentary As You Keeping Hitting Topics That Resonate With Your Audience. Hell Maybe If Pull It All 2gether As These Amazing People Have Done…, Maybe 1 Day You’ll Be Writing An Article About “ME”!!! ROFLMAO!!!

    1. I’m jealous (or envious). I would have liked to meet Gordon Parks.

      I met Spike years ago during a Q&A on film making at the Apple store in lower Manhattan. Seemed like a great guy. Completely under appreciated for what he has contributed to film and American culture.

      Miracle at St. Anna is my favorite because it was very outside of his signature style (and a beautifully shot & written story), but Bamboozled occupies a special place in the “what are we doing to ourselves” part of my brain.

  3. I can’t say enough about the job you are doing. I pray that God will bless you with all my heart and soul into helping you continue doing what you do.i along with the rest of the family are so very proud of you and your writing.take us into the next faze of glory.To GOD be all the Glory.I love you so much baby girl.Love is what love does.

  4. Hey Rashia,
    I’ve enjoyed your writing since your blog days. I rarely bother to look at names – writer, producer, etc. (Though if I do see Stephen King I know enough to skip the movie/book). You’ve, again, opened my eyes to people whose products I’ve enjoyed over the decades without knowing/caring who they were. Then again I rarely know the names of the actors I enjoy.
    Directors and movies going back 100 years! Along that line – you know me – if the company, food, entertainment is good/fun I don’t care who it is or who made it. To that end I am pleased to have you as a friend and yes, I brag about you as a writer, puzzler, cat provider, sharp dresser and sun loving Leo!

  5. Well, well, well!! Rashia I am amazed! Wait! No actually I’m not. You have been saying for quite some time now how much you would like to write a book, article, just write. And I must say you are truly growing with every article you do. Words can not Express how proud I am of you.

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