By Makayla Flenoury
In today’s society, films that are meant to depict Black history, Black social issues, center Black humor, or even feature predominantly Black casts are often categorized as “Black Films.” This raises many questions for me, but I keep coming back to one: Why?
Film genres are traditionally categorized by shared characteristics in form, style, subject matter and events. For example, horror films rely on fear. The genre branches into subgenres such as psychological horror, body horror and supernatural horror. These labels describe the storyline and what to expect.
Race does not operate in the same way.
Labeling a film as a “Black movie” does not provide insight into its narrative structure. It tells you nothing about what the movie is about, except for stereotypical assumptions. Audiences may expect the film to rely on stereotypes or to appeal exclusively to black audiences. This expectation stems from the development of African American filmmakers throughout history.
Historically, the film industry has portrayed African Americans in a negative light. In the mid-19th century (1830s – 1870s), minstrel shows were a popular form of theater. These shows were performed mainly by white actors wearing blackface to portray racial stereotypes. Early filmmaking continued this trend with movies like 1915’s Birth of a Nation. The film openly portrayed African Americans as violent and immoral.
In response, Hollywood created the “Race Films” to revolutionize black cinema. This started a rise of black filmmakers and movies created for a black audience, creating long-overdue representation and opportunities.
The most influential “Race Film” director was Oscar Micheaux. He is credited with becoming the first major African American filmmaker. According to the Los Angeles Film School, Micheaux was an ambitious writer and published several novels that he later turned into movies. According to Rotten Tomatoes, Micheaux directed and produced 42 feature films from 1919 to 1948. The Homesteader (1919) was his most successful and revolutionary film.
By the 1970s, the subgenre of Blaxploitation emerged. The name is a combination of “black” and “exploitation”. StudioBinder defines the term as a wave of independently produced genre films, predominantly made by Black crews for Black audiences. Common subjects were crime, drugs and racial tension.
According to the College of Charleston, the term was coined by Junius Griffin, the president of the Beverly Hills Hollywood chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), in 1972. Despite Blaxploitation’s success, Griffin argued these films were harmful and portrayed stereotypes about Black communities.
According to StudioBinder, two movies are considered Blaxploitation’s founding films: Melvin Van Peebles’s “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song” (1971) and Gordon Parks’ “Shaft” (1971).
The genre even had several subcategories, including crime, action, horror, coming-of-age and musical. These categories already existed within cinema, yet films rooted in black culture were treated as different and required a different label.
According to The Independent Student Voice of Savannah State University, Blaxploitation films disappeared as quickly as they came. The market became oversaturated with Blaxploitation films. Though the era was short-lived, it left a huge impact on the film industry.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the time for the Black New Wave. According to Shotdeck, films created in the Black New Wave prompted a new consideration of the Black experience in America and were supposed to serve as a chain breaker for the racist Hollywood system.
Many filmmakers considered Spike Lee’s “She’s Gotta Have It” (1986) the starting point for the Black New Wave. Lee’s film sparked major inspiration for other Black filmmakers, one of whom was John Singleton. “Boyz n The Hood” (1991) was the first debut feature for a Black filmmaker backed by a major studio (Columbia Pictures).
The popularity of the Black New Wave died down, as every era does, but Hollywood started to step back into the racist system. The category of “Black Films” is already rooted in oppression and stereotypes, which never truly went away.
Now, the label “Black film” often limits a movie’s value and reach. Films with a predominantly Black cast, Black humor, or Black historical narratives are often assumed to be only for Black audiences, regardless of their themes or artistry.
Films that represent Black history are stories that are for a broader audience. When films are narrowly categorized, it can’t bring the awareness it can bring. Oftentimes, to get a message of racial or systemic issues across to a larger audience, it’s often done in a fictional sense, like “Zootopia” or “Avatar.”
Similarly, films based on Black humor can be harmful within the community. For example, it’s easy for a “Black card” to be deemed invalid because that person hasn’t seen “Friday” or “Scary Movie.”
Even so, African American filmmakers have not stopped working, and many movies have become revolutionary in modern times. Spike Lee, the creator of the Black New Wave, is still alive and working today. He directed “Do the Right Thing” (1989), “Malcolm X” (1992), and many more films. Ryan Coogler directed and produced many popular films, like “Creed” (2015), “Black Panther” (2018), and “Sinners” (2025). Jordan Peele created many amazing horror films like “Get Out” (2017), “Us” (2019), and “Nope” (2022).
There are many more African American filmmakers out there. These filmmakers have continued to spread the African American influence across all genres.