Movies by Black creators to watch on Netflix

Actors get all the attention, but to make a movie truly great, you need a winning combination of writers, directors, and producers, as well as onscreen talent. To make a strong film that authentically portrays its Black characters, you need Black creatives in those decision-making positions. It’s a very simple concept, people!

To shed a little more light on the incredible writers, directors, and producers that put their hearts and souls into crafting our favorite flicks, we’ve put together a list of must-see movies on Netflix made by Black creators — and we’ve done the same for TV shows. Time to load up that queue.

1. Mudbound

Based on the novel of the same name, Mudbound follows two American soldiers (Garrett Hedlund and Jason Mitchell) who return from WWII changed men. Their rural Mississippi town, however, has not evolved with them. 

Director Dee Rees became the first Black woman ever nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the exceptional script, which she wrote alongside Virgil Williams. Mary J. Blige also garnered both a Best Supporting Actress and a Best Original Song nomination — the first time in history someone has been nominated for an acting and song award in the same year. Mudbound is a riveting and deeply affecting historical drama about two intertwined families navigating an era of intense social change.

How to watch: Mudbound is now streaming on Netflix.

2. Atlantics

Ada and Souleiman are lovers living in a suburb of Dakar who must say goodbye when Soulemain boards a boat to Spain in search of reliable work. Souleiman is joined by his fellow construction workers, all of whom have not been paid for months of work on a mysterious new building looming over their neighborhoods. But when the boat is lost at sea, the ghosts of these abused laborers return to Dakar, possess the women left waiting for them, and seek revenge on the employers who did them wrong. 

2019’s Cannes Festival Grand Prix-winning film, Atlantics is a stunning supernatural romantic drama from French-Senegalese director Mati Diop in her feature-length debut. This is a ghost story rooted in class conflict, effortlessly linking its fantastical elements with the deeply human inequality that created them. It is romantic, spooky, and thought-provoking all at once, a breathtaking metaphor for migration and the grief that haunts those left behind. 

How to watch: Atlantics is now streaming on Netflix.

3. The Harder They Fall

Directed by Jeymes Samuel, The Harder They Fall not only boasts an incredible cast — Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Regina King, Zazie Beetz, LaKeith Stanfield, and Delroy Lindo — but also defiantly reclaims the Western, even before the opening credits roll. A tale of heroes and villains, the film follows Nat Love (Majors), on a quest for revenge against the formidable Rufus Buck (Elba). But he’ll have to make his gunslinging way through “Treacherous” Trudy Smith (Regina King) and Cherokee Bill (Stanfield).

As Mashable’s Kristy Puchko writes in her review, “Bursting with dazzling Black stars, the Netflix-made Western introduces some of the fascinating Black cowpokes who made their mark on the Wild West. Co-writer/director Jeymes Samuel resurrects their legends with style, attitude, and an opening title card that teases, ‘While the events of this story are fictional…These. People. Existed.'” — Shannon Connellan, UK Editor.

How to watch: The Harder They Fall is now streaming on Netflix.

4. The Piano Lesson

In 1936, Boy Willie (Denzel’s son John David Washington) plans to sell a family piano so he can buy some farmland. But his sister, Berniece (Danielle Deadwyler), refuses to allow the piano to be sold. The faces of their ancestors are carved into its wood panels, and their father died stealing it back from the family’s enslavers. The debate divides the family as the two siblings implore each other to see things from their point of view. 

Based on a 1987 August Wilson play, The Piano Lesson is a stirring meditation on legacy and sacrifice. With crackling dialogue and a distinct visual style, director Malcolm Washington (another of Denzel’s sons!) ensures that this film never feels static like many stage-to-screen adaptations. It’s energetic. It’s alive. And it’s beautifully cathartic.

How to watch: The Piano Lesson is now streaming on Netflix.

5. Daughters

This heartfelt documentary from directors Angela Patton and Natalie Rae explores the father-daughter relationships between four young Black girls and their incarcerated dads. More specifically, Daughters shows both sides of this bond as dads and daughters prepare for a dance held within prison facilities to aid fathers in nurturing their connection while incarcerated. At this lovely event, the girls will wear finery and their fathers don suits; all get to share a dance and make treasured memories.

In Mashable’s review, critic Monica Castillo cheered, “Daughters is easily one of the best documentaries you’ll see all year. It’s enlightening, it’s moving, and it’s stunning to watch. Patton and Rae focus on the experience of four little girls to illustrate such a specific loss that’s often overlooked in conversations about the criminal justice system. The documentary leaves you with more to think about, some tears to dry, and perhaps the feeling you should call your dad to tell him you love him.”* — Kristy Puchko, Film Editor

How to watch: Daughters is now streaming on Netflix.

6. See You Yesterday

Eden Duncan-Smith is C.J. Walker, a gifted high school science prodigy who ventures to build a time machine after her brother is killed by the police. With the help of her best friend, she tries to save her brother’s life — but she’ll soon learn that changing the past doesn’t come without consequences. 

Written by Fredrica Bailey and Stefon Bristol, and directed by Bristol, this science-fiction adventure is the perfect combination of teenage hijinks and emotional depth. We’re on one hell of a ride, but we never forget the stakes these young characters are facing. It’s captivating, fun, and a much-needed fresh take on a classic genre. Science-fiction films that center Black lives and Black stories have long been a rarity, but with more A+ entries like See You Yesterday, they’ll hopefully become the norm. 

How to watch: See You Yesterday is now streaming on Netflix.

7. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Based on a 1982 August Wilson play, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom vividly tells the story of a single, tempestuous recording session in 1927 Chicago. Viola Davis is a powerhouse as Ma Rainey, the legendary Blues singer, frustrated with her white producers. Chadwick Boseman is electric as the hot-headed, ambitious Levee, a trumpeter trying to inject his original music into one of Ma’s tracks. Their argument about ownership and which version of a song is better escalates and transforms into a blistering dialogue about racism. Directed by George C. Wolfe and written by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is both an exhilarating tribute to a jazz icon and an indictment of the music industry’s treatment of Black artists. It’s as relevant then as it is today. 

It also, heartbreakingly, features Chadwick Boseman’s final performance — and perhaps his finest, most exuberant work. 

How to watch: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is now streaming on Netflix.

8. She’s Gotta Have It

​​Thirty-one years before it was a Netflix series, She’s Gotta Have It was the daring comedy that launched Spike Lee’s career and became a landmark in America’s emerging independent film scene. Filmed on a tight budget on black-and-white stock, this Lee joint centers on Nola Darling (Tracy Camilla Johns), a charming Brooklyn-based graphic artist who is juggling three lovers. When these jealous men demand she choose just one of them, Nola is pushed to consider what she wants from love, sex, and relationships. Critics championed how Lee captured a side of Black experience rarely shown in mainstream movies. The prestigious Cannes Film Festival honored him with the Award of the Youth, while the Independent Spirit Awards gave him the award for best first feature, and Johns best female lead.* — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor 

How to watch: She’s Gotta Have It is now streaming on Netflix.

9. Entergalactic

When street artist Jabari (Kid Cudi) moves into his new Manhattan apartment for a major job opportunity, he knows his life is about to change. But what he doesn’t anticipate is how mesmerized he will be by his charming photographer neighbor, Meadow (Jessica Williams). 

With a breathtaking animation style reminiscent of Into the Spiderverse and Arcane, Entergalactic is an fresh, captivating love story. Accompanied by the music of Kid Cudi’s 2022 album of the same name, the couple falls head-over-heels in a heady, breathless, unbelievably lovely sequence — it’s hard not to fall with them. With epically imaginative visuals and a star-studded supporting voice cast featuring Ty Dolla Sign, Timothée Chalamet, and Vanessa Hudgens, Entergalactic is a one-of-a-kind romance for the modern audience.*

How to watch: Entergalactic is now streaming on Netflix.

10. The Old Guard

Charlize Theron is the hardened leader of a mysterious group of warriors who cannot die in smart blockbuster The Old Guard. Throughout their long, lonely lives, they’ve done what they can to influence history and nudge humanity in the right direction. And now, just as a dogged investigator is close to uncovering their secret, they’ve found a new member (​​KiKi Layne) who desperately needs their guidance. 

Director Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love and Basketball and The Secret Life of Bees) skillfully juggles the many moving parts of this high-concept, action-packed, superhero flick. Both emotionally intelligent and brutally violent, The Old Guard is a gripping, nonstop adventure that will leave you begging for more.

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How to watch: The Old Guard is now streaming on Netflix.

11. Dolemite Is My Name

Rudy Ray Moore is a struggling comedian/musician/creative/anything looking to break in. But when he comes up with a new character, Dolemite (“Dolemite is my name, and fucking up motherfuckers is my game!”), he starts to actually garner some attention — and he’s determined to make the most of it! Dolemite Is My Name tells the outrageous true story of the man (and the character) that launched a highly successful series of blaxploitation films in the ’70s. Again and again, Moore finds himself up against roadblocks in an industry that caters to white audiences. Again and again, he forges ahead. His determination is infectious.

Eddie Murphy, who also produced the film, is pitch-perfect as Moore and surrounded by a simply stellar cast: Keegan-Michael Key, Craig Robinson, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Mike Epps, Tituss Burgess, and Wesley Snipes. 

How to watch: Dolemite Is My Name is now streaming on Netflix.

12. His House

Written and directed by Remi Weekes, His House is a horror film for the modern era — and one of the best British films to come out of 2020. Two refugees from South Sudan arrive in London after a harrowing journey that killed their daughter. They try to move forward with their new life, but a supernatural presence in their home refuses to let them forget their past. Seamlessly blending the daily dread of the refugee experience with the horror of a paranormal visitor, His House is an impressive debut film from Weekes. It’s unique, it’s socially conscious, and it’s downright terrifying. 

How to watch: His House is now streaming on Netflix.

13. The Kitchen

Kibwe Tavares and Daniel Kaluuya’s film The Kitchen is more than a sci-fi drama set in near-future London; it’s a sharp commentary on privatization and oppression, police brutality, and the power of community resistance. It’s also Kaluuya’s directorial debut, and a hell of a watch.

Protagonists Izi (Top Boy star Kane Robinson) and Benji (Jedaiah Bannerman) live within the titular neighborhood known as The Kitchen, the last remaining bastion of independent housing in London. Plagued by brutal police raids and skint resources, the community is constantly under threat. It’s a brilliantly shot, superbly acted, and all-too-real cautionary tale.* — S.C.

How to watch: The Kitchen is now streaming on Netflix.

14. Strong Island

So claustrophobic in its intimacy that it becomes difficult to watch at times, director Yance Ford’s personal memoir film is at its base about the killing of his brother 20 years earlier by a white mechanic who never paid for the crime, and the ways that event tore apart Ford’s family in the decades that followed. That intimacy echoes outward with every step closer — into conversations about race and gender and who even gets to dream in America. Ford shoots his own face in extreme close-up as he painfully retells his family’s story, from the Jim Crow South to the Long Island suburbs, letting us into a world that feels at times too private. But it’s also profoundly relatable, and devastatingly sad.* — Jason Adams, Freelance Writer

How to watch: Strong Island is now streaming on Netflix.

15. Da 5 Bloods

Mashable’s Adam Rosenberg reviewed Da 5 Bloods in the summer of 2020, writing: “In the midst of widespread IRL social upheaval that many hope will finally start to undo the trauma wrought by centuries of deeply embedded prejudice, this new movie delivers a powerful sense of perspective.” Spike Lee’s war film, a keenly impactful meditation on systemic racism, stars Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, the late Chadwick Boseman, and more.* — Alison Foreman, Entertainment Reporter 

How to watch: Da 5 Bloods is now streaming on Netflix.

16. Wendell and Wild

Written by Jordan Peele and directed by Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach), Wendell and Wild has all the makings of a new classic. Featuring the beautiful and macabre stop-motion animation reminiscent of Selick’s past masterpieces, this latest installment adds a touch of teen angst to his ghoulish canon. Kat is a hardened foster kid who blames herself for her parents’ death. So when two bombastic demons (played with glee by Key and Peele themselves) promise they know how to bring her parents back, she puts her fears aside and makes a deal.*

How to watch: Wendell and Wild is now streaming on Netflix.

17. 13th

Before Brian Banks, Free Meek, and even True Justice, Ava DuVernay’s groundbreaking 13th educated audiences nationwide about mass incarceration and the widespread wrongful imprisonment of Black Americans.

The Emmy-winning documentary, titled to reference the 13th Amendment — the amendment that abolished slavery — not only elevates the voices of those who have fallen victim to America’s broken justice system, it exposes those who made such a system possible, such as proponents of Jim Crow-era statutes and the multiple former presidents and political leaders that contributed to the Republican Party’s war on drugs (which enlisted Bill Clinton as well). 13th extensively enlightens viewers on how a majority of Black Americans unfairly serve time in the prison industrial complex. * —Tricia Crimmins, Entertainment Reporter  

How to watch: 13th is now streaming on Netflix.

18. Bantú Mama

Bantú Mama made a splash at its SXSW premiere, the first Dominican film ever selected by the festival. Written by Clarisse Albrecht and Ivan Herrera, and directed by Herrera, this drama follows a French woman of African descent (played by Albrecht) who gets arrested in the Dominican Republic. After escaping, she finds safe haven with a couple of kids in a dangerous Santa Domingo neighborhood, and a found family emerges. Drawing on Albrecht’s own experiences living in France, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, and the Dominican Republic, Bantú Mama is a moving, hopeful film that deftly weaves African and Caribbean cultures together. 

How to watch: Bantú Mama is now streaming on Netflix.

19. Roxanne Roxanne

Written and directed by Michael Larnell, Roxanne Roxanne explores the life and early career of rapper Roxanne Shanté. In the late ’80s and early ’90s, a teenage Roxanne carves out a name for herself as a fierce battle MC while navigating the dangers of living in the Queensbridge Houses in Queens, New York. Chanté Adams received the Sundance Special Jury Prize for breakthrough performance for her fiery portrayal of the young rapper. With a production team that included Forest Whitaker, Pharrell Williams, and Nina Yang Bongiovi (who discovered Ryan Coogler), music by RZA, and a supporting cast that features Mahershala Ali and Nia Long, Roxanne Roxanne is a must-see biopic.

How to watch: Roxanne Roxanne is now streaming on Netflix.

20. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F

Coming back onto the scene 30 years after Beverly Hills Cop III flopped, this fourth installment of the comedic crime-solving adventures of Detroit police officer Axel Foley has no right to be as good as it is. Not only did screenwriters Will Beall, Tom Gormican, and Kevin Etten have to manage shifting public opinion about cops who play by their own rules, but also, they had to handle the challenges of Axel’s wise-cracking sense of humor, which traditionally put just about everyone in its crosshairs. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F manages to thread the needle on both in a way that gives fresh life to the character without casting aside the fans who loved his wild ways.

As I wrote in my rave review, “Eddie Murphy is as good as ever as Axel Foley.” Plus, he’s got his old friends, like John Ashton, Judge Reinhold, Paul Reiser, and Bronson Pinchot back and in action. It’s an absolute blast to see all these energies colliding, and yet there’s room for newcomers, like the dynamic Taylour Paige and the ever-solid Joseph Gordon-Levitt, both of whom prove to be compelling foils to the always-quipping Murphy. “In the end, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F isn’t just a great sequel, or an awesome action-comedy; it might just be the most entertaining movie of the year.”* — K.P.

How to watch: Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is now streaming on Netflix.

21. Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé

It’s not often that we get to look behind the curtain when it comes to Beyoncé, and though Homecoming is tempered, it deeply satisfies that craving.

One of the best music documentaries on Netflix, the film follows the legendary performer as she dominates Coachella 2018, but the surprise gig also happens to be her biggest since giving birth to twins Rumi and Sir. Over the course of two hours, you watch Beyoncé ascend the stage like a phoenix rising, relishing the show’s homage to historically Black colleges across the country. In between, she opens up about the creative process how the overall vision comes to life. It’s the closest some of us will ever get to a Beyoncé concert, and we truly feel at home.* — Proma Khosla, Entertainment Reporter 

How to watch: Homecoming is now streaming on Netflix.

22. Passing

Written and directed by Rebecca Hall, and produced by Forest Whitaker, Passing is a tense exploration of identity and colorism, shot purposefully in a restrictive black and white. 

In 1920s New York, Tessa Thompson is Irene, a light-skinned woman who pretends to be white for an afternoon to escape the heat in an upscale hotel. There, she happens to run into an old friend, Claire (Ruth Negga), who is “passing” full-time as a white woman and married to a white doctor (Alexander Skarsgård) who has no clue she’s been lying to him. While Irene is fascinated and conflicted by Claire’s actions, Claire is taken by an intense desire to reconnect with the Black community she left behind — even though doing so could put her entire way of life at risk. 

Based on a Nella Larsen novel, Passing is sophisticated, captivating, and uncomfortable. A sense of doom permeates the lives of these characters, as they confront unsettling truths about the world they live in. The subject matter is intense, but Hall navigates it confidently and with care. An unforgettable watch.

How to watch: Passing is now streaming on Netflix.

23. They Cloned Tyrone 

With this 2023 release, co-writer/director Juel Taylor pulls plenty of inspiration from Blaxploitation. John Boyega, Jamie Foxx, and Teyonah Parris star as a drug dealer, a pimp, and a sex worker who undercover a nefarious conspiracy that’s happening underneath their neighborhood. Taylor and fellow screenwriter Tony Rettenmaier weave in wild twists, fly fight scenes, irreverent humor, and swaggering style for what our critic called “a propulsive comedy-thriller with weight.” As bold as it is star-studded, you won’t want to miss They Cloned Tyrone. And stay for the credits, trust us.* — K.P.

How to watch: They Cloned Tyrone is now streaming on Netflix.

24. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Based on a true story and a memoir bearing the same title, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is a Malawi-set drama from first-time director Chiwetel Ejiofor. It stars Maxwell Simba as William Kamkwamba, a young boy who loves to tinker with science and technology but can’t attend school because his family can’t afford it.

In the mid-2000s, social and economic strife leave William’s village in dire straits. He concocts a plan to save his village from a drought by building an energy-producing windmill, but there’s one obstacle: His doubting father, Trywell (Ejiofor). The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is a touching, at times heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting story of a young boy finding his own way to triumph over adversity.* — A.F. 

How to watch: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is now streaming on Netflix.

25. The Forty-Year-Old Version

Written, directed, and produced by Radha Blank, The Forty-Year-Old Version is a total triumph. Loosely inspired by Blank’s own experiences, this engaging, energetic film follows a playwright who is nearing her 40th birthday and feels like she has nothing to show for it. Frustrated with the theatrical establishment that continually stymies her success, she finds herself increasingly drawn to rap, a solitary art form that needs no collaborators or gatekeepers.

Shot in beautiful black and white, The Forty-Year-Old Version feels wholly fresh. It’s a story we’ve never seen before, told in a style that is completely its own.*

How to watch: The Forty-Year-Old Version is now streaming on Netflix.

Asterisks (*) indicate the entry comes from a previous Mashable list.

UPDATE: Jan. 24, 2025, 5:28 p.m. EST This article has been updated to include current streaming options.