FILMS TO SCHOOL YOU AND EMPOWER YOU TO BE A PART OF THE CHANGE..
12th June 2020
We at FlipYourWig are never shy from putting it out there. We say it how it is – whether it be #MeToo, #AwardsSoWhite/Male or lack of representation, we voice our opinions. Always supportive of independent films/music, inclusion and diversity. Ready to join the discussion or to start one, if we have to.
Now is the time to remember the wise words of a famous activist, Bobby Seale, who told us: “You don’t fight racism with racism, the best way to fight racism is with solidarity.”
This brings us to NOW. In one of the most crucial times in human history, it’s imperative that we all get on the same page – and FlipYourWig is ready to play its part, we suggest and discuss, hoping that the word will spread around and the topics we touch on will remain an ongoing debate. This time – NOW – is different. For a change, we will not remain strictly informative and evocative – no, today, we are taking almost an educational approach within the realm that we are passionate about – the area that we operate in, one that we love and understand. One of the things that normally brings you to us: the films.
So many amazing people out there right now are making a difference and teaching every single one of us the importance of these historic events. From celebrities, influencers, authors, academics, all the way to the public reposting stories and resources – you’ve all been inspirational, bold and simply game-changing!
The film world is a community that, at its core, is meant to be bringing people of all races, ages, sexes, nationalities and religions together, placing them next to each other at the theatres. cinemas, festivals and exhibitions . They exist so we can all share the love for this immersive, visual method of telling a story that one can capture through the lens of a camera. And through stories, we witness the events unfolding in front of us. Stories that give us not only fiction, but also a context. Knowledge. A glimpse of the past, the present, the future. Stories that can be an important lesson.
Moving pictures are one of the most accessible forms of education on subjects we may not know much about, we may not fully understand or, sometimes, just can’t quite imagine. They present the problems that otherwise could go unnoticed or remain unknown to some of us. This is why we have come together, researched and brainstormed this comprehensive list of films that do an accurate job of portraying the obstacles that black people face in their day-to-day lives. Whether you get it and see it, or maybe want to understand it more… Or, hell, if you’re completely new and maybe oblivious to these issues and seeking guidance! Well, these titles can – and should! – prove invaluable and, perhaps, eye-opening.
There is a reason this article does not contain films just tackling the subject of slavery* – the abhorrent period that started 400 years ago is not one to be ignored or forgotten. We would never dare to simply exclude it. No, the themes explored on this particular list that we are presenting to you are the obstacles and difficulties of the modern world. OF NOW. Of today.
Using the word ‘freedom’ as a form of reparation is not enough to justify the institutional and systemic racism that has prevailed till this day. By just focusing on slavery, we may start believing that Lincoln had closed this dark chapter in the history books once and for all – and that train of thought is dangerous in a society where black people are being mistreated, belittled and killed on a regular basis. This is why you won’t find ’12 Years a Slave’ or ‘Amistad’ on the list below ( all great important stories told that you should watch and understand ) We wanted to catch up on the present-day issues first and stop being blind to prejudice, discrimination, tokenism, white privilege and everyday struggles of people of colour that too often lead to tragedies.
The following, carefully-selected titles are for George Floyd. for Stephen Lawrence, for Breonna Taylor. for Trayvon Martin. for the Central Park Five. They are for all those who had their lives taken too soon. For those who still lose their freedom, unfairly sentenced and incarcerated over crimes they didn’t commit.
These are the films for now – the stories of a modern-day oppression, happening for the last 50-60 years of so-called ‘freedom’ and ‘equality’.
Do the Right Thing (1989)
Spike Lee’s acclaimed classic is a story of racial frictions taking place in Brooklyn at their boiling point on a hot and deadly summer day. Lee’s script was partially inspired by two real-life events: the 1984’s shooting of Eleanor Bumpurs by police and the Howard Beach racial incident from 1986.
Just Mercy (2019)
Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx, along with Brie Larson, are starring in a true story of Walter McMillian (Foxx), an African-American wrongly convicted of murdering a young white woman, Ronda Morrison. Sentenced to death, McMillian spent 6 years on the death row before the court had reversed the decision, ruling it a ‘wrongful conviction’. The film is based on the memoir of Bryan Stevenson (Jordan), who was McMillian’s defense attorney.
A Time to Kill (1996)
The namesake big screen adaptation of John Grisham’s bestselling novel, the courtroom drama ‘A Time to Kill’ follows young attorney, Jake Brigance (Matthew McConaughey), who is defending a black male – Carl Lee Henry (Samuel L. Jackson) – charged with the murder of two white men that raped and attempted to hang his 12-year old daughter, both of whom he shot after finding out that they may get acquitted.
If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
This love story, beautifully crafted by Barry Jenkins, depicts a young woman’s heartwarming and painful fight to clear the name of the father of her unborn child, falsely accused of raping a white woman. Based on the novel of the same name, the film is a visually stunning and emotionally moving accomplishment tackling the corrupt and biased judicial system.
Fruitvale Station (2013)
Before the commercial box-office smash hits like ‘Creed’ and ‘Black Panther’, Ryan Coogler made his name with a brave debut feature based on the real-life tragedy of Oscar Grant – a young African-American male killed in 2009 by a police officer at a Fruitvale district station in Oakland. The film follows Grant’s last day and the events leading up to the fatal shooting.
Dead Presidents (1995)
This crime thriller, partly based on the real-life experiences of Haywood T. Kirkland, and loosely based on several incidents such as the Brink’s robbery from 1981. It follows teenage years of a Vietnam vet who, after returning from war, struggles to support himself and his family, which eventually puts him on a path of crime and violence. The film not only shows the rarely seen struggles of the black soldiers returning from war, but also presents the difficult environment they are often placed in after their return to the United States.
Selma (2014)
Ava DuVernay’s take on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches, during which the African-American citizens called for their constitutional rights to vote. Selma was largely successful as a film, winning DuVernay universal critical acclaim and many accolades. The picture is carried by a strong cast, particularly David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King Jr. and Wendell Pierce as Hosea Williams. A notable feature of the film is also an outstanding and powerful soundtrack – especially the immensely popular main theme song ‘Glory’ by John Legend and Common.
The Butler (2013)
Lee Daniels’ The Butler is a historical drama loosely based on Eugene Allen’s decades of work in the White House (the character inspired by him is called Cecil Gaines in the movie, portrayed by Forrest Whitaker), initially popularised by ‘A Butler Well Served by this Election – an article in Washington Post, written by Wil Haygood.
To kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Based on Harper Lee’s Pulitzer-winning, timeless classic, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ is a brave adaptation beyond its times, tackling the issues of race and racial inequality that too often were ignored at the time of its release (as well as a release of the source novel) – particularly in its setting, the Deep South, where the class and gender roles, as well as the skin color, played an enormous part.
Loving (2016)
Starring Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton as Mildred and Richard Loving, this romantic drama is a biographical retelling of the 1967’s Loving v. Virginia case that led to invalidation of the state laws prohibiting interracial marriage.
Malcolm X (1992)
Yet another must-watch position from Spike Lee’s filmography, with Denzel Washington’s charismatic turn as the titular human rights activist and a vocal Nation of Islam Minister. The film dramatises several key events in Malcolm X’s life and subsequent assassination. The film is largely based Alex Haley’s book ‘The Autobiography of Malcolm X’ and features important figures in in African-American and global history, such as Bobby Seale (Black Panther Party co-founder), Nelson Mandela and Reverend Al Sharpton who all appear in cameo roles.
Fences (2016)
Set in 1950’s Pittsburgh, PA, the film delves into race relations through the life of Troy Maxson, a father attempting to raise a family as black male in America. Directed and starring Denzel Washington, the film is a big screen adaptation of August Wilson’s Tony and Pulitzer-winning play. Wilson also wrote the screenplay of the film that garnered critics’ favors and landed 4 nominations for the Academy Awards, including the most important category: Best Film.
I Am Not Your Negro (2017)
In this documentary, narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, Raoul Peck envisions James Baldwin’s unfinished manuscript ‘Remember This House’, which is a personal account of the lives and assassinations of his close friends: Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Medgar Evers – as well as his on American History. Baldwin only managed to write 30 pages before his death in 1987, and along with collection of notes and letters he had written in the 70s, they play a big part in Peck’s incarnation of this unpublished body of work.
13th (2016)
From the Ava DuVernay, who directed aforementioned Selma, we get a close look and analysis of race, justice and mass incarcerations in the United States of America – a place where, as DuVernay argues, the slavery’s been perpetuated even long after the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which abolished slavery. This documentary examines racism, its prevalence and how deeply rooted this racial prejudice is within the American law and its judicial system.
BlacKKKlansman
Spike Lee’s (mhm, that’s right, third time on the list!) biographical black comedy set in Colorado Springs and following an African-American detective Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) who – after posing as a white man on the phone – builds a relationship with Ku Klux Klan Grandmaster, David Duke (Topher Grace), and with the help of a Jewish-American cop (Adam Driver) infiltrates the local KKK chapter. It is a robust cinematic achievement that makes you literally LOL in a theatre only to follow-up on the joke with such a horrible, disgusting and sharp line of dialogue that it simply leaves you shamefully sinking in your seat – and, deservedly, it lands Spike his first win at the Academy Awards for Best Screenplay (shared with Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott)!
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013)
Of numerous films based on the life of the late and great Nelson Mandela, ‘Long Walk to Freedom’ stands out as the most intimate look at the life of the former South African President and a revolutionary. Based on his autobiographical book of the same name, it follows Mandela’s early life, through puberty and education, as well as his fight against apartheid and the 27-year long incarceration, eventually leading to his successful presidency. Starring Idris Elba and Naomie Harris, the movie is as inspirational as the life led by Nelson Mandela himself.
Moonlight (2016)
Moonlight, best picture winner at the 89th Academy Awards, is a coming-of-age drama co-written by the director Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney, whose unpublished semi-biographical novel ‘In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue’ serves as the basis for the screenplay. The film explores youth, adolescence and early adult life of an African American growing up in a tough neighbourhood with a substance-abusing mother and without a father figure, all the while struggling with bullying, his identity and sexuality.
Get Out (2017)
One of the most intelligent and unique horror films, directed by Jordan Peele from his incredibly sharp screenplay, ‘Get Out’ is a mind-blowing account of liberal ignorance and study of intentional as well as unintentional racism among the white middle-class. In the film, Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) – an African-American man – is invited by his white girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams), to a weekend getaway where he can finally meet her parents. This inconspicuous premise quickly takes a dark turn, unravelling into a horror that Chris will have to face.
Shame in the Game (2020)
BBC’s newest production examines the often unspoken and shameful problem across the football fields all over the UK: racism, experienced by players at every level and its devastating impact that has to be addressed and dealt with once and for all.
Central Park Five (2012)
Racism in the United States is still as ever-present as it ever was, just like injustice, unfair sentencing and planting evidence do. Can you even imagine how bad it was in the 80s and 90s? Central Park Five tackles the rape of Trisha Meili and the racial hysteria that led to the conviction of five young black men, despite the evidence telling us otherwise. Ken Burns, one of the best documentary filmmakers, covers the arrest, interrogation, trials and convictions of, at the time, teenage boys – A MUST WATCH!
Keep checking back for more recommendations. It’s incredibly important right now to share tools for us all to do better while we fight racism. Our hearts were broken for George Floyd and his family. It also left us wanting to be a part of the change and help you feel more informed to join the conversation. Below are some great organisations to support and some chats with people on their own personal experiences. #BlackLiveMatter.
Reni Eddo Lodge talks to Emma Watson
https://flipyourwig.net/2020/06/05/ari-lennox-jacob-banks-tori-kelly-doing-their-way/
https://flipyourwig.net/2020/06/12/16824/
