Criterion Channel is offering some of their black-centered films for free right now (likely region restricted to the US but still)
- Body and Soul (1925) dir. Oscar Micheaux
- The Scar of Shame (1929) dir. Frank Perugini
- note the director was white but the cast is all-black
- Portrait of Jason (1967) dir. Shirley Clarke
- note that I’ve seen this and the doc itself is a bit exploitative and hard to watch in the director’s treatment of Jason but imo still worth a watch for Jason alone
- Symbiopsychotaxiplasm Take One (1968) dir. William Greaves
- Interesting concept but be warned of rampant homophobia esp. use of the f slur
- Black Panthers (1970) dir. Agnès Varda
- Again white director but she gives the party room to speak for itself
- A Well Spent Life (1971) dir. Les Blank
- Suzanne, Suzanne (1982) dir. Camille Billops, James Hatch
- Cane River (1982) dir. Horace Jenkins
- Losing Ground (1982) dir. Kathleen Collins
- My Brother’s Wedding (1983) dir. Charles Burnett
- Daughters of the Dust (1991) dir. Julie Dash
- The Watermelon Woman (1996) dir. Cheryl Dunye
- Down in the Delta (1998) dir. Maya Angelou
- And When I Die, I Won’t Stay Dead (2015) dir. Billy Woodberry
- Black Mother (2018) dir. Khalik Allah