Black leaders in the film industry have continuously broken barriers with their films in order to pave the way for upcoming voices, and many do so by forming their own production companies. Case in point– Oscar Micheaux, noted as America’s first Black filmmaker, was the only man of color to ever produce a feature length film in 1919. Micheaux, regarded as the most successful African-American filmmaker during the first half of the 20th century, worked as a film director and independent producer on more than 44 existing projects. He produced both silent and sound pieces throughout his career, creating opportunities for hundreds of artists along the way.
Spike Lee transformed the industry in ‘86 with his directorial debut, the acclaimed romantic comedy film She’s Gotta Have It, centering on sexuality in the Black community; the main character, Nola Darling (Tracy Camilla Johns), explores sexual relationships with three different men. Although deemed as controversial by some, many critics looked at the film as inspiring, telling the story of a woman of color who is sexually liberated in a time period that didn’t follow the same sentiment.
Similar forms of criticism have been made when analyzing Tyler Perry, for example. Many criticize his depiction of Black women and men on screen due to the heightened level of trauma and pain his Black characters typically endure before arriving at a place of contentment by the film’s end. Although unsettling, it’s important to see these aspects of life reflected within Perry’s works. In life, if we truly strive to achieve something beyond our current circumstances, we will 99.9% endure forms of trauma; it just is what it is. Perry certainly doesn’t illustrate those struggles perfectly in every single film, but he does show the difficulties that life can bring forth before welcoming growth and success. Like Spike Lee, Perry created his own production company, and the two Black filmmakers have incorporated countless new voices into their work.
The inclusion of POC (people of color) both on and behind the screen is essential due to the fact that it reflects diversity. Representation in media and its various art forms allows viewers (especially the younger generation) to see people who look like them mirrored within the content they consume. There was once a time when the voices of Black directors were pushed out by mainstream media, but an emergence of Black-owned distribution companies (like Spike Lee’s 40 Acres and a Mule, Tyler Perry Studios, Ice Cube and Matt Alvarez’s CubeVision, and Oprah’s Harpo Productions) began to rise, evoking a ‘for us by us’ mentality. Let’s look at five promising black film directors who are taking Hollywood by storm, while incorporating an accurate portrayal of diverse representation on screen.
Kay Oyegun
Comcast
Talented writer, producer, and director Kay Oyegun is most known for her work on the ABC series This Is Us, as well as her writing for OWN’s drama series Queen Sugar. In January 2021 she made her official directorial debut, directing the “Birth Mother” episode for This is Us, leading to her direction of several additional episodes of the hit series. Over the summer, Paramount recently purchased the rights to distribute Oyegun’s script for Assisted Living into a feature length film. Rapper Cardi B is set to make her debut as the leading actress in the upcoming comedy. Kay, a Nigerian woman, is all about breaking barriers for the next generation of women of color.
Misha Green
Gustavo Caballero / Getty Images
Misha Green is best known for her creation of HBO’s series Lovecraft Country and the series Underground, which focused on the slave trade in the 1850s and the attempts at liberation. Vocal about her inspiration of ’80s adventure movies, the producer and director incorporates her interest of contemporary blood-and-guts horror films within her own work.
Lovecraft Country follows Atticus Freeman (Jonathan Majors), his friend Letitia (Jurnee Smollett) and uncle George (Courtney B. Vance) as they take off on a road trip across an unforgiving, racially insensitive America in search of Atticus’ missing father. Set around segregation in 1950s America, the series ties into famous horror writer and racist H. P. Lovecraft’s speculated location in his book’s numerous fictional synopsis. As it pertains to the violence incorporated in Lovecraft Country, Green has been vocal, stating that she wanted to depict an accurate representation of what it was like to be a Black family in America during this dark and gray time period.
Though Lovecraft Country was canceled by HBO back in November (due to Green’s allegedly “toxic work environment,” though nobody beyond James Andrew Miller and his book, Tinderbox: HBO’s Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers, think so), but HBO and Green are still in contract to work. Meanwhile, Misha Green has signed a multi-year deal with Apple and is set to make her directorial debut for MGM’s next installment of Tomb Raider, starring Alicia Vikander.
Nia DaCosta
Mark Von Holden / Invision / AP
Regarded as the first African-American woman to have a film debut at number one upon opening weekend, Nia DaCosta has already directed some serious gems, including Little Woods and Candyman (2021), not to mention the highly-anticipated upcoming film The Marvels. Nia’s crime drama Little Woods details the story of two sisters driven to extreme circumstances when their mother suddenly dies, leaving them with one week to pay back her mortgage.
Little Woods was awarded the Nora Ephron Prize at the Tribeca Film Festival. Her next project, the supernatural slasher remake Candyman, unpacks issues tied to racial injustice, gentrification and disregard towards Black bodies. It was profound to see Nia and fellow writer Jordan Peele bring to the forefront Black trauma in America and the generational traditions of exploiting Black beings through horrific murders, lynch mobs, etc.
Stefon Bristol
S&A
After co-writing and directing the time-travel themed film, See You Yesterday, Stefon Bristol has created his own lane through unapologetically being himself. The Brooklyn-born filmmaker graduated from Morehouse College & New York University’s Graduate Film program, Tisch School of the Arts. While studying at NYU, he worked under mentor Spike Lee, who has assisted Bristol in producing previous projects. His 17-minute student thesis, See You Yesterday, follows a group of teenage science prodigies turned superheros who spend excessive amounts of time working on a homemade invention: backpacks enabling time travel. After screening at a total of 35 film festivals; premiering at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, the short film was picked up by Netflix & HBO, generating a multitude of successful reviews. Bristol’s upcoming projects include the adventure-themed film produced by Netflix, Gordon of Hemingway & The Realm of Cthulhu, in addition to thriller Breathe from Thunder Road Films.
Blitz Bazawule
ONERPM
Hip-hop musician, filmmaker, novelist and visual artist Blitz Bazawule is a future household name that we are most definitely keeping on our radar. Bazawule, a Ghanaian native, wrote and directed his first feature film The Burial of Kojo in 2018, telling the story of Kojo, a man who is left to die in an abandoned gold mine by his godawful brother. Through visions, Kojo’s young daughter Esi goes on a spiritual quest to save him. The story is conveyed delightfully, depicting the connection between a Black father and his daughter.
Bazawule later went on to work with Queen Beyoncé herself, co-directing Beyoncé’s Black Is King, the 2020 visual album for Disney+. In production for over a year, the film was recorded across six countries and on three continents. Black Is King celebrates diversity and heritage, taking pride in the identity of Blackness. The experimentation with music, dance movements, colors within costumes and regal set designs were all implemented to showcase the richness of cultures throughout the continent of Africa. Blitz Bazawule is set to direct a remake of the revolutionary ‘85 film The Color Purple, staring actress Taraji P. Hensen.
