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Our society is one that loves to celebrate the film industry. Fans make their favourite television shows trend on Twitter, people go to the movie theatres every weekend, and millions of people tune into the Oscars and Emmys every year. All too often, however, the celebration of this industry ignores the contributions made by Black people. In the history of the Oscars, only 22 Black actors have won. Similarly, only 6% of American film writers, directors, and producers are Black. These statistics are certainly upsetting, and make it all the more important that we recognize and support shows and movies that highlight Black actors, producers, directors, etc. Here are some upcoming projects that do this, and that you should definitely add to your watch list!
The changeling
The Changeling is an upcoming tv show that is based on the novel of the same name. This horror show depicts a man’s search through a fantastical and dangerous world for his wife who disappeared after committing a horrifying act. If you love horror, mystery, drama, and fantasy, this seems like the perfect show for you! It’s directed by Melina Matsoukas, an Afro-Cuban and Afro-Jamaican director who got her name by directing episodes from shows like Insecure and Master of None, as well as music videos like Beyonce’s “Formation”. The show stars LaKeith Stanfield—who has been featured in many amazing movies like Selma, Judas and the Black Messiah, Get Out, and Knives Out—as the main character. The filming for this show began in May 2022, so hopefully it’ll be out soon!
Spider-man: across the spider-verse
Many of you will recognize this upcoming sequel from its previous movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which was one of my personal favourite movies of 2018. And I’m sure the sequel will be just as amazing, if not better! In this movie, Miles Morales must travel across universes to save every version of Spider-Man from a mysterious villain, with the help of a group named the Spider-Force. Miles Morales is the first Black Spider-Man to be featured in a major film, which had a considerable impact in terms of the importance of proper representation! This article does an amazing job of explaining the journey that was taken to reach this milestone and the importance of these films. This movie’s expected to come out this June, so get excited!
The color purple
If you’ve never heard of the musical/novel The Color Purple, you should definitely check it out. It’s such an amazing and powerful piece of work that there’s a movie adaptation being made of it! This movie will be directed by famous directors Steven Spielberg and Quincy Jones and produced by Scott Sanders and Oprah Winfrey (the latter of the two produced the musical and starred in the 1985 movie adaption). The big names don’t end behind the scenes, though. Powerhouse performers like Halle Bailey, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Corey Hawkins, and H.E.R. are set to star in this movie that depicts the life of an African American woman living in Southern America in the early 1900s. It’s scheduled for release on December 30th, and with a cast and crew like this, it’s certain to be one of the best movies of the year!
Lupin part 3
The Netflix Original Lupin is a French show about a professional ‘gentleman’ thief looking to avenge the death of his father. I watched the first two seasons when they came out a few years ago and loved it! And I wasn’t the only one—according to Netflix, 70 million households watched Lupin in the first month of its release, making it the most-watched non-English show and second most successful debut of a Netflix Original! The protagonist Lupin is played by award-winning actor Omar Sy. Sy gained fame for his stellar performances that led him to be the first Black recipient of the Cesar Award for Best Actor (which is the French equivalent of an Academy Award). He puts on an incredible performance in Lupin and I look forward to the release of the third season (which as of now has no confirmed release date).
There are too many upcoming projects that highlight Black talent to include in this list, and you should definitely take the time to research some more movies and tv shows that demonstrate Black contributions to the film industry. But hopefully these four projects are a good starting point and get you excited for the future of film! It’s our duty as viewers to recognize and pay attention to projects that may go under-appreciated due to embedded stigma and bias in the film industry. There’s no better time to begin this than Black History Month (although your support of these projects should extend throughout the whole year)!