10 Top Movies Made by Black Directors

This drama, based on Terry McMillan's novel, follows four African-American women as they deal with relationship problems, which helps them form stronger bonds with each other.

This hilarious parody of blaxploitation movies stars Keenan Ivory Wayans, Isaac Hayes and Jim Brown as black heroes on a quest for revenge.

In this dramatic comedy, Sugar Ray (Richard Pryor) and his protege (Eddie Murphy) go up against gangsters and corrupt cops while running their illegal casino in the 1920s.

This epic film centers around druglord Nino Brown's (Wesley Snipes) rise to power and a detective's (Ice-T) quest to stop him.

This Oscar nominated flick involves a group of friends growing up in a Los Angeles ghetto. Cuba Gooding Jr. stars as Tre, whose father (Laurence Fishburne) struggles to teach him responsibility and strength of character.

If you like Goodfellas or Mean Streets, this is the movie for you. This cult classic follows a young man in South Central Los Angeles, who tries to move from his hometown in order to escape the fate of his peers -- most of whom are either in jail or dead.

If you're starting to spot a trend, you're not alone. Like Friday and Training Day, Spike Lee's breakout film also takes place on a single day. The Oscar nominated movie examines racial tension in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn.

This drama, for which Denzel Washington earned his first Best Actor Oscar, also took place within a 24-hour time span. The audience is taken for a ride along with rookie detective Jake (Ethan Hawke), who spends his first day with veteran cop Alonzo (Denzel). Jake soon finds out that Alonzo isn't what he first appears.

This classic comedy takes place all on one day -- Friday. After Craig (Ice Cube) is fired from his job, he spends the day on his porch with his friend Smokey (Chris Tucker). The two get themselves in and out of trouble while dealing with the neighborhood bully and a notorious dope dealer.

In honor of Black History Month we've compiled a gallery of the top movies made by Black directors starting with 2009's Oscar winning drama, Precious.



The movie, starring Gabourey Sidibe in the title role, follows an overweight, illiterate teen mom, who hopes to enroll in an alternative school to put her life on a different track.