Ousmane Sembene’s “Black Girl” and “Tsotsi”  top the List of Best Black Movies of All Time  

The Black Movie Hall of Fame has compiled a list of 100 Best Black films ever made.  
Some of the films on the list include Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembene’s 1966 film “Black Girl,” the South African drama “Tsotsi,” Chiwetel Ejiofor’s “12 Years a Slave,” Eddie Murphy’s comedy “Coming to America,” “Hotel Rwanda” and the animated superhero film “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.”    

Other highly ranked films that made the cut are the Oscar winning dramas “Moonlight,” “American Fiction” and “Black Panther.”  

It’s a list that showcases a diverse range of genres and styles.    

“Inspired by the American Film Institute’s 100 Years…100 Movies list, this is our fresh take on some of the best movies ever made,” says Shawn Edwards, executive director of the Black Movie Hall of Fame (BMHOF). 

In addition to unveiling the 100 Best Black Movies of All Time, Edwards, a film critic at Fox 4 News in Kansas City, Missouri, engaged more than 40 of the world’s most influential Black film critics and entertainment reporters to share their top 10 Black films.    

“What sets this list apart from others is that every film on the list is about the Black experience and curated entirely by Black film critics and entertainment journalists. It’s a list from a completely different perspective,” continues Edwards.       

The Black Movie Hall of Fame was created to honor the pioneers of Black cinema, and its mission is to elevate and celebrate the cultural significance of Black cinema.

To view the full list of all 100 films, visit: https://blackmoviehalloffame.org/top100/.

Fun Facts:

• The oldest movie on the list is “Within Our Gates” (1920).
• The newest movie on the list is “Sinners”(2025).
• Filmmaker Spike Lee directs the most titles on the list, with five films.
• Sidney Poitier stars in six titles—more than any other actor or actress.
• Denzel Washington appears in four titles, the second most of any actor.
• There are nine titles directed by women on the list.
• The list includes six documentaries.
• There are two animated films on the list.
• There are two made-for-television movies on the list.
• Euzhan Palcy is the only woman director with multiple titles (two) on the list.
• Melvin Van Peebles and Mario Van Peebles are the only father-son director duo with titles on the list.