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 ten promising Black film directors who are taking Hollywood by storm while incorporating an accurate portrayal of diverse representation on screen.
Update March 23, 2024: If you are eager to learn more about young Black voices in cinema, this article has been updated by Samuel Cormier with even more great filmmakers, including a recent Academy Award winner.
Kay Oyegun
Talented writer, producer, and director Kay Oyegun is a proud Nigerian-American woman. She has a bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of Pittsburgh and an MFA in Producing from USC. In January 2021, she made her official directorial debut, directing the "Birth Mother" episode for the ABC series This is Us, leading to her direction of several additional episodes of the hit series. Beforehand, she also wrote for OWN's drama series Queen Sugar, produced by Ava DuVernay (who directed the groundbreaking Selma and 13th) and Oprah Winfrey as an executive producer.
What Makes Them Great
Kay is all about breaking barriers for the next generation of women of color. Despite very little industry experience and not a drop of nepotism, she has managed to land amazingly big projects helmed by other powerful black women. Even though she is still at the very beginning of her career, Paramount recently purchased the rights to distribute Oyegun's script for Assisted Living into a feature-length film, and rapper Cardi B is set to debut as the leading actress in the comedy.
Savanah Leaf
Savanah Leaf's directorial debut, Earth Mama, opened in theaters in 2023, first premiering at the Sundance Film Festival before opening in theaters in the summer of that year. MovieWeb gave the film a positive review and highlighted Leaf's directorial efforts. Her music video for Gary Clark Jr.'s single This Land was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Music Video; at just 30 years old, she had already made an impression, and it appears she is just getting started.
What Make Them Great
Leaf has one of the most fascinating careers. British-born Her mother, Alison Leaf, is an animator and set-dressing artist who has worked at Pixar and Industrial Light and Magic, but that did not inspire her to go to films originally. She graduated with a degree in psychology from the University of Miami and was an athlete. She was a professional volleyball player and competed for Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics at the age of 19. While she has no projects lined up, it seems almost certain that she is a rising star and will become one of the next great voices in film.
Nia DaCosta
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 Marvels. DaCosta'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 for Female Filmmakers at the Tribeca Film Festival.
What Makes Them Great
DaCosta has an interesting background, as her mother originally immigrated to America from her home country of Jamaica as the leader of hip-hop girl band Worl-A-Girl. Raised in Brooklyn and receiving her degree in London, she cites Scorsese (whom she had the chance to meet while being a television production assistant) and Heart of Darkness and its inspired film Apocalypse Now by Francis Ford Coppola as her primary inspirations. Her second big project, the supernatural slasher remake Candyman, unpacks issues tied to racial injustice, gentrification, and disregard towards Black people. It was profound seeing DaCosta 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, and other atrocities. Many sadly tried to spin The Marvels box office disappointment on her, which is a shame because DaCosta's style was one of the most praised elements of the movie. Despite the box office failings of that film, she still has plenty of exciting projects on the horizon, and this will likely be a minor footnote in her career.