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10 Essential Films by Black Women Directors
Black women and nonbinary directors have long been reshaping cinema—telling stories that are intimate, political, experimental, and unforgettable. This list features 10 essential films that span decades, genres, and perspectives. Whether you’re a new viewer or a longtime supporter, these works are a vital starting point.
1. Killing Time (1979) – Fronza Woods
Where to Watch: Criterion Channel
Why: A darkly humorous short film about a young woman who can’t decide what outfit to wear before dying by suicide.
2. Eve's Bayou (Director's Cut) (1997) – Kasi Lemmons
Where to Watch: Criterion DVD
Why: The Director’s Cut includes a family member who is not present in the theatrical release, further reinforcing this Southern Gothic film’s themes of the frailty of memory, intuition, and perception.
3. Faya Dayi (2021) – Jessica Beshir
Where to Watch: Criterion Channel
Why: An engaging documentary featuring hypnotic black-and-white cinematography about the cultivation of the plant khat in Ethiopia, which provides a hallucionegic effect when consumed.
4. Losing Ground (1982) – Kathleen Collins
Where to Watch: Criterion Channel
Why: A poignant, wrly funny look at the life of a bookish Black woman, who slowly comes into her own as she navigates a disappointing marriage.
5. The Watermelon Woman (1996) — Cheryl Dunye
Where to Watch: Kanopy
Why: It’s both a meta commentary on the importance documenting and archiving ourselves and also a refreshing romantic comedy told through a queer lens.
6. Drylongso (1996) – Cauleen Smith
Where to Watch: Criterion Channel
Why: A sometimes sad, darkly humorous and ultimately sweet story of survival and friendship and perhaps also a blueprint for how the arts can help us survive in the face of everyday horrors.
7. Suicide by Sunlight (2019) – Nikyatu Jusu
Where to Watch: YouTube and Criterion Channel
Why: A stylish, sensual take on vampire lore, starring Natalie Paul as a vampire who can daywalk due to the melanin in her skin.
8. Daughters of the Dust (1991) – Julie Dash
Where to Watch: Criterion Channel
Why: A visually lush rumination on a Gullah family’s lives and lineage set at the turn of the 20th century; it’s also an inspiration for many other artists, including Beyoncé, Solange, and Raven Jackson. Daughters of the Dust is also the first film directed by an African American woman to receive a wide release.
9. Middle of Nowhere (2012) – Ava DuVernay
Where to Watch: Netflix and Kanopy
Why: DuVernay won the 2021 Best Director Award at Sundance Film Festival for this deeply personal look at the effects incarceration has on families through the perspective of a former medical student whose husband is imprisoned.
10. Mudbound (2017) – Dee Rees
Where to Watch: Netflix
Why: A sprawling, post-WWII epic about two families fighting for survival in Mississippi.