We, the Friends of Greenbelt Theatre, believe in the power of film to generate understanding and empathy, community and—most importantly—conversation. We believe film is a powerful tool: one that can help us look at our past to understand our current context, one that can illuminate the everyday abuses of racism, and one that can educate our community on the ways we can move forward toward a better, more equitable future.
As we stand and strongly say to our community that Black Lives Matter, we do it using the tool we always use to create conversation and community: film. What follows is FGT’s recommended viewing list. We have shown many of these films at our cinema, and we will continue to showcase films by Black creators.
This selection is by no means comprehensive, but we offer it as a place to start for those in our community looking to educate themselves and listen to Black voices in film.
First, we have partnered with Magnolia Pictures to re-release three documentaries: I Am Not Your Negro, Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am, and Whose Streets?. These films are available not for rent, but for purchase so you can watch, review, and learn for as long as you like.
Second, Warner Brothers has made the film Just Mercy free through Amazon Video. We showed this at the theater, and recommend you take advantage of this free opportunity to view the film (whether for the first time or for a refresh viewing).
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13th (Ava DuVernay) — Netflix
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Black Power Mixtape: 1967-1975 (Goran Olsson) — Currently FREE on Amazon Video
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Crime and Punishment (Stephen Maing) — Hulu
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King In The Wilderness (Peter Kunhardt) — Kanopy (free with library card) and HBO (various platforms)
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The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (Stanley Nelson Jr.) — Amazon Prime and Hoopla (free with library card)
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What You Gonna Do When the World’s On Fire (Roberto Minervi) — Kanopy (free with library card)
Narrative Films/TV Shows
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American Son (Kenny Leon) — Netflix
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Clemency (Chinonye Chukwu) — available to rent
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Dear White People (Justin Simien) — Netflix
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Do The Right Thing (Spike Lee) — available to rent
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Fruitvale Station (Ryan Coogler) — Roku (free with ads)
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Get Out (Jordan Peele) – available to rent
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If Beale Street Could Talk (Barry Jenkins) — Hulu
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Insecure (Issa Rae and Larry Wilmore) — HBO
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Mudbound (Dee Rees) — Netflix
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See You Yesterday (Stefon Bristol) — Netflix
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Talk to Me (Kasi Lemmons) — Starz
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The Hate U Give (George Tillman Jr.) — Cinemax, Direct TV or rent through Fandango
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When They See Us (Ava DuVernay) — Netflix
