Film & TV: Black History Month

By Luminate

February 22, 2024

— 1 min read

By Luminate

February 22, 2024

— 1 min read

Luminate Film & TV proudly commemorates Black History Month this February, illuminating the incredible talent and cinematic masterpieces that capture the diverse cultural narratives of the Black community in the United States. The cinematic gems below show the depth of Black talent and underscore the power of storytelling’s pivotal role in fostering empathy and compassion.

Please enjoy the films and immerse yourself in celebrating 2024 Black History Month!

Black History Month Projects.

Project: 'Rustin'; Arena: Biographical, Black Stories, LGBTQ Stories, Period Piece, Political, Prejudice, True Story/Event; Released by: Netflix; Release Date: 11/03/2023; Summary: The architect of 1963's momentous March on Washington, Bayard Rustin was one of the greatest activists and organizers the world has ever known. He challenged authority, never apologized for who he was, what he believed, or who he desired. And he did not back down. He made history, and in turn, he was forgotten.

Project: 'American Fiction'; Arena: Black Stories, Literary Adaptation, Satire; Released by: Orion Pictures; Release Date: 12/15/2023; Summary: Thelonious 'Monk' Ellison is an English professor and author who writes a satirical novel under a pseudonym, aiming to lay bare the hypocrisies of the publishing world. The book's immediate success forces Monk to get deeper enmeshed in his assumed identity and challenges his closely-held worldviews. Based on the novel 'Erasure' by Percival Everett.

Project: 'The Book of Clarence'; Arena: Black Stories, Faith/Religious, Period Piece, Satire; Released by: Tristar Pictures | Sony Pictures; Release Date: 01/12/2024; Summary: Streetwise but struggling, Clarence is trying to find a better life for himself and his family, make himself worthy to the woman he loves, and prove that he's not a nobody. Captivated by the power and glory of the rising Messiah and His apostles, he risks everything to carve his own path to a divine life, a journey through which he finds redemption and faith, power and knowledge.

Project: 'Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé'; Arena: Biographical, Black Stories, Concert/Performance, Feminist Stories, Music, Popular Culture, Women Centered Stories; Released by: Variance Films; Release Date: 12/01/2023; Summary: The film follows the Renaissance World Tour, from its inception to the opening in Stockholm, Sweden, to the finale in Kansas City, Missouri, and the artist's involvement in every aspect of the production.

Project: 'Leave the World Behind'; Arena: Black Stories, Dystopia/Apocalypse, Literary Adaptation, Psychological, Survival; Released by: Netflix; Release Date: 12/08/2023; Summary: Amanda and her husband Clay rent a luxurious home for the weekend with their kids, Archie and Rose. Their vacation is soon upended when two strangers – G.H. and his daughter Ruth – arrive in the night, bearing news of a mysterious cyberattack and seeking refuge in the house they claim is theirs. Based on the novel by Rumaan Alam.

Project: 'South to Black Power'; Arena: Black Stories, Documentary, Political; Released by: Max; Released date: 11/28/2023; Summary: On the eve of last year's midterm elections, Charles M. Blow, New York Times columnist and best-selling author of 'The Devil You Know: A Black Power Manifesto,' sets off across the country on a personal journey to test his theory on Black Liberation.

Project: 'Bye Bye Barry'; Arena: Biographical, Black Stories, Football, Sports; Released by: Prime Video; Release date: 11/21/2023; Summary: One of the giants of the sport, Barry Sanders, displayed a style and flair that has never been replicated. Ten years into his Hall-of-Fame career, it was only a matter of time before he broke Walter Payton's record for most career rushing yards. But in his prime, at age 31, in the summer of 1999, he walked away from the game, never to return.

Project: 'High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America'; Arena: Art/Culture, Black Stories, Documentary, Food/Drink/Cooking, Informative; Released by: Netflix; Release date: 11/22/2023; Summary: Black food is American food. Chef and writer Stephen Satterfield traces the delicious moving throughlines from Africa to Texas in this docuseries.

Project: 'The Little Mermaid'; Arena: Literary Adaptation, Live Action/Animation, Magical, Musical, Romance, Remake; Released by: The Walt Disney Studios; Release date: 05/26/2023; Summary: The youngest of King Triton's daughters, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea. While visiting the surface, she falls for Prince Eric and decides to follow her heart. She makes a deal with Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land, but places her life in jeopardy. Reboot of the 1989 animated film 'The Little Mermaid' and based on Hans Christian Anderson's short story.

Project: 'We Grown Now'; Arena: Black Stories, Buddy Pic, Coming of Age, Period Piece; Released by: Sony Pictures Classics | Stage 6 Films; Release date: Coming Soon; Summary: Two young boys discover the joys and hardships of growing up in the sprawling Cabrini-Green public housing complex in 1992 Chicago.

Black History Month: Talent.

Jurnee Smollett: Producer, Talent;; Screen Score: 70; Projects: 'We Grown Now', 'The Burial', 'Lou'; Ethnicity: 2+ Ethnicity (Black; White/Caucasian). Colman Domingo: Writer, Author, Director, Producer, Talent; Screen Score: 83; Projects: 'Drive-Away Dolls', 'The Color Purple', 'Rustin'; Ethnicity: 2+ Ethnicity (Black: Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latino; Latin/Hispanic); LGBTQ+: Gay.

Beyoncé: Director, Producer, Writer, Talent; Screen Score: 84; Projects: 'Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé', 'Black Is King'; Ethnicity: Black (Creole).

Halle Bailey: Talent; Screen Score: 75; Projects: 'The Color Purple', 'The Little Mermaid', 'Celebrity Game Face'; Ethnicity: Black (African American).

Myha Herrold: Talent; Screen Score: 42; Projects: 'Leave the World Behind', 'Dumb Money', 'Black Mirror'; Ethnicity: 2+ Ethnicity (Black; White/Caucasian); LGBTQ+: Queer.

Stephen Satterfield: Producer, Talent; Projects: 'High on the Hog', 'How African American Cuisine Transformed America', 'Repeat'; Ethnicity: Black (African American).

LaKeith Stanfield: Producer, Talent; Screen Score: 73; Projects: 'The Book of Clarence', 'The Changeling', 'Haunted Mansion'; Ethnicity: Black (African American).

Teyana Taylor: Producer, Talent; Screen Score: 61; Projects: 'The Book of Clarence', 'A Thousand and One', 'Coming 2 America'; Ethnicity: Black (African American, Afro-Caribbean).

Jeffrey Wright: Producer, Talent; Screen Score: 84; Projects: 'American Fiction', 'Rustion', 'Asteroid City'; Ethnicity: Black (African American).

Erika Alexander: Director, Producer, Talent; Screen Score: 54; Projects: 'American Fiction', 'Earth Mama', 'Black Pop: Celebrating the Power of Black Culture'; Ethnicity: Black (African American).

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Film & TV: Black History Month

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