Movies About Slavery

From Quentin Tarantino, starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington
Rated R

Django Unchained is a 2012 American revisionist western film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino and starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, and Samuel L. Jackson. The story is set in the Old West and antebellum South and follows a freed slave (Foxx) who treks across America to rescue his enslaved wife (Washington). Along the way, he is aided by a German bounty hunter (Waltz). The two eventually team up in a daring mission to take down a ruthless plantation owner (DiCaprio). The film is both a tribute to and a parody of the spaghetti western genre and incorporates elements of blaxploitation films. It was met with widespread critical acclaim and earned five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. Django Unchained ultimately won two Oscars for Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Waltz.

From Steve McQueen, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Kenneth Williams, Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt
Rated R

12 Years a Slave is a 2013 British-American historical drama film directed by Steve McQueen. It is based on the 1853 memoir of the same name by Solomon Northup, a free African-American man who was kidnapped in Washington, D.C., in 1841 and sold into slavery. The film depicts Northup's experiences of being sold to a slave trader and his life as a slave on plantations in Louisiana. It stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as Northup, alongside Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Lupita Nyong'o, Sarah Paulson, Brad Pitt, and Alfre Woodard. The film chronicles Northup's struggles to adjust to his new life as a slave, and his determination to eventually regain his freedom. It was a critical and commercial success, winning three Academy Awards and grossing over $188 million worldwide. The film garnered numerous accolades, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress for Nyong'o at the 86th Academy Awards.

From Lars von Trier, starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Isaach De Bankolé, Danny Glover, Willem Dafoe
Rated Not Rated

From Steven Spielberg, starring Djimon Hounsou, Matthew McConaughey, Anthony Hopkins, Morgan Freeman
Rated R

From Sergio Corbucci, starring Franco Nero, José Canalejas, José Bódalo, Loredana Nusciak
Rated Not Rated

From Directors: Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner, Simon Wells, starring Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock
Rated PG

From Gillo Pontecorvo, starring Marlon Brando, Evaristo Márquez, Renato Salvatori, Dana Ghia
Rated R

From Nate Parker, starring Nate Parker, Armie Hammer, Penelope Ann Miller, Jackie Earle Haley
Rated R