Movies About Slaves

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. It stars Jamie Foxx as Django, a freed slave who teams up with a German bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) and sets out to rescue his wife (Kerry Washington) from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner (Leonardo DiCaprio). Along the way, Django and Dr. King Schultz (Waltz) face off against various adversaries, including the Ku Klux Klan and Django's former owner (Samuel L. Jackson). The story is set in the Old West and Antebellum South, and uses the Spaghetti Western style to explore the issue of racism in America. The film was met with critical acclaim and grossed over $425 million worldwide. It won numerous awards, including two Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Christoph Waltz. Django Unchained received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Cinematography and Best Original Score, and numerous other awards and nominations. It is considered one of the greatest Westerns of all time.

From Directors: Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Sam Wood, starring Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Thomas Mitchell, Barbara O'Neil
Rated Passed

Gone With the Wind is a 1939 American epic historical romance film set in the American South during the American Civil War and Reconstruction era. The film follows the life of Scarlett O'Hara, the strong-willed daughter of a Georgia plantation owner, from her romantic pursuits of Ashley Wilkes, the wealthy bachelor from an aristocratic family, to her marriage with Rhett Butler, the rogue from Charleston. Through a series of personal and professional trials, including the burning of Atlanta during the Civil War, Scarlett strives to protect her loved ones and reclaim her family’s fortune. Along the way, there is plenty of drama, romance, and heartbreak.

From Ava DuVernay, starring Melina Abdullah, Michelle Alexander, Cory Booker, Dolores Canales
Rated TV-MA

13th is a documentary film by award-winning director Ava DuVernay that examines the history of racial inequality in the United States, particularly in regards to the mass incarceration of African Americans. The film looks at the intersection of race, justice, and mass incarceration in the United States, and examines how the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, has been used to disproportionately imprison African Americans. Through interviews with prominent activists and influential political figures, 13th paints a picture of a system that has been designed to keep African Americans and other citizens of color locked in a cycle of incarceration and poverty. The film offers insight and calls for reform, challenging viewers to reconsider the criminal justice system and its effects on the people it is supposed to protect.

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

12 Years a Slave is a 2013 biographical period drama film directed by Steve McQueen and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Lupita Nyong'o. The film is based on the 1853 autobiography of the same name by Solomon Northup, a free African-American man who was kidnapped in Washington, D.C. and sold into slavery in the Deep South. It depicts his struggles to survive and bring his freedom back. The film follows Northup's traumatic 12-year journey as he is sold from one slave owner to another, enduring physical and emotional abuse, and making numerous attempts to escape. He eventually finds allies and regains his freedom in the process. The film was met with critical acclaim and won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress.

From John Korty, starring Cicely Tyson, Eric Brown, Richard Dysart, Joel Fluellen
Rated TV-PG

The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman is a 1974 American film adapted from the 1971 novel of the same name by Ernest J. Gaines. The film stars Cicely Tyson in the title role and covers a period of American history from the Civil War through the Civil Rights Movement. It follows the life of Jane Pittman, a 102-year-old African American woman living in rural Louisiana in the early 1970s. Through flashbacks, Jane recounts her life story beginning with her childhood as an enslaved girl on a plantation, where she witnesses the horrors of slavery. She eventually escapes and later organizes a community of freed slaves who build a thriving township called Timbo. In the present, Jane becomes a leader of the civil rights movement in her community. Throughout the film, she is a symbol of resilience and hope in the face of racial oppression.

From René Laloux, starring Barry Bostwick, Jennifer Drake, Eric Baugin, Jean Topart
Rated PG

Fantastic Planet is a 1973 French animated science fiction film directed by René Laloux. The film takes place on an extraterrestrial planet called Ygam, where blue-skinned humanoid aliens called Draags have enslaved a race of humanoid creatures called Oms. The Draags have taken control of the planet and live in a utopian society while the Oms are treated as animals. The story follows an Om named Terr, who is taken in and raised by a Draag named Tiva. Terr eventually learns the Draag language and comes to understand their advanced technology. With the help of some other Oms, Terr leads a rebellion against the Draags to free the Oms from their oppression. The film is known for its surrealist art style and its exploration of themes of imperialism, oppression, and the power of knowledge.

From D.W. Griffith, starring Lillian Gish, Robert Harron, Mae Marsh, F.A. Turner
Rated Passed

Intolerance is a silent film directed by D.W. Griffith, released in 1916. It tells four separate stories, each spanning centuries and continents, of individuals struggling against oppressive forces. The first tale is set in ancient Babylon, where a young prince must confront an oppressive ruler. The second follows a French couple whose romance is threatened by the religious intolerance of the period. The third story is set in a Judean hillside, where a young mother is persecuted for her beliefs. Finally, the fourth story is set in modern America, where a working-class couple's love is threatened by social intolerance and injustice. Through these stories, Griffith seeks to explore the universal themes of prejudice, injustice, and the power of love and justice over prejudice.

From Sam Raimi, starring Bruce Campbell, Embeth Davidtz, Marcus Gilbert, Ian Abercrombie
Rated R

From Michael Apted, starring Ioan Gruffudd, Albert Finney, Michael Gambon, Romola Garai
Rated PG

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

From Amma Asante, starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Matthew Goode, Emily Watson, Miranda Richardson
Rated PG

From Directors: Paul Bogart, Gordon Douglas, starring James Garner, Louis Gossett Jr., Susan Clark, Brenda Sykes
Rated PG

From Gary Ross, starring Matthew McConaughey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Mahershala Ali, Keri Russell
Rated R

From Werner Herzog, starring Klaus Kinski, King Ampaw, José Lewgoy, Salvatore Basile
Rated Not Rated

From John Sayles, starring Joe Morton, Daryl Edwards, Rosanna Carter, Ray Ramirez
Rated R

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

From Kevin Willmott, starring Greg Kirsch, Renee Patrick, Molly Graham, William Willmott
Rated PG-13

From Peter Cousens, starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Sharon Leal, David Rasche, Kimberly Nichole
Rated R

From Jonathan Demme, starring Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover, Yada Beener, Emil Pinnock
Rated R

From Salvador Litvak, starring Tom Amandes, Lea Coco, Penelope Ann Miller, Bruce Davison
Rated Not Rated

From Bill Condon, starring Tony Todd, Kelly Rowan, Caroline Barclay, Michael Bergeron
Rated R

From David Zucker, starring Kevin P. Farley, Kelsey Grammer, Leslie Nielsen, Trace Adkins
Rated PG-13