2017 and 2018 have been revolutionary times for film-making. There has been a plethora of amazing movies, and many of them were presented at the Oscars this year. By these actors and directors making such ambitious and breathtaking films, they were making history that we need today in order to leave our mark as people of color (POC) in America. Along with many others, here are the main movies that have been the turning points and upward pivots in black films.
1. Get Out
"Get Out" is a horror movie about an African-American man visiting his white girlfriend's parents for a weekend, and but the tension between the people reaches a boiling point that no viewer would ever expect. As interesting as that part of the movie sounds, that was not where the plot twist came into the picture. Instead, it arrived when director Jordan Peele was the first African-American screenwriter to win an Academy Award in the 90 years since the Academy Awards aired.
He was not the only African- American screenwriter to be nominated/ In the past, a total of four have been nominated: Suzanne de Passe for “Lady Sings the Blues,” Spike Lee for “Do the Right Thing” and John Singleton's “Boyz n the Hood."
2. Wonder Women
"Wonder Women" is a film about a girl who is hidden from men and her true powers until a war flier crashes into her land. Once he fell into there hidden lands, she went with him to defeat the god who has caused so much trouble for her and her people. During this time in the real world, she discovered her true abilities as a woman and as a superhero. However, this film is most empowering because director Patty Jenkins is the first female director of Warner Bros to direct a superhero film.
3. Black Panther
As many of you know, "Black Panther" had made a significant impact in film history at the beginning of 2018. It is about a fictitious place in Africa known as Wakanda, where everything is technologically ahead in a plethora of ways. It's about a son taking his father's place as king and shows that, though all mistakes come back to haunt you if not handled correctly, they can still be fixed, no matter how much time passes after they take place.
One of the biggest moments for the movie was that it actually hit the one billion dollar mark in the worldwide box office numbers! In addition to making such a huge impact, the director of "Black Panther," Ryan Coolger, is the youngest Marvel director ever.
4. Victoria & Abdul
"Victoria & Abdul" is about an unlikely friendship between Queen Victoria and Clerk Abdul Karim. This film is making its mark because it proves that even the oddest and most different people can create a friendship that lasts a lifetime. It shows that two completely different people with nothing in common to begin with can become very close friends for life. Although this film did not win in the 2018 Oscars, it was still nominated in a plethora of categories which shows the mark that it is making in film-making.
SEE ALSO: It's Unsurprising What A Minuscule Role People Of Color Play In The Modeling Industry
5. A Wrinkle In Time
"A Wrinkle In Time" is about a group of children who go and attempt to find the father of one of the girls in the group. However, in order to do that, they must go through space to find him, using the help of three peculiar beings. This film is making its mark by having the first black female director, Ava DuVernay, to have directed a movie that has hit a one hundred million dollar budget only.
This movie had been in the hands of many, ever since Catherine Hand got it, and she had high hopes for this book ever since she had read it. Once she got the rights to make a movie, it passed through over 20 years of producers until it got into the hands of DuVernay.