The World of Black Film

A Journey Through Cinematic Blackness in 100 Films With a Foreword by John Akomfrah

Ashley Clark

• Publisher: Laurence King Publishing
• Year: 2026
• Print ISBN:
  9781529438253
• eBook ISBN:
  9781529438260
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Film & Video

My Brother Ashley Clark Has Broke It Down To What Black Film Was, Is Present Day, And What The Future Might Be. BLAK IZ BLAK. YA-DIG? SHO-NUFF. Enjoy This BLAK CINEMATIC SCIENCE. - Spike Lee

This book belongs on the shelf of every film lover, every student of cinema, and everyone who believes in the transformative power of storytelling. It's a celebration, an education, and an inspiration all at once. - Julie Dash

Resonant, exciting and eye-opening - one of the best books I've read about Black cinema. - Mark Cousins

An indispensable guide for any film lover yearning to learn more about Black cinema. - GQ

The World of Black Film is an entertaining, informed, and thought-provoking survey of important and influential Black films from around the globe. Starting with the unfinished silent comedy Lime Kiln Club Field Day (1913) and concluding with Steve McQueen's World War II epic Blitz (2024), this book takes readers on an exciting journey through an eclectic mix of classics and hidden gems spanning more than 100 years and 30 countries.

Beautifully designed and bursting with eye-catching film imagery and poster art, this is essential reading for general film fans, enthusiasts of Black cinema, educators, and students alike.
Includes a foreword by Sir John Akomfrah, CBE RA.

Films and directors include:
Black Orpheus (Marcel Camus, 1959)
Black Girl (Ousmane Sembène, 1966)
Hollywood Shuffle (Robert Townsend, 1987)
Malcolm X (Spike Lee, 1992)
Belle (Amma Asante, 2013)
Timbuktu (Abderrahmane Sissako, 2015)
Moonlight (Barry Jenkins, 2016)
Black Panther (Ryan Coogler, 2018)
Saint Omer (Alice Diop, 2022)
Dahomey (Mati Diop, 2024)
Blitz (Steve McQueen, 2024)

Table of contents

• Cover
• Copyright
• Title
• Contents
• Foreword Sir John Akomfrah CBE RA
• Introduction
• Lime Kiln Club Field Day T. Hayes Hunter & Edwin Middleton, USA, 1913
• Within Our Gates Oscar Micheaux, USA, 1920
• Fieldwork Footage Zora Neale Hurston, USA, 1927–29
• Hallelujah King Vidor, USA, 1929
• Borderline Kenneth Macpherson, Switzerland, 1930
• Hell-Bound Train Eloyce Gist & James Gist, USA, 1930
• Zouzou Marc Allégret, France, 1934
• Stormy Weather Andrew L. Stone, USA, 1943
• Dirty Gertie from Harlem U.S.A. Spencer Williams, USA, 1946
• Cry, the Beloved Country Zoltán Korda, UK, 1951
• Africa on the Seine Paulin Soumanou Vieyra & Mamadou Sarr, France, 1955
• Black Orpheus Marcel Camus, France/Brazil/Italy, 1959
• Integration Report 1 Madeline Anderson, USA, 1960
• Nothing but a Man Michael Roemer, USA, 1964
• Hunting Party Ibrahim Shaddad, Germany, 1964
• Jemima & Johnny Lionel Ngakane, UK, 1966
• Black Girl Ousmane Sembène, Senegal/France, 1966
• The Return of an Adventurer Moustapha Alassane, Niger, 1966
• The Story of a Three-Day Pass Melvin Van Peebles, France, 1967
• Cabascabo Oumarou Ganda, Niger/France, 1968
• Symbiopsychotaxiplasm William Greaves, USA, 1968
• The Woman with the Knife Timité Bassori, Ivory Coast, 1969
• Meeting the Man: James Baldwin in Paris Terence Dixon, France/UK, 1971
• Bushman David Schickele, USA, 1971
• Shaft Gordon Parks, USA, 1971
• Buck and the Preacher Sidney Poitier, USA, 1972
• The Invisible People Madubuko Diakité, Sweden, 1972
• Sambizanga Sarah Maldoror, Angola, 1972
• My Contribution Sara Gómez, Cuba, 1972
• The Harder They Come Perry Henzell, Jamaica, 1972
• Soul in the Eye Zózimo Bulbul, Brazil, 1973
• Touki Bouki Djibril Diop Mambéty, Senegal, 1973
• Ganja & Hess Bill Gunn, USA, 1973
• Space Is the Place John Coney, USA, 1974
• Pressure Horace Ové, UK, 1975
• Muna Moto Dikongué-Pipa, Cameroon, 1975
• Wan Pipel Pim De La Parra, Suriname/The Netherlands, 1976
• Shaihu Umar Adamu Halilu, Nigeria, 1976
• Countdown at Kusini Ossie Davis, USA/Nigeria, 1976
• Black Goddess Ola Balogun, Brazil/Nigeria, 1978
• The Wiz Sidney Lumet, USA, 1978
• West Indies: The Fugitive Slaves of Liberty Med Hondo, Mauritania/Algeria/France, 1979
• Maluala Sergio Giral, Cuba, 1979
• Love Brewed…in the African Pot Kwaw Ansah, Ghana, 1980
• Burning an Illusion Menelik Shabazz, UK, 1981
• A Different Image Alile Sharon Larkin, USA, 1982
• God’s Gift Gaston J-M Kaboré, Burkina Faso, 1982
• Losing Ground Kathleen Collins, USA, 1982
• Cane River Horace B. Jenkins, USA, 1982
• Sugar Cane Alley Euzhan Palcy, France/Martinique, 1983
• Bitter Cane Ben Dupuy & Kim Ives, Haiti, 1983
• The Black and the Green St. Clair Bourne, USA, 1983
• Amok! Souheil Ben-Barka, Morocco/Guinea, 1983
• Yam Daabo Idrissa Ouédraogo, Burkina Faso, 1986
• Handsworth Songs John Akomfrah, UK, 1986
• The Old Sorceress and the Valet Julius-Amédée Laou, France, 1987
• Hollywood Shuffle Robert Townsend, USA, 1987
• Yeelen Souleymane Cissé, Mali, 1987
• Mortu Nega Flora Gomes, Guinea-Bissau, 1988
• Dancing in the Dust Henri Duparc, Ivory Coast, 1989
• Tongues Untied Marlon Riggs, USA, 1989
• Lumumba: Death of a Prophet Raoul Peck, Democratic Republic of Congo, 1990
• To Sleep with Anger Charles Burnett, USA, 1990
• Daughters of the Dust Julie Dash, USA, 1991
• Boyz N the Hood John Singleton, USA, 1991
• Living in Bondage parts 1 & 2 Chris Obi Rapu & Christian Onu, Nigeria, 1992/3
• Malcolm X Spike Lee, USA, 1992
• Sankofa Haile Gerima, USA, 1993
• Frantz Fanon: Black Skin, White Mask Isaac Julien, UK, 1995
• Welcome II the Terrordome Ngozi Onwurah, UK, 1995
• Rude Clement Virgo, Canada, 1995
• The Watermelon Woman Cheryl Dunye, USA, 1996
• Set It Off F. Gary Gray, USA, 1996
• Mossane Safi Faye, Senegal, 1996
• Kirikou and the Sorceress Michel Ocelot, France, 1998
• Compensation Zeinabu irene Davis, USA, 1999
• Bye Bye Africa Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Chad, 1999
• The Bloodettes Jean-Pierre Bekolo, Cameroon, 2005
• Madea Goes to Jail Tyler Perry, USA, 2009
• Who Killed Captain Alex? Nabwana I.G.G., Uganda, 2010
• The Diaspora Suite Ephraim Asili, USA, 2011–17
• Belle Amma Asante, UK, 2013
• Strolling Cecile Emeke, UK, 2014–16
• Selma Ava DuVernay, USA, 2014
• Timbuktu Abderrahmane Sissako, Mauritania, 2014
• Moonlight Barry Jenkins, USA, 2016
• Get Out Jordan Peele, USA, 2017
• I Am Not a Witch Rungano Nyoni, Zambia, 2017
• Black Panther Ryan Coogler, USA, 2018
• Chez Jolie Coiffure Rosine Mbakam, Belgium/Cameroon, 2018
• Rafiki Wanuri Kahiu, Kenya, 2018
• Black Mother Khalik Allah, Jamaica/USA, 2018
• This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese, Lesotho/South Africa/Italy, 2019
• Faya Dayi Jessica Beshir, Ethiopia/USA/Qatar, 2021
• Neptune Frost Saul Williams & Anisia Uzeyman, Rwanda/USA, 2021
• Cette Maison Miryam Charles, Canada, 2022
• Rewind & Play Alain Gomis, France/Germany, 2022
• Saint Omer Alice Diop, France, 2022
• Dahomey Mati Diop, France/Senegal/Benin, 2024
• Blitz Steve McQueen, UK, 2024
• Notes
• Further Reading
• Index
• Picture Credits
• Thanks & Acknowledgments