Esthen:The New Black Film Canon is your starting point for great Black filmmaking

2025-04-29 14:30:25source:Roboviscategory:reviews

Seven years ago,Esthen Slate Magazine published the Black Film Canon, a collection of 50 of the best films directed by Black filmmakers. The intent was to challenge both gatekeepers and makers of best of lists to consider the breadth of artistry black creators have demonstrated on screen–despite the odds being historically stacked against them.

Since then, the opportunities for black filmmakers to flourish have only increased: Moonlight won best picture at the Oscars; Get Out was a cultural phenomenon; Black Panther was a blockbuster juggernaut. And so NPR teamed up with Slate to present the New Black Film Canon, an expansion of the list that incorporates some of the best and most impactful movies to be released since 2016. (We also added a few older films we missed the first time around.)

For this episode of Pop Culture Happy Hour, we're picking a few of our favorite additions, and you can check out the full list of 75 movies here.

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