Something extremely remarkable happened in cinema for 2013. Black people saw ourselves on the silver screen in a major way with the release of well over a dozen major films – yes, more than one per month – that featured black casts, told black stories and catered to black audiences.
If you count the films that wouldn’t necessarily fall under the urban film umbrella, but starred black actors – like Halle Berry in “The Call,” Idris Elba in “Pacific Rim,” Jamie Foxx in “White House Down,” “Denzel Washington in “2 Guns” and Morgan Freeman and Angela Bassett in “Olympus Has Fallen” – the number creeps to 20.
But sticking with the urban film market, for the sake of the point, 15 such films made their way to theaters over the course of the year, raking in of more than a half-billion in ticket sales (according to boxofficemojo.com).
We saw black actors, black producers, black directors and black screenwriters bring our stories to the mainstream, with plenty of the films receiving major studio support.
But what was most captivating about the black film phenomenon was the diversity of blackness that made its way to mainstream movie audiences in 2013. The history of the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (“42”), the butler who served seven presidents (“The Butler”) and the film adaptation of the autobiography of a man illegally sold into slavery (“12 Years A Slave”) were mixed in with romantic comedies, holiday stories, gritty dramas and even a horror spoof.
And while the world of black movie lovers are seemingly split down the middle between love and hate for Tyler Perry, he had an undeniable presence with his films “Temptation,” “The Peeples” and “Madea’s Christmas.” However, he would be but a post script among the impressive roster of black movies in the mix for this year. Fifteen films – just the thought of it is astonishing. Is this a record? It sure feels like it.
Now “12 Years a Slave” leads SAG and Golden Globe nominations with Lee “The Butler” in a second place with the SAG nods – and Oscar buzz is already surrounding those films, as well as Elba for his performance in the title role of “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.”
Kenya’s picks
“Fruitvale Station” – Ryan Coogler nailed his first attempt at a feature film as he told the true story of Oscar Gant, the young man gunned down by an Oakland Public Transit cop. Michael B. Jordan’s performance as Gant will be remembered as his breakout role. He nails the angst and conflict of a young man met with constant obstacles as he attempts to get his life on track for himself and his family – and pays the ultimate price.
“12 Years a Slave” – British director Steve McQueen recreated in film the memoir of Solomon Northup, a free man who was abducted and illegally sold into slavery. Chiwetel Ejiofor as Northup, Michael Fassbender as treacherous slave owner Edwin Epps and Lupita Nyong’o as Patsey, the forbidden object of Epps’ affections, offer standout performances.
“The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete” – In probably the least familiar of the roster of black films in 2013, “Soul Food” director George Tilman Jr. gets gritty with this ‘hood tale that tween actor Skylan Brooks gracefully carries on his shoulders.
Major black films in 2013
- “42”
- “12 Years a Slave”
- “After Earth”
- “Baggage Claim”
- Best Man Holiday
- “Black Nativity”
- “The Butler”
- “Fruitvale Station”
- “A Haunted House”
- “The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete”
- “Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain”
- “Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom”
- “Tyler Perry presents A Madea Christmas”
- “Tyler Perry Presents The Peeples”
- “Tyler Perry presents Temptation”
