2025 is already proving that Black storytellers are not just showing up—they’re delivering. From gripping thrillers and soulful documentaries to laugh-out-loud comedies and genre-bending experiments, Black directors are giving us stories that deserve to be seen, discussed, and supported.
READ: Saying Goodbye: TV Shows Canceled or Ending in 2025
This list isn’t just a roundup of what’s “buzzing”—it’s a reminder. A reminder to show up for the work being made by Black filmmakers. Watch these films. Sit with them. Talk about them. Share what you loved—or what didn’t land for you. But give them that chance. Give them your eyes, your thoughts, your conversations.
Because community support means more than just clapping at the premiere. It’s about being part of the ecosystem that allows these stories to keep getting made. So here’s your watchlist: movies and documentaries directed by Black directors and released in 2025 that deserve your time and attention. At least once.
Let’s keep the conversation (and support) going.
Sinners
Director: Ryan Coogler
Writer: Ryan Coogler
Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lindo, Hailee Steinfield, Miles Caton, Jayme Lawson, Wunmi Mosaku, Jack O’Connell, Omar Benson Miller, and more
Sneaks
An animated heist adventure that follows a group of lost sneakers who band together on a mission to find their missing “sole-mate.” Set in the streets of New York, it’s a heart-filled and stylish story about identity, friendship, and finding your path.
Director: Rob Edwards, Chris Jenkins
Writer: Rob Edwards
Cast: Anthony Mackie, Laurence Fishburne, Chloe Bailey, Martin Lawrence, Lil Rel Howery, and more
SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)
An examination of the life and legacy of Sly & The Family Stone — the groundbreaking band led by the charismatic and enigmatic Sly Stone — captures the band’s rise, reign, and subsequent fadeout while shedding light on the unseen burden that comes with success for Black artists in America.
Director: Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
Number One on the Call Sheet
Through candid interviews and exclusive access, the film explores the actors’ breakthrough moments, strategies for success, and their perspectives on the future of Black talent in Hollywood.
Director: Reginald Hudlin, Shola Lynch
Desire: A Temptations Story
It follows Kendra, a high-profile talk show host who seems to have it all—until life hits her with the sudden loss of her mother. Encouraged to take time off to heal, Kendra escapes on a solo vacation… but instead of rest, she finds romance in the form of Malcolm
Director: Robert Adetuyi
Writer: Kate Green
Cast: Tasha Smith, Adrian Holmes, Jamall Johnson, Millan Tesfazgi, Miranda Edwards, Everick Golding, Requell Jodeah, and Diana Pavlovská,
Give Me Back My Daughter
Gabourey Sidibe stars as Renee, a single mother doing her best to stay afloat. After losing her job, she and her daughter Imani (played by newcomer Cadence Reese) are evicted and left homeless. Determined to stay independent, Renee refuses public assistance—but when she leaves Imani in the car during a job interview, things spiral fast. She’s arrested, and Child Protective Services takes her daughter.
The story follows Renee’s harrowing journey through the family court system as she fights to get Imani back, learns to lean on others, and discovers that strength doesn’t always mean doing everything alone.
Director: Kelley Kali
Writer: Xavier Burgin
Cast: Cadence Reese, Walnette Santiago, Sean Anthony Baker, and Myles Truitt
Celtics City
Chronicling the saga of the Boston Celtics, the NBA’s most storied franchise, from its founding as one of the league’s original teams all the way to its triumphant 2024 championship – along the way delving into the fierce rivalries, defining moments, and societal forces that have shaped the organization’s enduring legacy.
Director: Lauren Stowell
Not My Family: The Monique Smith Story
Monique Smith always felt like something was off. Raised in an abusive household, she spent her childhood longing for love and safety. But when she became a mother herself, those lingering feelings of displacement turned into an urgent need for answers.
Her search for official documents—like a birth certificate and social security card—only deepened the mystery. Determined to uncover the truth, Monique embarked on a decades-long journey, turning to DNA testing, questioning relatives, and piecing together a reality more shocking than she ever imagined.
Director: Tailiah Breon
Writer: Sylvia Jones
Cast: Yaya DaCosta, Robert Hamilton III, Solace Kimbro Jones, Kadeem Isaiah, Morgan-Rose Jordan, and Djassi DaCosta Johnson
Single Black Female 3: The Final Chapter
After being wrongfully convicted of murder, Monica (Raven Goodwin) has finally been exonerated—but freedom comes at a price. Though the charges against her have been dropped, the stain of suspicion lingers, and reclaiming her life, her career, and the trust of those around her is proving to be an uphill battle. Meanwhile, the real threat has yet to vanish. Simone (Amber Riley), now a fugitive, has fled to a convent in Mexico, having no choice but to abandon Houston, along with the one thing she truly cared about—her daughter, Joy (Kennedy Chanel). When a terrifying nightmare shakes her to the core, Simone becomes convinced Joy is in danger and returns to Houston, for a final reckoning between the estranged half-sisters. It’s only a matter of time before old grudges resurface and Monica and Simone come face-to-face. K. Michelle reprises her role as Monica’s best friend Bebe.
Director: Keena Ferguson
Writer: Sa’Rah Jones, Sarah L. Jones, Tessa Evelyn Scott
Magazine Dreams
Magazine Dreams follows aspiring bodybuilder Killian Maddox (Majors), who struggles to find human connection in this exploration of celebrity and violence. Nothing deters him from his fiercely protected dream of superstardom, not even the doctors who warn him of the permanent damage he causes to himself with his quest.
Director/Writer: Elijah Bynum
Cast:Jonathan Majors, Haley Bennett, Taylour Paige, Mike O’Hearn, Harrison Page, Harriet Sansom Harris
On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
A woman stumbles across the body of her uncle on an empty road in the middle of the night. As funeral proceedings begin, secrets of her middle-class Zambian family soon come to light.
Director: Rungano Nyoni
Writer: Rungano Nyoni
Cast: Susan Chardy, Elizabeth Chisela, Henry B.J. Phiri, Roy Chisha, and Blessings Bhamjee
Opus
A young writer (Ayo Edebiri) is invited to the remote compound of a legendary pop star (John Malkovich) who mysteriously disappeared thirty years ago. Surrounded by the star’s cult of sycophants and intoxicated journalists, she finds herself in the middle of his twisted plan.
Director: Mark Anthony Green
Writer: Mark Anthony Green
Cast: Ayo Edebiri, John Malkovich, Juliette Lewis, Murray Bartlett, Amber Midthunder, Stephanie Suganami, Young Mazino, Tatanka Means
Darwin
A group of thieves, that prey on the affluent millennial society, gets more than they bargained for, when they encounter an adversary more formidable than they could’ve imagined.
Director: Aaron Abdin, Ali Abdin
Writer: Aaron Abdin, Ali Abdin
Cast: Danielle LaRoach, Keraun Harris, Martin Bats Bradford
Ash
On a distant planet, an astronaut wakes up to find the entire crew of her space station has been killed. Riya has no memory of herself or of the situation in which she finds herself, jogged by only quick, nightmarish flashes of her partners and their mission. Feeling paranoid, she must decide if she can trust the man, whom she supposedly knows, sent to rescue her after he received a distress signal from her location.
Director: Flying Lotus
Writer: Jonni Remmler
Cast: Flying Lotus, Eiza González, Aaron Paul, Iko Uwais, Beulah Koale, Kate Elliott
Harlem Ice
A 5-part documentary series that follows the coaches and girls of Figure Skating in Harlem as they prepare for competitions, performances and a life changing global experience. Through their eyes, we experience the highs and lows of the FSH Season, and the unique experiences they have as girls of color breaking the ice ceiling and gaining access to a global stage.
Director: Samantha Knowles
Fame: A Temptations Story
The film follows Cherish and Roxy Jordan—two superstar sisters who’ve climbed to the top of the charts together… but might not survive the fame side by side.
To the outside world, the Jordan sisters are music royalty. They’re stylish, successful, and seemingly inseparable. But behind the cameras and coordinated outfits, the sibling rivalry is real—and it’s simmering. Things take a dark turn when their penthouse becomes the target of a jewel heist. The kicker? Investigators suspect it may have been an inside job.
When whispers start swirling that Roxy may have orchestrated the robbery herself, trust between the sisters begins to crack. Was it all a setup? Can they overcome the mounting pressure and paranoia? Or will their hunger for fame finally push them past the point of no return?
Director: Robert Adetuyi
Writer: Andrea Shawcross, Annmarie Morais, and Jane Espenson
Cast: Keri Hilson, Keshia Chanté, Romeo Miller, Ecstasia Sanders, Nathan Witte, Veronica Long, Reese Alexander, and Sophie Carriere
Tyler Perry’s Duplicity
High-powered attorney Marley (Kat Graham) faces her most personal case yet when she is tasked with uncovering the truth behind the shooting of her best friend Fela’s (Meagan Tandy) husband (Joshua Adeyeye). With the help of her boyfriend (Tyler Lepley) – a former cop turned private investigator – Marley’s search for what really happened leads her down a treacherous maze of deception and betrayal.
Director: Tyler Perry
Writer: Tyler Perry
Cast: Kat Graham, RonReaco Lee, Meagan Tandy, Tyler Lepley, Joshua Adeyeye
Fighting to Be Me: The Dwen Curry Story
The film tells the true story of Dwen Curry—a celebrated celebrity stylist with a double life. While styling stars like LisaRaye McCoy, Mariah Carey, and Missy Elliott, Curry secretly ran a multimillion-dollar credit card fraud operation with her underground group, the “Gay Gangsters.”
Director: Joe Carroll
Writer: LaJill Hunt
Cast: Dyllón Burnside, D.B. Woodside, A.J. Akua Johnson and more
Captain America: Brave New World | Feb 14
Director: Julius Onah
Writer: Julius Onah, Peter Glanz, Matthew Orton
Cast:Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Xosha Roquemore, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Giancarlo Esposito, Tim Blake Nelson, Harrison
Following the election of Thaddeus Ross as the president of the United States, Sam Wilson finds himself at the center of an international incident and must work to stop the true masterminds behind it.
One of Them Days
When best friends and roommates Dreux and Alyssa discover Alyssa’s boyfriend has blown their rent money, the duo finds themselves going to extremes in a race against the clock to avoid eviction and keep their friendship intact.
Director: Lawrence Lamont
Writer:
Cast:Keke Palmer, SZA, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Katt Williams, Joshua Neal, Aziza Scott, Patrick Cage, Dewayne Perkins, Amin Joseph, Gabrielle Dennis, Dominque Perry, Lil Rel Howery, Janelle James, Keyla Monterroso Mejia, Maude Apatow,
Memes & Nightmares
The mockumentary follows Josiah Johnson, the “king” of NBA Twitter, and Jamel Johnson, no relation, for a “buddy cop” investigative premise that is as silly as it is hilarious: what would happen if one of the most popular memes from NBA Twitter, aptly named “J.R. Smith squints,” disappeared from the internet?
Director: Charles Todd, Matt Mitchener
Both Eyes Open
Both Eyes Open follows Ally (played by Bean), a woman seeking a fresh start after leaving an abusive relationship. Her recovery is disrupted by hallucinations of her abuser and mysterious messages that hint he may still be nearby. As the cryptic signs intensify, Ally’s reality begins to unravel, leading her to a shocking revelation much closer to home.
Director/Writer: Ariel Julia Hairston
Cast: Gail Bean, Taye Diggs, Joy Brunson, Christie Leverette, Mack Wilds, Michael Oloyede, Carla Fisher
Meet the Khumalos
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned! Meet Grace Khumalo – her perfect world is thrown off balance when her high school arch rival, Bongi Sithole moves into her elite Umhlanga suburb, right next door! The two arch-enemies are forced to work together as they discover their children have fallen in love! They must move quickly to break them up!
Director: Jayan Moodley
Writer: Wendy Gumede, Gillian Breslin
Cast: Ayanda Borotho, Bonga Dlamini, Nandipa Khubone, Connie Chiume, Khosi Ngema, Khanyi Mbau, J-Flo
Star Trek: Section 31
Emperor Philippa Georgiou joins Section 31, a secret division of Starfleet tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets, and must face the sins of her past.
Director: Olatunde Osunsanmi
Writer:Craig Sweeny
Cast: Michelle Yeoh, Omari Hardwick, Kacey Rohl, Sam Richardson, Sven Ruygrok, Robert Kazinsky, Humberly Gonzalez, James Hiroyuki Liao
Black Heat
One night, two parents, out of options, infiltrate a top level drug dealer/pimp’s apartment complex to rescue their teenage daughter.
Director: Wes Miller
Writer: Wes Miller
Cast: Jason Mitchell, NLE Choppa, Johnny Messner, Dreamdoll