Our Top 20 Black Directors in 2019

Black movie directors are the heart and pride of Black Cinema at the box office. Last year, black movie directors earned over $1.363 billion alone. Although there will be only 24 out of a total of 178 studio films set for release in 2019 and 2020 which are directed by filmmakers of color, this sets the way for the black film directors. Here is a list of our top 20 black directors for 2019:

Jordan Peele

Movie History:

• Directing- Get Out (2017)
• Acting – Keanu (2016)
• The Twilight Zone (2019)

2019 Movie:

US (Directing + Writing)

Accreditation:

Jordan Peele’s horror movie ‘Get Out’ (2017) was nominated for best picture, lead actor, screenplay (winning the prize), and director at the Academy Awards. His 2019 movie ‘US’, an American psychological horror-thriller film starring Academy Award Winner Lupita Nyong’o, had one of the highest live action non-franchised openings of all time. It also opened in 47 territories abroad, bringing in $16.7 million internationally for a worldwide total of nearly $87 million.

F. Gary Gray

Movie History:

• The Fate of the Furious
• Straight Outta Compton
• Law Abiding Citizen

2019 Movie:

Men in Black: International

Accreditation:

Director and producer, F. Gary Gray is known for ‘Set It Off’ (1996), ‘The Italian Job’ (2003), and ‘The Negotiator’ (1998). He won Best Video of the Year for directing the TLC’s ‘Waterfalls’ video.

Tyler Perry

Movie History:

• Tyler Perry’s: Madea on the Run
• Madea’s Witness Protection
• Good Deeds
• Diary of a Mad Black Woman

2019 Movie:

A Madea Family Funeral

Accreditation:

Tyler Perry’s eight plays have grossed over US$75 million in tickets and DVD sales.

Clark Johnson

Movie History:

• Orange Is the New Black
• The Shield
• The Purge

2019 Movie:

Juanita

Accreditation:

Clark Johnson’s other directing credits include the big-screen releases ‘The Sentinel’ (2006) and ‘S.W.A.T.’ (2003), as well as episodes of ‘Third Watch’.

Chiwetel Ejiofor

Movie History:

• Columbite Tantalite (Short)
• 2008 Slapper (Short)

2019 Movie:

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Accreditation:

Chiwetel Ejiofor received an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations, along with the BAFTA Award for Best Actor for ‘12 Years a Slave’ and ‘Dirty Pretty Things’ (2002) (for which he won Best Actor at the British Independent Film Awards, the Evening Standard Film Awards, and the San Diego Film Critics Society Awards).

Deon Taylor

Movie History:

• 2018 Traffik
• 2016 Meet the Blacks
• Supremacy

2019 Movie:

The Intruder

Accreditation:

Deon Taylor has written, co-written, and directed dozens of films, TV series and special projects.

Xavier Burgin

Movie History:

• Olde E (Short)
• On Time (Short)
• Hall’s Interview (Short)

2019 Movie:

Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror

Accreditation:

Xavier Burgin’s feature script, ‘On Time’, won The Screencraft Drama Competition, The Film Empire Diversity Competition, and was a finalist in the Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition.

Khalik Allah

Movie History:

• 2015 Field Niggas (Documentary)
• 2010 Popa Wu: A 5% Story (Documentary)
  

2019 Movie:

Black Mother (Documentary)

Accreditation:

Khalik Allah was the second unit director and cinematographer of ‘Lemonade’ (2016) – a 46 mins film about Beyoncé, produced by Good Company and Jonathan Lia, which premiered on HBO.

Fab 5 Freddy

Movie History:

• Nas: Video Anthology Vol. 1 (Video) (video ‘One Love’)
• Ini Kamoze: Listen Me Tic (Video short)
• Murder Was the Case: The Movie (Video short) (video ‘What’s My Name?’)
• Snoop Doggy Dogg: Who Am I? (What’s My Name?) (Video short)

2019 Movie:

Grass is Greener

Accreditation:

Fab 5 Freddy is an American visual artist, filmmaker, rapper, and hip hop pioneer.

Sam Blitz Bazawule

Movie History:

• Diasporadical Trilogia (Short) (as Samuel Bazawule)
• Native Sun (Short) (as Blitz the Ambassador)

2019 Movie:

The Burial Of Kojo

Accreditation:

Sam Blitz Bazawule is a Filmmaker and Musician born in Accra, Ghana and based in Brooklyn, New York. Blitz’s short films, ‘Native Sun’ (2012) and ‘Diasporadical Trilogìa’ (2016) have premiered at BAM New Voices in Black Cinema.

Tina Gordon Chism

Movie History:

• Peeples (as Tina Gordon Chism)

2019 Movie:

Little (as Tina Gordon Chism)

Accreditation:

Tina Gordon Chism has gone on to produce and write screenplays for movies such as ‘Drumline’ (2002), ‘ATL’ (2006), ‘What Men Want’ (2019), and ‘Peeples’, which she wrote as well as directed. Her aim is to create characters that are layered and to tell stories that are culturally, socially, and historically relevant.

Nia DaCosta

Movie History:

• Night and Day (Short)
• Top Boy (TV Series)

2019 Movie:

Little Woods

Accreditation:

Nia DaCosta is known for her work on ‘Little Woods’ (2018), ‘Sleeping with the Enemy’, and ‘Top Boy’ (2011). She won the Nora Ephron Award at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival for her feature directorial debut ‘Little Woods’.

Wanuri Kahiu

Movie History:

• Rafiki
• Who Am I? (Documentary) (co-director)
• State House (TV Series)
• Africa First: Volume One (segment ‘Pumzi’)

2019 Movie:

The Thing About Jellyfish (announced)

Accreditation:

Wanuri’s first feature film ‘From A Whisper’ won Best Narrative Feature in 2010 at the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles, as well as five awards at the African Movie Academy Award, including Best Director and Best Screenplay.

Stefon Bristol

Movie History:

• 2018 Payroll (TV Series) (co-director)
• 2017 See You Yesterday (Short)
• 2013 The Bodega (Short)
• 2012/II Brutus (Short)

2019 Movie:

See You Yesterday

Accreditation:

Stefon Bristol won the Cine Golden Eagle Award for ‘The Bodega’.

Coke Daniels

Movie History:

• 2013 Comedy of Errorz
• 2013 Parking Lot Pimpin’ (attached)
• 2012 Highway (as Damon ‘Coke’ Daniels)

2019 Movie:

His, Hers & the Truth (completed)

Accreditation:

Coke Daniels is a director and producer, known for ‘Blast from the Past’, ‘Highway’ (2012), and ‘His, Hers & the Truth’ (2019).

Kasi Lemmons

Movie History:

• 2018 Luke Cage
• All Souled Out (2018)
• Shots Fired

2019 Movie:

Harriet (post-production)

Accreditation:

Kasi Lemmons is one of the top black female directors and has won an Independent Spirit Award for the Best First Feature.

Corey Grant

Movie History:

• 2017 Illicit
• 2015 Sister Code
• 2012 Bigfoot: The Lost Coast Tapes

Accreditation:

Corey Grant is a filmmaker who prides himself on quality, commercial stories that are cutting edge and original.

Chris Robinson

Movie History:

• The Climb
• Beats

2019 Movie:

Beats

Accreditation:

His video for Erykah Badu’s ‘Honey’ won the 2009 Grammy Award for Best Music Video. In addition to the Grammy win, ‘Honey’ won Best Direction at the 2008 MTV VMA’s and at the 2008 BET Awards.

Rhonda Baraka

Movie History:

• 2018 Chandler Christmas Getaway (TV Movie)
• 2018 Uncensored (TV Series documentary) (2 episodes)

2019 Movie:

Pride & Prejudice: Atlanta (TV Movie) (post-production)

Accreditation:

‘Pastor Brown’ was one of three originals presented by the network as part of a special Black History Month series and went on to garner six Black Reel nominations, including Outstanding Screenplay (Adapted or Original), TV Movie or Mini-series.

Ibrahim Yilla

Movie History:

• 2012 The Great Divide
• 2010 Kiss the Bride (Video)

2019 Movie:

All In (post-production)

Accreditation:

Ibrahim Yilla is an assistant director and director, known for ‘Enemies Among Us’ (2010), ‘Mutants’ (2008), and ‘All In’.

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