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BPS Recommends: Celebrating Black History Month on Screen

Tuesday, 01 October

BPSRecommends

Black History Month UK

Inclusivity

In our latest #BPSRecommends we’re celebrating Black History Month – diving deep into the rich culture and history of black lives and celebrating the achievements of black artists.


Black History Month is a time to honour and celebrate the rich, complex and diverse history of Black communities around the world. Through storytelling, whether on the screen or through our headphones, we can gain a deeper understanding of the struggles, triumphs and cultural impact of Black individuals and movements throughout history.


In this blog, we’ve curated a selection of films, TV shows and podcasts that provide insightful, inspiring and educational perspectives on Black history and culture. From biographical dramas and historical documentaries to thought-provoking podcasts, these recommendations shine a spotlight on stories that deserve to be heard year-round.

Small Axe (2020)

TV Series | Drama | 5 Episodes

Love letters to black resilience and triumph in London's West Indian community, directed by Oscar winner Steve McQueen. Vivid stories of hard-won victories in the face of racism.

Watch the trailer.

Watch on iPlayer.

Small Axe

Till (2022)

Parental Guidance | Drama | 2 Hours

Tells the true story of a grieving mother's courageous fight for justice after her 14-year-old son, Emmett Till, was lynched in 1955 Mississippi for "offending" a white woman. The impact of Till's murder and the subsequent trial was a watershed moment in the civil rights movement and is cemented in to calls to action against the injustices perpetrated against African Americans to this day.

Watch the film.

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Green Book (2018)

12A | Biography | 2 hours 10 Mins

A working-class Italian-American bouncer becomes the driver for an African-American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960s American South.

Watch the trailer.

Watch the film.

Blog Repeatable Images (61)

Self-Made (2020)

15 | Drama | Series

An African American washerwoman rises from poverty to build a beauty empire and become the first female self-made millionaire. Based on a true story.

Watch the trailer.

Watch the series.

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Reservation Dogs (2021-23)

18+ | Drama | Series

An American comedy-drama television series that follows the lives of four Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma.

Watch the trailer.

Watch the series.

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Screen Queens Rising (2022)

12+ | Documentary | 41 Mins

A short documentary exploring black actresses overlooked in Hollywood.

Watch the documentary.

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American Fiction (2024)

15 | Drama/Comedy | 1 Hour 56 Mins

A frustrated novelist, fed up with the establishment profiting from "Black" entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes, uses a pen name to write his own outlandish "Black" book and is suddenly swept up in the madness he claims to disdain.

Watch the trailer.

Watch the film.

American Fiction

The Burial (2023)

15 | Comedy/Drama | 2 Hours 7 Mins

Inspired by true events, when a handshake deal goes sour, funeral home owner Jeremiah O’Keefe enlists charismatic attorney Willie E. Gary to save his family business. Tempers flare and laughter ensues as the unlikely pair bond while exposing corporate corruption and racial injustice in this inspirational, triumphant story.

Watch the trailer.

Watch the film.

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Judi Love: Black, Female & Invisible (2022)

Documentary | 47 Mins

Judi Love embarks on an eye-opening and emotional journey, exploring how, from health to education and work, the odds are stacked against Black women in the UK today.

Watch the show.

Blog Repeatable Images (68)

Three Little Birds (2023)

Guidance | Drama | Series

A life-affirming drama, written by Sir Lenny Henry inspired by his mother's stories about leaving Jamaica in the 1950s for Great Britain. Follows sisters Leah and Chantrelle and their friend Hosanna starting a new life in England.

Watch the trailer.

Watch the series.

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Black Dynamite (2009)

15 | Action/Comedy | 1 Hour 30 Mins

Black Dynamite is a post-modern cult comedy classic, which celebrates the greatest fictional African-American action star of the 70s. When his only brother is killed by The Man, it's up to him to find justice.

Watch the trailer.

Watch the film.

Blog Repeatable Images (73)

For more information on Black History Month please click here.

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