Free Movies and Shows About Racial Injustice You Need to Watch

Coinciding with the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement, a number of excellent films and documentaries that tackle and address racial injustice and/or highlight the black experience are now available to stream for free - including Selma, Just Mercy, and more. So if you're looking to amplify black voices and check out a handful of acclaimed films created by and starring black artists, here's a quick rundown of what's currently available for you to watch free of charge.

SELMA

After actor David Oyelowo recently revealed that Oscar voters told the studio they would not support the film after the cast wore "I Can't Breathe" T-shirts in protest of the killing of Eric Garner, Paramount Pictures has removed the paywall for rentals of Ava DuVernay’s Selma for the rest of the month. Selma follows the 1965 voting rights marches led by Martin Luther King Jr., Hosea Williams, and John Lewis. You can check out our Selma review. Selma is free to rent in June on all digital platforms, including Amazon, Vudu, and Google Play.

JUST MERCY

Based on the the true story of Walter McMillian, who, with the help of defense attorney Bryan Stevenson, appeals his murder conviction, Just Mercy is a compelling, fact-based legal drama starring Michael B. Jordan and Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx. Brie Larson, Tim Blake Nelson, and O'Shea Jackson Jr. co-star. Check out our Just Mercy review. Just Mercy is free to rent in June on all digital platforms, including Amazon, Vudu, and Google Play. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/02/just-mercy-official-trailer-2"]

CRITERION COLLECTION BLACK CINEMA

After committing to making monthly donations to organizations supporting Black Lives Matter, The Criterion Collection announced that it’s lifting the paywall on select titles from black filmmakers and white filmmakers who’ve captured the black experience through documentary. Some of the films streaming free right now on Criterion Channel are:

• Down in the Delta, by Maya Angelou
• My Brother's Wedding, from Charles Burnett
• Black Mother, by Khalik Allah
• Portrait of Jason, by Shirley Clarke
• Cane River, by Horace Jenkins

STARZ ESSENTIAL BLACK VOICES COLLECTION

Lionsgate has now made available a collection of programming that amplifies black voices across STARZ platforms -- including the app and On-Demand -- without a subscription. You can freely stream the following:

• America to Me – Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Steve James (Hoop Dreams, Life Itself) examines racial, economic and class issues in contemporary American education in this multipart unscripted documentary series.
• A Huey P. Newton Story - A Starz Original Production, Huey P. Newton, charismatic co-founder of the revolutionary Black Panther Party, tells the riveting story of his life and times in this one-man show. Directed by Spike Lee.
• Emanuel – After a 21-year-old white supremacist opened fire in Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, nine African Americans lay dead, leaving their families and the nation to grapple with this senseless act of terror. Featuring intimate interviews with survivors and family members, Emanuel, from executive producers Stephen Curry and Viola Davis, is a poignant story of justice and faith, love and hate, examining the healing power of forgiveness.
• For Ahkeem –  For Ahkeem follows Daje Shelton, a 17-year-old black girl from North St. Louis, as she strives to graduate from the nation’s only court-supervised public high school. Daje fights for her future as close friends are killed, her sixteen-year-old boyfriend is pulled into the prison system, and nearby Ferguson erupts after the police shooting of Michael Brown.
• Out of Omaha – An intimate portrait of twin brothers Darcell and Darrell Trotter, two young black men coming of age in the racially and economically-divided Midwestern town of Omaha, Nebraska. From executive producer J. Cole.
• Scandalize My Name – This potent documentary, narrated by Morgan Freeman, examines several prominent African-American performers in the American film and television industries during the 1950s Communist witch-hunting McCarthy era.
• Stranger Fruit – What really happened on August 9th, 2014 in Ferguson Missouri.  That afternoon, officer Darren Wilson killed 18-year-old Michael Brown.  Stranger Fruit is the unraveling of what took place, told through the eyes of Mike Brown’s family.
• The Rape of Recy Taylor – A documentary about Recy Taylor, who was gang raped by six white boys in 1944 Alabama. Unbroken, Mrs. Taylor spoke up and fought for justice with help from Rosa Parks and countless women.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=7-milestones-for-black-superheroes-on-screen&captions=true"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

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