Movies like Black Boys (2020)
The best movies like Black Boys (2020) are 13th (2016), Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America (2022) and Whose Streets? (2017). If Black Boys hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest rated13th (2016)7.8/10 from 821 votes
- NewestStamped from the Beginning (2023)Released 2023
13th (2016)
An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWho We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America (2022)
Jeffery Robinson's talk on the history of U.S. anti-Black racism, with archival footage and interviews.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Whose Streets? (2017)
A nonfiction account of the Ferguson uprising told by the people who lived it, this is an unflinching look at how the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown inspired a community to fight back—and sparked a global movement.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Dark Girls (2011)
Documentary exploring the deep-seated biases and attitudes about skin color---particularly dark-skinned women, outside of and within the Black American culture.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
The Rachel Divide (2018)
Rachel Dolezal became infamous when she was unmasked as a white woman passing for black so thoroughly that she had become the head of her local N.A.A.C.P. chapter. This portrait cuts through the very public controversy to reveal Dolezal’s motivations.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like this4 Little Girls (1997)
On September 15, 1963, a bomb destroyed a black church in Birmingham, Alabama, killing four young girls who were there for Sunday school. It was a crime that shocked the nation--and a defining moment in the history of the civil-rights movement. Spike Lee re-examines the full story of the bombing, including a revealing interview with former Alabama Governor George Wallace.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Rape of Recy Taylor (2019)
Recy Taylor, a 24-year-old black mother and sharecropper, was gang raped by six white boys in 1944 Alabama. Common in Jim Crow South, few women spoke up in fear for their lives. Not Recy Taylor, who bravely identified her rapists. The NAACP sent its chief rape investigator Rosa Parks, who rallied support and triggered an unprecedented outcry for justice. The film exposes a legacy of physical abuse of black women and reveals Rosa Parks’ intimate role in Recy Taylor’s story.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
The Apollo (2019)
The history of New York City's Apollo Theater in Harlem is given the full treatment.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
The Day Sports Stood Still (2021)
The story of the unprecedented sports shutdown in March of 2020 and the remarkable turn of events that followed. This sports documentary is a chronicle of the abrupt stoppage, athletes’ prominent role in the cultural reckoning on racial injustices that escalated during the pandemic, and the complex return to competition in the summer and fall.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Black Mother (2018)
Part film, part baptism, in BLACK MOTHER director Khalik Allah brings us on a spiritual journey through Jamaica. Soaking up its bustling metropolises and tranquil countryside, Allah introduces us to a succession of vividly rendered souls who call this island home. Their candid testimonies create a polyphonic symphony, set against a visual prayer of indelible portraiture. Thoroughly immersed between the sacred and profane, BLACK MOTHER channels rebellion and reverence into a deeply personal ode informed by Jamaica’s turbulent history but existing in the urgent present.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Stamped from the Beginning (2023)
Using innovative animation and expert insights, this documentary based on Ibram X. Kendi's bestseller explores the history of racist ideas in America.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
16 Shots (2018)
Documentary examining the 2014 shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald by Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke and the cover-up that ensued.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Hidden Colors 5: The Art of Black Warfare (2019)
The history of warfare as it relates to global Black society, broken down into 7 chapters that examines the ways the system of racism wages warfare from a historical, psychological, sexual, biological, health, educational, and military perspective.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Ethnic Notions (1986)
This documentary traces the deep-rooted stereotypes which have fueled anti-black prejudice.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Hidden Colors 3: The Rules of Racism (2014)
Filmmaker Tariq Nasheed explores the topics of race, racism, and history within the United States.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Between the World and Me (2020)
Based on Ta-Nehisi Coates’ #1 New York Times bestseller and originally adapted and staged by the Apollo Theater, this special combines elements of that production - including powerful readings from Coates’ book - with documentary footage from the actors’ home life, archival footage, and animation.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King (2020)
A tribute to Chadwick Boseman, celebrating his life and legacy.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisHidden Colors (2011)
This film discusses some of the reasons the contributions of African and aboriginal people have been left out of the pages of history. Topics covered include the original image of Christ; the true story about the Moors; the original people of Asia; the great west African empires; the presence of Africans in America before Columbus; the real reason slavery was ended and much more.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
A Huey P. Newton Story (2001)
The story of how the radical Huey P. Newton developed the Black Panther Party based on his 10-point program for social reform.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Burn Motherfucker, Burn! (2017)
An in-depth and provocative look at the 1992 Los Angeles riots exploring the roots of civil unrest in California and the relationship between African Americans and LAPD.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Hidden Colors 4: The Religion of White Supremacy (2016)
Hidden Colors 4: The Religion Of White Supremacy is the latest follow up film to the critically acclaimed hit documentary series Hidden Colors. In this installment of the Hidden Colors series, the film explores topics such as: The motivation behind European global subjugation The history of rarely discussed vast West African empires How germ warfare is used on melanated people The history of slave breeding farms in America And much more.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Hidden Colors 2: The Triumph of Melanin (2012)
This installment covers topics such as the global African presence, the science of melanin, the truth about the prison industrial complex, how thriving black economic communities were undermined in America, and the hidden truth about Native Americans.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
The Class of ‘92 (2013)
A detailing of the rise to prominence and global sporting superstardom of six supremely talented young Manchester United football players (David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Phil and Gary Neville). The film covers the period 1992-1999, culminating in Manchester United's European Cup triumph.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEx Libris: The New York Public Library (2017)
A documentary about how a dominant cultural and demographic institution both sustains their traditional activities and adapts to the digital revolution.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe U.S. vs. John Lennon (2006)
A documentary on the life of John Lennon, with a focus on the time in his life when he transformed from a musician into an antiwar activist.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCrips and Bloods: Made in America (2009)
With a first-person look at the notorious Crips and Bloods, this film examines the conditions that have lead to decades of devastating gang violence among young African Americans growing up in South Los Angeles.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Am Heath Ledger (2017)
The life and career of an actor, artist, and icon. His own journey through his own camera.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Curse of the Dragon (1993)
A 1993 documentary film about Bruce Lee. The film includes interviews from some of his fellow students and opponents who worked alongside him in his movies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAvatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20 (2022)
An inside look at one of the most anticipated movie sequels ever with James Cameron and cast.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCapital in the Twenty-First Century (2019)
Film adaptation of French economist Thomas Piketty's ground-breaking global bestseller of the same name: an eye-opening journey through wealth and power.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
Like Black Boys and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Black Boys?
The closest matches to Black Boys are 13th (2016), Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America (2022) and Whose Streets? (2017). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Black Boys?
People who watched Black Boys most often go on to 13th (2016), Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America (2022) and Whose Streets? (2017).
What is the highest-rated movie like Black Boys?
13th (2016), rated 7.8/10 by 821 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Black Boys?
Stamped from the Beginning (2023) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Black Boys?
Yes: 13th (2016), Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America (2022) and Whose Streets? (2017).
How are movies similar to Black Boys chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Black Boys, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.