20 Extraordinary Black Directors and Filmmakers Who've Paved the Way in Hollywood

The filmmaker founded the Foster Photoplay Company in Chicago, Illinois. William's production company is considered to be the first created by an African American and with an all-Black cast. He is best known for his 1912 silent short The Railroad Porter.

Maria is credited as the first Black female film producer through her work on the 1923 silent film The Flames of Wrath. Maria dedicated her life to public service and activism working as a school teacher and community organizer.

Melvin was a pioneer within the "blaxploitation" genre of the 1970s. An exploitation film is typically low budget and attempts to profit off of exploiting trends while having some level of lurid content. The blaxploitation genre is an ethnic subgenre of film, and some of the first movies where Black actors were able to depict leads, superheroes and show the beauty of urban life.

Melvin's French and American films were thought-provoking and used comedy to highlight many of the social struggles Black people faced. He is best known for the early-1970s films Watermelon Man and Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song.

The legendary photographer rose to fame through his award-winning photojournalism between the 1940s-70s capturing civil rights issues such as segregation, poverty and the lives of African Americans.

Outside of his work as a celebrated photojournalist, Gordon is the first African American to direct a major motion picture with the film The Learning Tree, based on his bestselling semi-autobiographical novel. He is also recognized for directing the popular blaxploitation films Shaft and The Super Cops.

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Bill is best known for the 1973 cult classic horror film Ganja and Hess. The film combined the genre of horror with the style of blaxploitation and explores sex, identity and African American life.

After studying for her MFA in film at UCLA in the 1980s, she became known as a member of the L.A. Rebellion. The name references the first members of the African diaspora to study film at UCLA.

Since graduating from film school, Julie's work continued to break the glass ceiling. Her feature film Daughters of the Dust is the first full-length film directed by an African American woman to have a general theatrical release in the United States.

The Brooklyn native is one of the most recognizable filmmakers of the 20th and 21st century. Spike's production company 41 Acres and a Mule has produced over 35 films since 1983. His critically acclaimed films primarily depict Black American struggles in his hometown of Brooklyn, New York. He is best known for Do the Right Thing, School Daze, Crooklyn, Malcolm X and Blackkklansman.

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This filmmaker and gay rights activist was a pioneer within film using his art as a form of self expression and to be unapologetically gay and Black. His powerful yet disruptive documentaries continue to be praised. He is best known for Ethnic Notions, Tongues Untied and Black Is...Black Ain't.

John is best known for writing and directing the film Boyz n the Hood, which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Director in 1991. John became the youngest person and first African American to be nominated in that category. John is also known for the films Baby Boy, Poetic Justice and prior to his passing in 2019 the FX series Snowfall.

The actress, dancer, singer, producer, director and former member of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities is best known for her work as a director-producer on the popular '90s sitcom A Different World. The popular series followed the reality of fictional HBCU Hillman. Debbie is also known for producing Steven Spielberg's award winning historical drama Amistad, titled after the Spanish ship that carried the enslaved.

Roger is the first AfricanAmerican director to win an Oscar. In 2010, the filmmaker made history winning an Academy Award for his documentary short film Music by Prudence. The film captures the life of 24-year-old Zimbawean singer Prudence Mabhena who shows the world that "disability does not mean inability."

Ava is the first Black woman to win the U.S. Directing Award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival for her feature film Middle of Nowhere. Ava is best known for When They See Us, Selma and A Wrinkle in Time.

The British filmmaker is best known for his adaptation of Solomon Northup's 1853 memoir 12 year's a Slave. Steve has also received praise for his anthology series Small Axe Films, which highlights the lives of West Indians in London.

Ryan's 2014 feature film Fruitvale Station won the Sundance Dramatic Audience and Grand Jury Prize, Dramatic awards and reached critical acclaim. Since making his feature film debut, he has directed Creed and the Marvel film Black Panther.

Berry cowrote and directed the critically acclaimed film Moonlight, a coming-of-age story of a gay Black man in Miami. He was nominated at the Academy Awards for Best Director and jointly won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay with Tarell Alvin McCraney. Berry also directed the film adaptation of James Baldwin's novel If Beale Street Could Talk.

The comedian and filmmaker is best known for the sketch comedy series Key and Peele and for redefining the horror genre. Jordan won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his film Get Out. He is also known for his other horror films, including Us and Candyman.

Victoria was handpicked by J.J Abrams to direct the second unit of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.Within the 40 years of the franchise, she is the first woman to direct a Star Wars film.

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The writer-director, former Sony music artist and Harlem native is best known for writing and directing the unforgettable romance Sylvie's Love. The film is a refreshing display of Black love which is often times absent from film.

Janicza has been creating innovative films since the beginning of her career. She is best known for cowriting and directing the film Zola, which is based on a viral 2015 Twitter thread.

According to IMDb, Nia, a director and screenwriter, became the first African American woman to have a film debut top the box office during opening week with the release of the Jordan Peele project Candyman.