5 Black Films and TV Shows to Watch in 2018

There was a video of a group of black men crowing over a ‘Black Panther’ poster doing the rounds on social media recently. Though the clip and their precise phrasing eludes me, it was something along the lines of “is this how white people feel every day?”

Seen, represented, reflected, mythologised and celebrated in film and media.

Watching grown a** black men marvel over a superhero poster, buoyed by the pure joy of seeing what is without a doubt a formidable and almost all black cast standing stately in one of the biggest cinematic universes in the world is some heady stuff.

Representation matters and the excitement for this upcoming Marvel moment is palpable. Though 2017 saw films like ‘Girls Trip’, ‘Get Out’ and ‘Moonlight’ make waves across colour lines while being acclaimed by international film academies and critics, the beginning of 2018 is when we see black filmmakers have a little more fun.

Here are some of the black-led films and TV shows not to miss this year.

If you’re not on the ‘Black Panther’ (2018) train, what line are you on exactly? Starring Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong’o, Michael B Jordan and Danai Gurira, ‘Black Panther’ tells the story of T’Challa’s return to the technologically advanced fictional African kingdom of Wakanda to claim his throne after the death of his father. Already breaking pre-sale records, boasting an album curated by Kendrick Lamar and more hype than anyone knows what to with on the internet, the only question left to answer is: What are we wearing to the premiere? Ondelela, Dashiki, Kente?

If you loved ‘Black·ish’, you may want to follow Yara Shahidi, one of the sitcom’s breakout stars to college in ‘Grown·ish’. Filled with all the It Girl confidence of high school, Shahidi’s character Zoey soon learns college is a whole other ballgame. Expect relevance, intersectionality and a nod to ‘The Breakfast Club’ (1985).

Who doesn’t love a whole lot of Taraji P Henson? Hands down one of the best things about ‘Empire’, excellent as recently fêted mathematician Katherine Johnson in ‘Hidden Figures’ (2016), Henson takes the lead in ‘Proud Mary’. A film about a hit woman whose life in the organised crime world gets turned around by a boy she meets on a hit. Check this out for its Blaxploitation roots and mega star turned kick*ss action film heroine.

Madeleine L’Engle’s science fantasy novel gets the Ava DuVernay treatment in the upcoming ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ (2018). Starring ’12 Years a Slave’s’ (2013) Storm Reid as Meg Murray, a child on a quest to save her father across space and time with the assistance of Mrs Which, Who and Whatsit played by Oprah Winfrey, Mindy Kaling and Reese Witherspoon, the highly-anticipated film will hit cinemas in March. DuVernay is the third woman in Hollywood history to direct a film with a U$100 million film budget and her efforts thus far should excite you about seeing her use it.

Fresh from her historical Emmy coup as the first black woman to win the award for Outstanding Comedy Writing, Lena Waithe brings us ‘The Chi’. Offering a glimpse into a city often associated with poverty and violence, Waithe dilutes the stereotypes with an ensemble of human faces. Speaking to The Cut, Waithe says: “I have a vested interest in the black men, black women, poor community – I care about us and trying my best to show who we are, through my lens. How can I paint an accurate picture of what black life is? I know my people and I want to write for them. I want to write to them.”

Tune into these five shows and features as they hit our screens. Their writers, directors and leads are black and they’re written to and for us.

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