Must-Watch Movies About The Civil Rights Movement

The Fight for Rights, Captured on Film

Civil rights movements have played a pivotal role in shaping history. Yet, many of these struggles remain underrepresented, and the stories of those who fought for equality often went untold. These films, however, strive to bring their relentless efforts to life, capturing the courage, pain, and triumph of those who changed the world.

Malcolm X (1992)

Spike Lee's epic, decade-spanning biopic is one of the most important and ambitious films ever made. Denzel Washington (in a monumental, Oscar-nominated performance) embodies the full, complex evolution of Malcolm X—from a small-time hustler to the fiery, revolutionary spokesman for the Nation of Islam, and finally to the reflective leader he was becoming before his assassination. It’s a powerful and essential portrait of a man and his movement.

Selma (2014)

Ava DuVernay's masterpiece is not a cradle-to-grave biopic of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Instead, it's a tense, brilliant political thriller focusing on a specific, pivotal moment: the 1965 voting rights marches from Selma to Montgomery. David Oyelowo's portrayal of King is a triumph, showing him not just as an icon, but as a brilliant, burdened, and strategic leader navigating political infighting and the constant threat of violence.

Milk (2008)

This film showcases a different, but parallel, struggle for justice: the gay rights movement of the 1970s. Sean Penn won an Oscar for his passionate, charismatic portrayal of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. The film is a joyous, vibrant, and ultimately tragic story about the power of grassroots activism, community, and the fight to be seen and represented.

Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)

A blistering drama that shines a light on a different, often-overlooked part of the civil rights struggle. The film tells the true story of Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya, in his Oscar-winning role), the brilliant, 21-year-old chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, and William O'Neal, the FBI informant who infiltrated the party and betrayed him. It’s a devastating look at a powerful movement cut short by a paranoid system.

I Am Not Your Negro (2016)

One of the most powerful documentaries ever made, this Oscar-nominated film is based on the unfinished manuscript of writer and activist James Baldwin. Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, the film uses Baldwin's poetic, incisive words to connect the civil rights movements of the 1960s (personified by his friends Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and MLK Jr.) to the racial conflicts of the present day with devastating clarity.

Loving (2016)

Not all civil rights battles were fought with marches and speeches. This beautiful, quiet film from Jeff Nichols tells the true story of Mildred and Richard Loving, the interracial couple whose 1967 Supreme Court case, Loving v. Virginia, struck down all laws banning interracial marriage. Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton deliver stunning, understated performances as a couple who just wanted to love each other, and in doing so, changed history.

Hidden Figures (2016)

This feel-good, Oscar-nominated film tells the incredible true story of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson—three brilliant Black women working at NASA. It’s a powerful, uplifting look at the intersectional fight for bothcivil rights and gender equality, as these women battled segregation and sexism to become indispensable to the space race.

BlacKkKlansman (2018)

Spike Lee's searing, darkly comedic, and true story of Ron Stallworth, the first Black detective in the Colorado Springs police department, who managed to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan in the 1970s. The film is a tense thriller, a sharp buddy-comedy, and a furious piece of commentary that draws a direct, unflinching line from the '70s to the resurgence of white supremacy today.

Gandhi (1982)

This sweeping epic won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, for its portrayal of one of the 20th century's most important figures. Ben Kingsley's iconic performance as Mahatma Gandhi shows his transformation from a young lawyer in South Africa to the leader of India's nonviolent independence movement. His philosophy of "satyagraha" (truth-force) became a blueprint for Dr. King and civil rights leaders around the world.

13th (2016)

Another powerhouse documentary from Ava DuVernay, 13th argues that the civil rights movement never truly ended. It makes a stunning, convincing case that the 13th Amendment—which abolished slavery "except as a punishment for crime"—created a loophole that has been exploited to create the modern system of mass incarceration. It’s an essential, eye-opening film that reframes American history.