What to Watch Next (DVD Suggestions) Paul Robeson: Portraits of the Artist All-American ath- lete, scholar, renowned baritone, stage actor, and social activist, Paul Robeson was a towering figure and a trailblazer many times over. He was perhaps most groundbreaking, however, in the medium of film. The son of an escaped slave, Robeson managed to become a top-billed movie star during the time of Jim Crow America, headlining everything from fellow pioneer Oscar Micheaux’s si- lent drama Body and Soul to British studio showcases to socially engaged docu- mentaries, all the while striving to project positive images of black characters. Freedom Riders (Documentary) This inspirational docu- mentary is about a band of courageous civil-rights activists calling themselves the Freedom Riders. Gaining impressive access to influential figures on both sides of the issue, it chronicles a chapter of American history that stands as an astonishing testament to the accomplishment of youth and what can result from the incredible combination of personal conviction and the courage to organize against all odds. Malcolm X A tribute to the controversial black activist and leader of the struggle for black liberation. He hit bottom during his imprisonment in the '50s, he became a Black Muslim and then a leader in the Nation of Islam. His assassi- nation in 1965 left a legacy of self-determination and racial pride. Featuring a career-defining role for Denzel Washington, this film remains one of the pinna- cles of Spike Lee’s diverse career. The Black Panthers (Documentary) In the turbulent 1960s, change was coming to America and the fault lines could no longer be ignored—cities were burning, Vietnam was exploding, and disputes raged over equality and civil rights. A new revolutionary culture was emerging and it sought to drastically transform the system. The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense would, for a short time, put itself at the vanguard of that change. Shadows At a party, Lelia, a young African-American girl with a light com- plexion, meets Tony, a somewhat callow white musician, and they begin a ro- mance. Lelia thinks she's in love, but Tony is surprised when he meets her older brother, Hugh, and realizes she's black. Hugh is an unsuccessful singer with a hostile attitude, while Lelia's other sibling, Ben, is trying to make it as a trumpet player when he isn't getting into trouble. John Cassavetes’ portrait of race rela- tions in the late 1950s reflected a changing culture, as well as one that was seemingly unwilling to change. I Am Not Your Negro (Documentary) In 1979, James Baldwin wrote a letter to his literary agent describing his next project, "Remember This House." The book was to be a revolutionary, personal account of the lives and assassinations of three of his close friends: Medgar Evers, Mal- colm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. At the time of Baldwin's death in 1987, he left behind only 30 completed pages of this manuscript. Filmmaker Raoul Peck envi- sions the book James Baldwin never finished. Killer of Sheep In Watts, an urban and mostly African-American sec- tion of Los Angeles, Stan spends his days toiling away at a local slaughterhouse. His macabre profession seeps into his personal life as he struggles to keep his family afloat and content. Other life situations also prove to be difficult, since it seems that dark intentions lurk within the people he meets outside his family. The layers of stress cause Stan to question whether a better quality of life is pos- sible. Often considered to be one of the quintessential American film experienc- es. Boyz n the Hood Tre is sent to live with his father, Furious Styles, in tough South Central Los Angeles. Although his hard-nosed father instills proper values and respect in him, and his devout girlfriend Brandi teaches him about faith, Tre's friends Doughboy and Ricky don't have the same kind of support and are drawn into the neighborhood's booming drug and gang culture, with in- creasingly tragic results. Selma Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 legally desegregated the South, discrimination was still rampant in certain areas, making it very difficult for blacks to register to vote. In 1965, an Alabama city became the battleground in the fight for suffrage. Despite violent opposition, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his followers pressed forward on an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, and their efforts culminated in President Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Get Out Now that Chris and his girlfriend, Rose, have reached the meet-the -parents milestone of dating, she invites him for a weekend getaway upstate with Missy and Dean. At first, Chris reads the family's overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter's interracial relation- ship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discover- ies lead him to a truth that he never could have imagined. Byzantium Two female vampires wreak havoc on an unsuspecting Eng- lish seaside community. Introverted Eleanor and the outgoing Clara both carry secrets from deep in their shared past-all 200 years of it. Shacked up in the seedy Byzantium Hotel, they scheme to keep their secrets from unsuspecting new victims in this seductive, stylish new take on the vam- pire genre. Get Out Now that Chris and his girlfriend, Rose have reached the meet- the-parents milestone of dating, she invites him for a weekend getaway upstate with Missy and Dean. At first, Chris reads the family's overly ac- commodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daugh- ter's interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a se- ries of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he never could have imagined. Ouija: Origin of Evil In 1967 Los Angeles a widowed mother and her two daughters add a new stunt to bolster their seance scam business and unwittingly invite authentic evil into their home. When the youngest daughter is overtaken by the merciless spirit, this small family confronts unthinkable fears to save her and send her possessor back to the other side. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (Foreign) The first Iranian Vam- pire Western ever made. A joyful mash up of genre, archetype, and ico- nography, its prolific influences span spaghetti westerns, graphic novels, horror films and the Iranian New Wave. The Love Witch Elaine, a beautiful young witch, is determined to find a man to love her. In her gothic Victorian apartment she makes spells and potions, and then picks up men and seduces them. However her spells work too well, and she ends up with a string of hapless victims. When she finally meets the man of her dreams, her desperation to be loved will drive her to the brink of insanity and murder. Sinister Ten years ago, true crime writer Ellison Oswald made his repu- tation with a best-selling account of a notorious murder. Now, desperate to replicate the success of his first book, he moves his family into a home where the previous occupants were brutally executed and a child disap- peared, hoping to find inspiration in the crime scene. In the home, El- lison discovers a cache of terrifying home movies, unwittingly opening the door into a nightmarish mystery. Moonlight A look at three defining chapters in the life of Chiron, a young black man growing up in Miami. His epic journey to manhood is guided by the kindness, support and love of the community that helps raise him. Winner of the 2016 Best Picture Academy Award. Tangerine It's Christmas Eve in Tinseltown and Sin-Dee is back on the block. Upon hearing that her pimp boyfriend hasn't been faithful during the 28 days she was locked up, the working girl and her best friend, Alexandra, embark on a mission to get to the bottom of the scandalous rumor. Their rip-roaring odyssey leads them through various subcultures of Los Angeles. Blue is the Warmest Color (Foreign) A French teen forms a deep emotional and sexual connection with an older art student she met in a lesbian bar. The colorful, electrifying romance that took the Cannes Film Festival by storm courageously dives into a young woman's experiences of first love and sexual awakening. Before Night Falls A richly imagined journey into the life and writings of brilliant Cuban author and exile Reinaldo Arenas. It spans the whole of Arenas' life, from his rural childhood and his early embrace of the Revolution to the persecution he would later experience as a writer and homosexual in Castro's Cuba; from his departure from Cuba in the Mariel Harbor exodus of 1980 to his exile and death in the United States. Milk His life changed history, his courage changed lives. Harvey Milk is a mid- dle-aged New Yorker who, after moving to San Francisco, becomes a Gay Rights activist and city politician. On his third attempt, he is elected to San Francisco's Board of Supervisors in 1977, the first openly-gay man to be elected to public office in the United States. The following year, both he and the city's mayor, George Moscone, are shot to death by former city supervisor, Dan White, who blames his former colleagues for denying White's attempt to rescind his resigna- tion from the board. La Mala Educación (Foreign) Filmmaker Enrique gets a visit from an aspiring actor claiming to be his old school friend Igancio, who has written a story about their traumatic childhood spent at Catholic school.