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Black Star
Our subscription selection celebrating black stardom, focusing on British talents and pioneering performers.
Our highlights here range from Ousmane Sembéne's groundbreaking 1965 film Black Girl all the way up to 2004’s acclaimed British crime drama Bullet Boy and beyond. Begin a mesmerising journey through the talent of black cinema right here.
Second ComingSecond Coming
Drama 2015 105 minsDirector: debbie tucker green
What if an immaculate conception took place in a South London household? Idris Elba stars in a subtle, thought-provoking and original family drama.
Black GirlBlack Girl
Drama 1965 59 minsDirector: Ousmane Sembène
The first major work by African master Ousmane Sembène, about a Senegalese maid’s despair, brims with both New Wave vitality and African heart.
HoneydripperHoneydripper
Drama 2007 124 minsDirector: John Sayles
Acclaimed writer-director John Sayles brings the birth of rock 'n' roll to life with electrifying effect, with Danny Glover heading up a stellar cast.
For Queen and CountryFor Queen and Country
Drama 1989 101 minsDirector: Martin Stellman
Denzel Washington stars as a British paratrooper who returns to the London council estate of his youth, only to find his wartime service counts for nothing.
The First GraderThe First Grader
Drama 2011 99 minsDirector: Justin Chadwick
Inspiring true story of a Kenyan man who returned to school aged 84. With Oliver Litondo and Naomie Harris.
Of Good ReportOf Good Report
Drama 2013 110 minsDirector: Jahmil Xolani Thandikhaya Qubeka
Disturbing but deeply stylish South African drama about a teacher who becomes obsessed with an under-age pupil in his class, with tragic consequences.
Soul PowerSoul Power
Documentary 2008 92 minsDirector: Jeffrey Levy-Hinte
James Brown, Sister Sledge and B.B King feature in this stunning concert film, shot during the Ali-Foreman 'Rumble in the Jungle' of 1974.
PressurePressure
Drama 1978 121 minsDirector: Horace Ové
Hailed as Britain's first black feature film, Pressure is a hard-hitting, honest document of the plight of disenchanted black youths in 1970s London; now available in its new restoration.
SixteenSixteen
Drama 2013 79 minsDirector: Rob Brown
A former child soldier in Congo, now living in London, witnesses a crime and is drawn into a violent world he'd hoped to leave behind.
One LoveOne Love
Romance 2005 96 minsDirector: Rick Elgood and Don Letts
Rick Elgood and the legendary Don Letts direct this reggae romance about a rasta musician whose affair with a gospel-singing preacher’s daughter causes a stir in Kingston.
Playing AwayPlaying Away
Sport 1986 102 minsDirector: Horace Ové
A cricketing comedy of manners exploring white and black stereotypes, from pioneering British filmmaker Horace Ové.
Looking for LoveLooking for Love
Documentary 2015 115 minsDirector: Menelik Shabazz
Leading filmmaker Menelik Shabazz (Burning an Illusion) explores intimacy and relationships within Britain’s black community.
Bullet BoyBullet Boy
Drama 2005 86 minsDirector: Saul Dibb
Ashley Walters impresses in the hard-hitting Hackney drama that’s still one of the best of Britain’s black urban crime films.
B.D. WomenB.D. Women
1994 20 minsDirector: Campbell X
Sassy, stylised documentary exploring the hidden histories of black lesbians.
Straight to HellStraight to Hell
Comedy 1987 86 minsDirector: Alex Cox
Alex Cox’s anarchic homage to the spaghetti western, with arguably cinema’s wildest cast: Dennis Hopper, Joe Strummer, Courtney Love, Grace Jones and Shane MacGowan.
Fear Eats the SoulFear Eats the Soul
Melodrama 1974 93 minsDirector: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Fassbinder’s international breakthrough, this unconventional love story combines lucid social analysis with devastating emotional power.
Julius CaesarJulius Caesar
Drama 2012 151 minsDirector: Gregory Doran
Gregory’s Doran’s innovative Shakespeare interpretation transplants the action to post-independence Africa.
My Brother the DevilMy Brother the Devil
Drama 2012 107 minsDirector: Sally El Hosaini
Sally El Hosaini's feature debut tells of the love and disenchantment of two British-Egyptian brothers as gangs, drugs and sexuality come between them.
The Stuart Hall ProjectThe Stuart Hall Project
Documentary 2013 99 minsDirector: John Akomfrah
Composed of film, music and photographs from the archives, a fascinating portrait of the life and times of the founder of cultural studies and the New Left Experience.
The Nine MusesThe Nine Muses
Documentary 2012 92 minsDirector: John Akomfrah
John Akomfrah mixes archive material, literary and musical quotations and newly shot silent footage in a wry, rapt meditation on memory and migration.
Burning an IllusionBurning an Illusion
Drama 1982 102 minsDirector: Menelik Shabazz
Menelik Shabazz’s pioneering first feature traces the emotional and political growth of a young black couple in Thatcher’s London.
Within Our GatesWithin Our Gates
Drama 1919 74 minsSilentDirector: Oscar Micheaux
Oscar Micheaux’s startling silent classic – the earliest surviving feature from an African-American director – presents a fascinating black counterpoint to Griffith’s Birth of a Nation.
Blood of JesusBlood of Jesus
Drama 1941 56 minsDirector: Spencer Williams
Spencer Williams feverish melodrama about a woman’s flirtation with Satan was independently produced out of Texas with an amateur cast and a budget of $5,000.
BirthrightBirthright
Drama 1938 74 minsSilentDirector: Oscar Micheaux
Oscar Micheaux directs the story of a Harvard graduate whose attempts to establish a rural school runs into opposition from both races.
Young Soul RebelsYoung Soul Rebels
Drama 1991 105 minsDirector: Isaac Julien
The Queen's Silver Jubilee beats to the sounds of Funkadelic, Sylvester and the O'Jays in Isaac Julien’s feature debut.
More Black Star films in our Rentals collection.