African American Films : Biographies and Documentaries

History was made in 1947, when Jackie Robinson broke the professional baseball race barrier to become the first African American MLB player of the modern era. 42 tells the life story of Robinson and his history-making signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers under the guidance of team executive Branch Rickey.

CAST includes: Harrison Ford, Ryan Merriman, Lucas Black, Hamish Linklater, Chadwick Boseman, Nicole Beharie, Christopher Meloni, Andre Holland.

Forty years after Martin Luther King's assassination, newsman Tom Brokaw, takes viewers through the extraordinary life and times of America's civil rights visionary. Go beyond the legend to portray the man, the questions, the myths, and the relevance of Dr. King's message in today's world.

Narrator, Tom Brokaw ; interviews with: Martin Luther King III, Andy Young, Harry Belafonte, Bill Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, Bono, Forest Whitaker, Chuck D.

"Traces the journey to freedom taken by countless slaves, showing how they were guided, protected and pursued along the way. The extraordinary story is told through historical documents, visits to important sites, interviews with the descendants of noted abolitionists and commentary from experts"--Container.

Hosted by Alfre Woodard

Follow Obama through his teenage struggles for self-identity, his student days at Columbia University and Harvard Law School, and his political career in Chicago. Go behind the scenes of Obama's extraordinarily successful presidential campaign and his journey towards the 2008 Democratic Convention.

Narrator, Rodd Houston

Explore with Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the evolution of the African-American people, as well as the multiplicity of cultural institutions, political strategies, and religious and social perspectives they developed-forging their own history, culture and society against unimaginable odds.

Hosted by Louis Gates, Jr.