In the wake of the killing of George Floyd and in support of the subsequent widespread Black Lives Matter protests happening across America and beyond, the Criterion Channel streaming service is offering up seminal movies by Black filmmakers for anyone to view for free. The premium film channel, which largely specialises in arthouse, independent and classic cinema, says it is “committed to examining the role we play in the idea of canon formation, whose voices get elevated, and who gets to decide what stories get told.” As well as announcing a series of donations to anti-racist organisations, Criterion is currently giving free access to a series of films from Black creators that focus on Black lives and the Black experience.
Among the films on offer (and you can click these links to go straight to the viewing pages – you don’t need to subscribe or sign up to play them) are the likes of: Maya Angelou’s Down In The Delta , Julie Dash’s Daughters Of The Dust, Kathleen Collins’ Losing Ground, Cheryl Dunye’s The Watermelon Woman, Charles Burnett’s My Brother’s Wedding, and Oscar Micheaux’s Body And Soul. As well as offering up free movies by Black filmmakers, the Criterion Channel has also made available Agnès Varda’s short documentary Black Panthers, and Les Blank’s documentary A Life Well Spent.
Empire stands in solidarity with Black people and people of colour against racist violence and systematic oppression, and we support the widespread protests currently taking place. Read here for our resource which includes links to petitions to sign, places to donate where possible, more information about Black Lives Matter, and recommended films by Black filmmakers that feel particularly pertinent to watch now and in future.