Filmmakers

1. Seith Mann

Seith Mann is known for Five Deep Breaths (2003), Friday Night Lights (2006) and The Breaks (2017).

2. Shaka King

Shaka King was born on March 7, 1980 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He is a director and writer, known for Judas and the Black Messiah (2021), Newlyweeds (2013) and Mulignans (2015).

Ryan Kyle Coogler is an African-American filmmaker and producer who is from Oakland, California. He is known for directing the Black Panther film series, Creed, a Rocky spin-off and Fruitvale Station. He frequently casts Michael B. Jordan in his works. He produced the Creed sequels, Judas and the ...

4. Malcolm D. Lee

Director | Girls Trip

Malcolm D. Lee was born on January 11, 1970 in the USA. He is a writer and director, known for Girls Trip (2017), The Best Man (1999) and The Best Man: The Final Chapters (2022). He has been married to Camilla Banks since 2000. They have three children.

5. Will Packer

Producer | Girls Trip

Producer Will Packer has established himself as one of Hollywood's blockbuster hit makers and is one of the only African American producers in the world that has had eight of their films open number one at the box office. Collectively, his films have grossed nearly $1 billion.

Packer's number one ...

6. Ava DuVernay

Writer | Queen Sugar

A director, producer, writer, marketer and film distributor, Ava DuVernay made her feature film debut with the documentary This is the Life (2008), a history on hip hop movement that flourished in Los Angeles in the 1990's. This was followed by series of television music documentaries which ...

7. Issa Rae

Producer | Insecure

Jo-Issa Rae Diop credited professionally as Issa Rae, is an American actress, writer, producer, and comedian. Rae first garnered attention for her work on the YouTube web series Awkward Black Girl. Since 2011, Rae has continued to develop her YouTube channel, which features various short films, web...

8. Jordan Peele

Writer | Nope

Jordan Peele is an Oscar- and Emmy-winning director, writer, actor, producer, and founder of Monkeypaw Productions. Peele's first feature film, "Get Out," was a critically acclaimed blockbuster, recognized with four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. The film would earn Peele the ...

9. Reed Morano

Cinematographer | I Think We're Alone Now

Reed Morano was born on April 15, 1977 in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. She is known for directing and executive producing the pilot as well as episodes 2 & 3 of 'The Handmaid's Tale' (2017) and directing the feature film, 'Meadowland' (2015), which she also served as her own DP on. She also did double ...

10. Martin Desmond Roe

Director | Breaking2

Martin Desmond Roe is an Academy Award winning director of the live action short film, Two Distant Strangers. He also wrote the Oscar-Nominated Short, Buzkashi Boys, Executive Produced The Emmy Award-winning Tom vs Time, and directed the Cannes Gold Lions winner BREAKING2. Martin is the founder and...

11. Travon Free

Writer | Two Distant Strangers

Travon Free is an Academy Award and five time Emmy Award winning writer, director, producer and comedian. Travon wrote and co-directed his first short film TWO DISTANT STRANGERS, which won him the Oscar for Best Live Action Short in 2021. Most recently, Travon co-directed the HBO documentary BS ...

12. Ben Proudfoot

Director | The Queen of Basketball

Ben Proudfoot was born on October 29, 1990 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He is a director and producer, known for The Queen of Basketball (2021), A Concerto Is a Conversation (2020) and That's My Jazz (2019).

13. Kevin Hart

Actor | Ride Along

Kevin Darnell Hart is an African-American comedian and actor who is known for his roles in the Jumanji sequels including Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019), Undeclared (2001), Scary Movie 3 (2003), Think Like a Man (2012), Ride Along (2014), The Secret Life of ...

14. Cas Sigers-Beedles

Producer | When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story

Cas Sigers-Beedles is a professional writer of twelve years. Through Kensington Press Publication, she has authored six fiction novels. Her seventh novel was released in 2015. Titles are Pieces of a Man, At Last I Bloom, Love is Simple, Forever is Tricky, Chocolate Dove, Three Chords & the Truth, ...

15. Terri J. Vaughn

Actress | The Steve Harvey Show

Terri J. Vaughn was born on October 16, 1969 in San Francisco, California, USA. She is an actress and director, known for The Steve Harvey Show (1996), Friday (1995) and All of Us (2003). She has been married to Karon Riley since January 19, 2008. They have two children. She was previously married ...

16. Sonja O'Hara

Director | Theirs

Sonja O'Hara is an Emmy-nominated Canadian writer, director and actor represented by WME and The Gotham Group. She was chosen as one of the "10 Filmmakers To Watch" by Independent Magazine, chosen by a jury from MovieMaker Magazine, the Sundance Institute, and Austin Film Festival. Past recipients ...

17. Dayna Lynne North

Writer | Insecure

Dayna Lynne North is a native of Kansas City, Missouri, and a graduate of the USC School of Cinematic Arts. She began her writing career with a freelance episode for the critically acclaimed Lifetime drama Any Day Now (1998), and joined the writing staff during the third season. Dayna then joined ...

18. David O. Russell

Director | American Hustle

David Owen Russell is an American film writer, director, and producer, known for a cinema of intense, tragi-comedic characters whose love of life can surpass dark circumstances faced in very specific worlds. His films address such themes as mental illness as stigma or hope; invention of self and ...

19. George Tillman Jr.

Producer | The Hate U Give

After seeing the films, COOLEY HIGH and TAXI DRIVER, Milwaukee, Wisconsin native George Tillman, Jr. became inspired to make films of his own. In 1994, George wrote and directed his first feature film, SCENES FOR THE SOUL. It was shot entirely in Chicago, using local talent and resources. The film,...

20. Tyler Perry

Writer | Diary of a Mad Black Woman

Perry was born and raised in New Orleans, to Willie Maxine (Campbell) and Emmitt Perry, Sr. His mother was a church-goer and took Perry along with her once a week. His father was a carpenter and they had a very strained and abusive relationship, which led Perry to suffer from depression as a ...

21. Nikyatu Jusu

Director | Nanny

Sierra Leonean-American Filmmaker Nikyatu's films have screened at festivals nationally and internationally. With a BA from Duke University and an MFA from NYU's Tisch Graduate Film school, she's earned various awards including NYU's Spike Lee Fellowship Award, the Princess Grace Narrative film ...

22. Spike Lee

Director | Do the Right Thing

Spike Lee was born Shelton Jackson Lee on March 20, 1957, in Atlanta, Georgia. At a very young age, he moved from pre-civil rights Georgia, to Brooklyn, New York. Lee came from artistic, education-grounded background; his father was a jazz musician, and his mother, a schoolteacher. He attended ...

23. Deon Taylor

Director | Black and Blue

A prolific writer, filmmaker, director and idea generator, Deon Taylor is a self-taught, creative genius. His work is innovative, his writing is cutting edge and his vision is iconic. He is forever creating and is a force to be reckoned with in the conglomerate world of entertainment.

He is always ...

24. Datari Turner

Producer | Uncorked

With 20 years in the entertainment business, Datari Turner has worked along side some of the biggest names in entertainment history.

From 2010 to Date, as a feature film producer, Datari Turner has produced close to 30 feature films, making him one of the most prolific independent producers working ...

25. Lena Waithe

Producer | Master of None

Lena Waithe was born on May 17, 1984 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She is a producer and writer, known for Master of None (2015), Ready Player One (2018) and Queen & Slim (2019). She has been married to Alana Mayo since November 2019.

26. Rachel Morrison

Cinematographer | Black Panther

Rachel Morrison is an American cinematographer. She is best known for the films Fruitvale Station (2013), Cake (2014), Dope (2015), Mudbound (2017) and Black Panther (2018).

She began her career working on series and TV movies for a number of networks.

The independent film Palo Alto (2007) marked ...

27. David Leitch

Producer | Bullet Train

David Leitch is a billion dollar film director, actor, stuntman, writer, producer, and stunt coordinator. He co-directed John Wick (2014) with Chad Stahelski, on which he also served as producer. David directed Atomic Blonde (2017) starring Charlize Theron. David also directed the box office smash ...

28. Michael London

Producer | Sideways

Michael London is known for Sideways (2004), The Visitor (2007) and House of Sand and Fog (2003).

29. Victorious De Costa

Producer | Jackie Robinson: Get to the Bag

Victorious De Costa is known for Jackie Robinson: Get to the Bag (2022), Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn (2020) and Digging for Weldon Irvine (2019).

30. Sam Pollard

Director | Mr. Soul!

Sam Pollard is known for Mr. Soul! (2018), Sammy Davis, Jr.: I've Gotta Be Me (2017) and MLK/FBI (2020).

31. Ken Burns

Producer | The Central Park Five

Celebrated American documentarian who gradually amassed a considerable reputation and a devoted audience with a series of reassuringly traditional meditations on Americana. Burns' works are treasure troves of archival materials; he skillfully utilizes period music and footage, photographs, ...

32. Barry Jenkins

Producer | If Beale Street Could Talk

Barry Jenkins was born on November 19, 1979 in Miami, Florida, USA. He is a producer and director, known for If Beale Street Could Talk (2018), Moonlight (2016) and Aftersun (2022).

33. Tracy Oliver

Writer | Girls Trip

Tracy Oliver is known for Girls Trip (2017), First Wives Club (2019) and Harlem (2021).

34. Reginald Hudlin

Producer | Marshall

Reginald Hudlin was born on December 15, 1961 in Centerville, Illinois, USA. He is a producer and director, known for Marshall (2017), House Party (1990) and Django Unchained (2012). He has been married to Chrisette Suter since November 30, 2002. They have two children.

35. Steven Spielberg

Producer | Schindler's List

One of the most influential personalities in the history of cinema, Steven Spielberg is Hollywood's best known director and one of the wealthiest filmmakers in the world. He has an extraordinary number of commercially successful and critically acclaimed credits to his name, either as a director, ...

36. A.V. Rockwell

Director | A Thousand and One

A.V. Rockwell is known for A Thousand and One (2023), Feathers (2018) and The Gospel (2016).

Nicholas Maye is Co-Founder of the Oscar Winning Production Company, Six Feet Over. A Film and Television Producer with a decade worth of experience as a brand strategist with proven results, making him one of the most highly sought-after young creatives in the business. Most recently Executive ...

40. Michael Bay

Producer | Armageddon

A graduate of Wesleyan University, Michael Bay spent his 20s working on advertisements and music videos. His first projects after film school were in the music video business. He created music videos for Tina Turner, Meat Loaf, Lionel Richie, Wilson Phillips, Donny Osmond and Divinyls. His work won...

41. Nida Manzoor

Writer | We Are Lady Parts

Nida Manzoor is known for We Are Lady Parts (2021), Polite Society (2023) and Enterprice (2017).

42. Adam McKay

Producer | The Other Guys

Adam McKay (born April 17, 1968) is an American screenwriter, director, comedian, and actor. McKay has a comedy partnership with Will Ferrell, with whom he co-wrote the films Anchorman, Talladega Nights, and The Other Guys. Ferrell and McKay also founded their comedy website Funny or Die through ...

43. Idil Ibrahim

Producer | Sega

Somali-American Filmmaker Idil Ibrahim's films have screened at festivals in the USA and throughout the world. Idil was selected as one of five women directors to direct a short film for Glamour Magazine's The Girl Project. She is a recipient of the 2017 Extraordinary Women Awards held by the 92nd ...

44. Gina Prince-Bythewood

Writer | Love & Basketball

Gina Prince-Bythewood (Writer/Producer/Director) studied at UCLA Film School, where she received the Gene Reynolds Scholarship for Directing and the Ray Stark Memorial Scholarship for Outstanding Undergraduate. She was a member of UCLA's track and field team, qualifying for the Pac-10 Championships...

45. Tasha Smith

Actress | The Whole Ten Yards

Tasha Smith is a multifaceted actress and director whose work brings style and intensity to the projects she works on, whether in front of or behind the camera. From her roles as "Carol" on Fox's hit drama Empire, "Brenda" in Netflix's Running Out Of Time, to her critically-acclaimed portrayal of ...

46. Tim Story

Director | Fantastic Four

Timothy Kevin Story was born on March 13, 1970 in Los Angeles, California. Attended Westchester High School in Los Angeles, California with jazz pianist Eric Reed and actresses Regina King and Nia Long. Graduated from USC film school.

47. Craig Brewer

Director | Hustle & Flow

Father, Walter D. Brewer worked in a number of high-level corporate positions for Matson Navigation Company, culminating in the position of director of corporate development from 1990-1998, when he died. His work caused the family to move from Vallejo, California (where Craig attended elementary ...

48. Nazrin Choudhury

Producer | Red, White and Blue

Nazrin Choudhury is known for Red, White and Blue (2023), Wayward Pines (2015) and Fear the Walking Dead (2015).