TeaTime x Drew’s Little Yellow Book: Black History Month Films
TeaTime x Drew’s Little Yellow Book: Black History Month Films
In a collaboration between TeaTime Pictures and Drew's Little Yellow Book, Drew and Dakota Johnson join forces to combine their love for curation and share their favorite books, movies, music, and more -- helping people open up to a new worldview or discover stories they never knew! This month, they are celebrating Black History Month, with guest curators Sharon Chuter and Taylour Paige, featuring films directed by Black directors and starring Black lead actors.
01. Summer of Soul (2021)
Sharon Chuter's Pick:
Director: Questlove
Questlove wears a myriad of hats professionally and can now add film director to his legendary resumé. “Summer of Soul” chronologizes the Harlem Cultural Festival which took place in the summer of 1969 and featured performances by icons Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, The 5th Dimension, and more. The critically-acclaimed film illuminates the importance of history to our spiritual selves and demonstrates the healing power of music during times of strife.
MOOD: In need of spiritual healing through music
GENRE: Music history documentary
WATCH IF YOU LOVED: The Last Waltz
02. Imitation of Life (1959)
Taylour Paige's Pick:
Director: Douglas Sirk
Questlove wears a myriad of hats professionally and can now add film director to his legendary resumé. “Summer of Soul” chronologizes the Harlem Cultural Festival which took place in the summer of 1969 and featured performances by icons Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, The 5th Dimension, and more. The critically-acclaimed film illuminates the importance of history to our spiritual selves and demonstrates the healing power of music during times of strife.
MOOD: In need of a captivating, emotionally charged story
GENRE: Classic drama film
WATCH IF YOU LOVED: Passing
03. 13th (2016)
Sharon Chuter's Pick:
Director: Ava Duvernay
Ava Duvernay explores the racial inequalities in American society present in the prison and justice system. The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery except for those convicted of a crime, so Ava examines how modern-day slavery exists within the mass incarceration system through this constitutional loophole.
MOOD: In need of a history lesson
GENRE: Constitutional history documentary
WATCH IF YOU LOVED: LA92
04. Do the Right Thing (1989)
Taylour Paige's Pick:
Director: Spike Lee
Do the Right Thing zooms in on a microcosm of American society, a neighborhood pizza parlor, and how it exhibits the larger issues plaguing society. A pizza parlor that highlights white actors on its walls refuses to feature non-white actors, which illuminates inequalities in the neighborhood and causes tensions to rise.
MOOD: In need of a small story illustrating larger cultural commentary
GENRE: Classic Spike Lee comedy-drama film
WATCH IF YOU LOVED: She’s Gotta Have It
05. Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)
Sharon Chuter's Pick:
Director: Shaka King
Judas and the Black Messiah recounts the betrayal of 1960s Black Panther leader Fred Hampton, by FBI Informant William O'Neal. The cast is stacked, starring Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback, Lil Rel Howery, Algee Smith, Martin Sheen, and more. The film represents yet another story where real-life history remains hauntingly relevant illustrating the powerful historical ripple effects of the events to this day.
MOOD: In need of an empowering leadership story
GENRE: Inspiring, revolutionary Black history biopic
WATCH IF YOU LOVED: Malcolm X
06. Get Out (2017)
Taylour Paige's Pick:
Director: Jordan Peele
“Get Out” is an instant classic. It arguably started an American cultural revolution, awakening non-BIPOC to the modern Black experience in a country dominated by white supremacy. The story of the Black protagonist Chris visiting his white girlfriend’s family, serves as a metaphor for the ways whiteness reduces and exploits Blackness in both predominantly white spaces and in our greater society.
MOOD: In need of a suspenseful thriller
GENRE: Satirical psychological horror film, modern classic
WATCH IF YOU LOVED: Us
07. Poetic Justice (1993)
Sharon Chuter's Pick:
Director: John Singleton
“Poetic Justice” shines a light on using artistic expression to persist through life’s challenges. Plus, music icons Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur star in the film, so you feel as wrapped up in music history as much as the romance as the plot unfolds.
MOOD: In need of a heart-opening emotional journey
GENRE: Emotional romantic drama film
WATCH IF YOU LOVED: Love & Basketball
08. Soul (2020)
Taylour Paige's Pick:
Directors: Kemp Powers, Pete Docter
Pixar knows how to pull at the heartstrings...and Soul is no exception. With a star-studded cast and an unmatched musical soundtrack, Soul helps remind us of the beauty of life. An automatic add to Taylor Paige's wintry vibes watch-queue.
MOOD: In need of remembering what's important
GENRE: Philosophical animated movie for all ages
WATCH IF YOU LOVED: Sing
09. Amend: The Fight for America (2021)
Sharon Chuter's Pick:
Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green & Kenny Leon
“Amend” dives deep into the legacy of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution and the historical fight for equality. Each episode examines a different protest movement, from immigration to LGBTQ rights to race relations.
MOOD: In need of a history lesson
GENRE: Constitutional history documentary series
WATCH IF YOU LOVED: John Lewis: Good Trouble
10. A Raisin in the Sun (1961)
Taylour Paige's Pick:
Director: Daniel Petrie
After the death of their matriarch, a family in 1959 Chicago grapples with what to do with an inheritance. Two characters dream of leaving the big city and buying a home, one character dreams of medical school, and another dreams of investing money in their liquor store. The characters deal with a myriad of big issues as they chase their individual happiness, including embracing one’s heritage, an unwanted pregnancy, racist experiences, and more. A Raisin in the Sun is a classic play for a reason, as the family dynamics in this adaptation are relatable to everyone, and the dynamics of racial prejudice exist to this day.
MOOD: In need of a dramatic tale with relatable family drama
GENRE: Drama play adapted to film
WATCH IF YOU LOVED: A Patch of Blue