Source: Focus Feature / GlobalGrind
As we look back on 2018, we’re so impressed with the amount of representation that people of color have had in entertainment. Check out some of the films and television shows that we loved throughout this year.
The Chi
The brainchild of Lena Waithe, this Showtime drama series is the powerful coming-of-age story we’ve been missing. It follows the lives of three young Black boys growing up on the South Side of Chicago.
Grown-ish
We haven’t seen a television show following kids of color in a college setting since A Different World over 20 years ago. Grown-ish came in at the top of the year to shed some light on what it looks like to be a millennial of color growing up on campus.
“Black Panther”
It goes without saying that 2018 was the year of #WakandaForever. Not only did it break countless records, but it inspired a level of Black excellence like no other film before it.
On My Block
Joining The Chi in the league of diverse coming of age stories, On My Block tells the story of kids of color growing up in South Central Los Angeles.
Vida
The Starz original series follows two Mexican-American sisters from the Eastside of Los Angeles who find out their mother was seeing a woman before she died.
Pose
Ryan Murphy’s FX show Pose broke down barriers and made history in countless ways when it premiered in June 2018. The show features the largest cast of transgender actresses of color on a narrative TV show, with two lead producers on the project, including Janet Mock.
“Crazy Rich Asians”
As the first movie featuring an all-Asian cast in over 20 years, “Crazy Rich Asians” broke box office records as the highest-grossing romantic comedy in a decade.
“BlacKkKlansman”
Directed by the legendary Spike Lee, “BlacKkKlansman” is based on the true story of Ron Stallworth, the first African-American detective to serve in the Colorado Springs Police Department and go undercover in the Ku Klux Klan.
“The Hate U Give”
Based on the best-selling novel by Angie Thomas, this story provides an inside look at a young person’s perspective growing up in the time of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Black Lightning
Released just a month before “Black Panther,” the CW’s superhero television series Black Lightning served as a prelude to the Black superhero craze of 2018. The show based on the DC Comics character shows the retired superhero return to her life and how it affects his family life.
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”
What better way to close out the year than have Afro-Latinx Spider-Man Miles Morales make his silver screen debut? This animated film will be released on December 14 and is sure to pack movie theaters.
