Stanley Nelson Movies

  • 2021
    Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy

    Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy

    Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy

    6.7762021HD

    A cheap, powerful drug emerges during a recession, igniting a moral panic fueled by racism. Explore the complex history of crack in the 1980s.

    Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy
  • 2019
    Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool

    Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool

    Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool

    7.22019HD

    An immersive look at the eventful life and brilliant artistic career of visionary American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis (1926-1991).

    Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool
  • 2021
    Attica

    Attica

    Attica

    7.0682021HD

    Follows the largest prison uprising in US history, conducting dozens of new interviews with inmates, journalists, and other witnesses.

    Attica
  • 2025
    We Want the Funk!

    We Want the Funk!

    We Want the Funk!

    9.32025HD

    Stanley Nelson's syncopated voyage through the history of funk music, from early roots to 1970s urban funk and beyond.

    We Want the Funk!
  • 2025
    The Inquisitor

    The Inquisitor

    The Inquisitor

    02025HD

    In 1972, Congresswoman Barbara Jordan became the first Southern Black woman to join Congress, one of many firsts in her career as a trailblazing...

    The Inquisitor
  • 2006
    Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple

    Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple

    Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple

    7.0572006HD

    Featuring never-before-seen footage, this documentary delivers a startling new look at the Peoples Temple, headed by preacher Jim Jones who, in 1978,...

    Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple
  • 2022
    Becoming Frederick Douglass

    Becoming Frederick Douglass

    Becoming Frederick Douglass

    6.52022HD

    In Becoming Frederick Douglass, acclaimed director Stanley Nelson and co-director Nicole London bring to life the story of an American icon. Using...

    Becoming Frederick Douglass
  • 2010
    Freedom Riders

    Freedom Riders

    Freedom Riders

    7.62010HD

    This is the story of more than four hundred Americans who participated in a bold and dangerous experiment designed to awaken the conscience of a...

    Freedom Riders
  • 2015
    The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution

    The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution

    The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution

    72015HD

    The story of the Black Panthers is often told in a scatter of repackaged parts, often depicting tragic, mythic accounts of violence and criminal...

    The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
  • 2015
    Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band

    Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band

    Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band

    82015HD

    Jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams was a genius ahead of her time. From child prodigy to "Boogie-Woogie Queen" to groundbreaking composer to mentoring...

    Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band
  • 2023
    Birthing a Nation: The Resistance of Mary Gaffney

    Birthing a Nation: The Resistance of Mary Gaffney

    Birthing a Nation: The Resistance of Mary Gaffney

    6.52023HD

    Birthing A Nation: The Resistance of Mary Gaffney explores the story of forced reproduction in the antebellum South and reveals the agency of Mary...

    Birthing a Nation: The Resistance of Mary Gaffney
  • 2025
    Free for All: The Public Library

    Free for All: The Public Library

    Free for All: The Public Library

    02025HD

    The story of the quiet revolutionaries who made a simple idea of a public library happen. From the pioneering women behind the “Free Library...

    Free for All: The Public Library
  • 2025
    Sun Ra: Do the Impossible

    Sun Ra: Do the Impossible

    Sun Ra: Do the Impossible

    02025HD

    A biographical, musical, illuminating journey into the work and vision of Sun Ra, exploring his jazz roots, endless innovations, and ceaseless...

    Sun Ra: Do the Impossible
  • 2023
    Sound of the Police

    Sound of the Police

    Sound of the Police

    5.52023HD

    This documentary examines the fraught relationship between African Americans and the police, often rife with tension, fear, suspicion and hostility...

    Sound of the Police
  • 2017
    Picket Line

    Picket Line

    Picket Line

    02017HD

    One week before Donald Trump was elected, 700 workers—many of whom were Trump supporters—walked out of the Momentive chemical plant in...

    Picket Line
  • 2017
    Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities

    Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities

    Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities

    8.12017HD

    A haven for Black intellectuals, artists and revolutionaries—and path of promise toward the American dream—Black colleges and...

    Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities
  • 2023
    Bulls and Saints

    Bulls and Saints

    Bulls and Saints

    02023HD

    After 20 years of living in the United States, an undocumented family decides to return home. Little do they know it will be the most difficult...

    Bulls and Saints
  • 2021
    Lynching Postcards: Token of a Great Day

    Lynching Postcards: Token of a Great Day

    Lynching Postcards: Token of a Great Day

    82021HD

    This chilling reflection examines the horrific history of lynchings as cultural events and celebrations that included souvenirs and postcards.

    Lynching Postcards: Token of a Great Day
  • 2003
    The Murder of Emmett Till

    The Murder of Emmett Till

    The Murder of Emmett Till

    6.82003HD

    A documentary examining the 1955 murder of a 14-year-old black boy from Chicago while visiting relatives in Mississippi, and the broad impact of his...

    The Murder of Emmett Till
  • 1985
    Frederick Douglass: An American Life

    Frederick Douglass: An American Life

    Frederick Douglass: An American Life

    01985HD

    This director's cut of the William Greaves' documentary short film dramatizes the life and deeds of the noted abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

    Frederick Douglass: An American Life