These are pioneering directors whose contributions opened the doors for Black filmmakers today.
* Oscar Micheaux (January 2, 1884 – March 25, 1951) | 43 directing credits | He was the first African-American to produce a feature-length film. | "Within Our Gates" (1920), "Body and Soul" (1925)
* Spencer Williams (July 14, 1893 – December 13, 1969) | 13 directing credits | He also owned a production company in the late 30s. | "The Blood of Jesus" (1941), "Juke Joint" (1947)
* Ossie Davis (December 18, 1917 – February 4, 2005) | 7 directing credits | Pioneer in contributing to the Black film movement with "Cotton Comes to Harlem" (1970) | "Black Girl" (1972)
* Gordon Parks (November 30, 1912 – March 7, 2006) | 10 directing credits | The first feature film by a black director to be financed by a major Hollywood studio. | "The Learning Tree" (1969), "Shaft" (1971)
* Melvin Van Peebles (August 21, 1932 – September 21, 2021) | 18 directing credits | Pioneer of the famed Blaxploitation movies in the 1970s. | "Watermelon Man" (1970), "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song" (1971)
* Jamaa Fanaka (September 6, 1942 – April 1, 2012) | 7 directing credits | One of the leading directors for the L.A. Rebellion film movement. | "Emma Mae" (1976), Penitentiary (1979).
* Robert Townsend | 49 directing credits | Pioneered black filmmaking in the 1980s after the end of the Blaxploitation era. | "Hollywood Shuffle" (1987), "The Five Heartbeats" (1991)
* Spike Lee | 136 directing credits | Pioneered a new age and style of Black filmmaking that took the late 80s and 90s by storm. | "She's Gotta Have It" (1986), "School Daze" (1988), "Do the Right Thing" (1989)
* Julie Dash | 25 directing credits | Her 1991 feature "Daughters of the Dust" became the first full-length film directed by an African-American woman to obtain a general theatrical release in the United States. | "Funny Valentines" (1999)
