Marking the US-originated Black History Month, our Movie of the Week is the Showmax stream of the Oscar-winning Judas and the Black Messiah. Inspired by the true story of the betrayal and assassination of Fred Hampton, chairperson of the Black Panther Party.
As Hampton, Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out, Black Panther) won the Oscar, BAFTA, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor, while H.E.R’s Fight For You also took home an Oscar for Best Original Song. The drama also picked up Oscar nominations for Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Lead Actor (LaKeith Stanfield from Atlanta) and Best Cinematography.
Directed by Shaka King, Judas and the Black Messiah is ranked 13th on Rotten Tomatoes’ list of the Best Black Movies of the 21st Century, with a 97% critics’ rating. As the Rotten Tomatoes critics’ consensus says, “An electrifying dramatisation of historical events, Judas and the Black Messiah is a forceful condemnation of racial injustice – and a major triumph for its director and stars.”
Black History Month is an annual observance originating in the United States. It has received official recognition from governments in the United States and Canada, and is increasingly being observed in countries across the world.
Streaming video services like Showmax have several US history films, ranging from Miss Juneteenth (a former beauty queen and single mom prepares her rebellious teenage daughter for the Miss Juneteenth pageant) to Harriet (the story of Harriet Tubman).