Set in South London at the start of the '80s, a time when reggae music was at its peak and racism was rife, we follow Blue, the lead singer for Ital Lion Sound, in the run-up to a Sound System competition. Over the course of the story we see Blue clash, not only with the police and racists, but also family and friends as his anger and frustration finally becomes too much to suppress. A powerful and gritty drama with, as you'd expect, a blinding soundtrack. find out more...

Rapper/DJ Kenny meets jazz artist Tracy and, inspired by her commitment, decides to use his talents to escape the ghetto. However the death of a graffiti artist friend presents Kenny with an emotional dilemma, whether to honour the memory of his friend or pursue his own dreams. "Beat Street" doesn't have the most striking of story lines, but the film is really about the musical phenomenon of hip hop (correctly spotting the burgeoning talents of Afrika Bambaata and the Soul Sonic Force, Grand Mas find out more...

Christina Ricci turns all sexy and slutty and this little temptress is the devil for embittered bluesman, yep he woke up this morning, Lazarus, who needs to pray ter god as he chains her near naked body to the radiator in order to save her soul. This is a strange mix of steam, religion and human values as individuals work together to help heal each other's damaged psyches. An up-lifting tribute to human values, with a great blues soundtrack, in this 'Southern Gothic' adaptation of George Eliot's find out more...

This dramatic history of Chicago's Chess Records has a superb soundtrack(though it consists almost entirely of covers) and its insights into the relationship between white money making businessmen and poor black talent back in the stifling '50s more than makes up for its overwrought melodrama, historic inaccuracies and poor script. find out more...

Carmen, a sultry woman, seduces a young soldier, Joe, in order to avoid imprisonment. However, when she leaves Joe for another man, he seeks revenge.

There’s no sexier pairing in the history of black cinema than Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte. She died tragically young but this performance sees her at her best – vivacious, talented, full of agency and power - Catharine Des Forges

Dorothy Dandridge as Carmen Jones stands right at the top of my list. No compet find out more...

A young woman smuggling marijuana crash-lands her plane in Jamaica, but a local named Countryman rescues her and leads her away from the pursuing authorities. Features a fantastic soundtrack with the likes of Bob Marley 'Natural Mystic', Wally Badarou 'Obeah Man Dub' and Human Cargo with 'Carry Us Beyond'. find out more...

A big, stylish, booming story about three young girls, a Supremes-like band The Dreamettes, singing their way to superstardom. Undoubtedly a nod to the meteoric rise of the ‘Three Degrees', or could it just be any Motown band?, Dreamgirls is a smooth well performed pseudo biog and Jennifer Hudson is truly hypnotic in her Oscar (best support actress) winning performance. find out more...

A working-class Italian-American bouncer becomes the driver of an African-American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960s American South.

find out more...

1950, rural Alabama; times are hard for 'The Honeydripper' a club where traditional blues music doesn't pull the crowds, the young cotton pickers and army boys prefering a rival bar with its juke-box, but help may arrive in the help of handsome young Sonny, his electric guitar and rock'n'roll. A lovely piece of independent cinema from the maestro John Sayles; a movie about myth, about family, about change and, above all, about music. find out more...

Djay is a small time pimp listlessly hustling his main girl Nola and dreaming of a less ugly existence. When DJay meets an old school friend he is immediately smitten by the opportunity for escape� the chance to make his name as a rapper. With the imminent arrival of an urban music producer DJay knows his one way out is to do what he does best�make the hustle. Hustle And Flow is not an original tale but it's elevated by some tight, spare, unsentimental direction and an Oscar nominated perfor find out more...