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1900s
The Story of the Kelly Gang was the first production company to create the first feature film. The film is still watched and study over due to it's historic context & also it being considered indie. -
1910s
Alice Guy, the first known female filmmaker, was cited to be the first to direct a film with an all Black cast in 1912's A Fool and His Money. She's also known to be the first woman to own a film studio. She's also known for her interracial cast which was very progressive at that time in the past when segregation & Jim Crow was forming in America post slavery. -
1920s
Within Our Gates, directed by Oscar Micheaux, is the oldest surviving film by an African-American director. The film covered America's issue with white supremacy, life in the beginning of Jim Crow for Black people, and its effect. Micheaux created it to inform the viewers despite many, such as the Board of Censors in Chicago fearing potential controversy and negative response from it. -
1930s
'The Ethel Waters Show' starring Ethel Waters was the first American tv show to have a Black woman star in her very own show. Ethel Water is also the first Black performer to have her own show. This was an hour special that NBC aired early in the day. -
1940s
Hattie McDaniel was the first Black person to win an Oscar for her role in Gone With the Wind. This was controversial as she played the stereotype role of Mammy that has a bitter past to it leading towards her being black balled in the Black community. She won Best Supporting Actress which also controversial because she won out of her white counterpart nominees. -
1950s
During the 30th Academy Awards, Miyoshi Umeki was the first Asian to win an Oscar for the role in the film "Sayonara". Despite that, she's been the ONLY Asian actress to win an Oscar and 1/3 Asian actors/actresses to win an Oscar which represent the underrepresentation of Asian people in film. -
1960s
Cicely Tyson was the first African-American to star in a tv drama in the show East Side/West Side. Despite the role being controversial, Cicely made her impact with the role of Jane foster who appeared on 22 of the 26 episodes. She also wore her short hair natural which was a big statement at the time of the airing. -
1970s
During the 45th Academy Awards, Marlon Brando declined his award for his role in the Godfather through the Apache actress Sacheen Littlefeather. During Sacheen's speech, she brought light to the negative and problematic portrayal of Native Americans in Hollywood films, especially after the Wounded Knee Incident of 1973. Her 15 page speech was cut off and received with boos & cheers from the audience. -
1980s
The first tv network catered towards the Black Community was created by Robert Johnson and his former wife Shelia Johnson. The network made the couple the first African-American billionaires. Despite it's controversy, the network has managed to still continue strong over the past 36 years with the same core audience that isn't always represented in tv shows or movies. -
1990s
The film Kids triggered various reactions over it's NC-17 content that depicted the then youth (of color) in New York city at the height of the AIDS & HIV epidemic. Content such as sex, drug use, and its vulgar language had people praising it for its blunt reality while other critics & viewers shunned it for its depiction of youth at the time. Despite mixed reviews, the coming of age film created a blueprint for other coming of age films & shows such as "Mid-90s" & the sensational "Euphoria". -
2000s
During the 74th Academy Awards, Halle Berry became the first Black woman to win an Oscar for Best Actress award for the film Monster's Ball. This was exactly 62 years after the first Black person & woman, Hattie McDaniel, won her Oscar. During her speech, Halle Berry addressed the issue of diversity in the Hollywood industry for actresses of color which was and still is an issue in Hollywood today when it comes to positive representation of people of color. -
2010s
Kenya's first LGBT+ film that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 9th, 2018. Due to Kenya's homophobic government, the film was banned in the country & could give anyone 14 years of jail if caught with it. The director Wanuri Kahiu sued the government to allow the film to be submitted into other international award shows such as the Academy Awards. The ban was lifted for a week September 21st, 2018 which allowed it to be screened in local cinemas that sold out.
