From its inception, Xenon has endeavored to produce and acquire films representing the substantive whole of the Black experience.
To that end, Xenon’s catalog includes a virtually unmatched collection of documentaries and narrative films featuring icons from African American history. From company-produced documentaries on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahalia Jackson to feature films on Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks, Xenon Pictures continues to embrace high quality films examining American Black Heritage.
Ill-Gotten Gains
Djimon Hounsou, Akousia Busia, Eartha Kitt
Directed by: Joel Ben Marsden
Djimon Hounsou (Gladiator, Blood Diamonds, and Guy Richie’s upcoming King Arthur) stars in this gripping tale of twenty-four Africans held captive in a slave ship after slavery is outlawed. Spurred on by a specter that lives in the ship, the captives are moved to a tragic and bloody uprising.
“White-hot with outrage”—The Village Voice
Huey P. Newton: Prelude to Revolution
Huey P. Newton, The Black Panther Party
Directed by: John Evans
Filmmaker John Evans’ never-before-seen interview with jailed revolutionary and founder of the Black Panther Party, Huey P. Newton.
You see bullet riddled walls, ransacked family dwellings and shattered windows. This is the very terrorism that Huey and the Black Panther Party were standing up against.”—activist Assata Shakur
Slippin’: 10 Years with The Bloods
a film by TOMMY SOWARDS and JOACHIM SCHROEDERThe Bloods street-gang
Directed by: Tommy Sowards and Joachim Schroeder
Over a period of 10 years, filmmakers Joachim Schroeder and Tommy Sowards hit the streets to follow a group of teenagers from L.A.’s Rollin’ 20s Bloods documenting the violent and troubled lives of one of the toughest gangs in the country.
“No preaching or moralizing…JUST STRAIGHT FORWARD TRUTH.”
-New York Times
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr: An Historical Perspective
Endorsed by The King FoundationDr. Martin Luther King Jr. Narrated by Arthur Burghardt
This comprehensive and fully authorized documentary traces King’s life and the development of his philosophies, set against the backdrop of the Civil Rights movement.
“This outstanding production deserves a place in all collections”-School Library Journal
The Rosa Parks Story
Angela Bassett, Peter Francis James, Cicely Tyson
Directed by: Julie Dash
Rosa Parks creates the spark that ignites the modern Civil Rights Movement when she refuses to surrender her seat on a commuter bus to a White woman. The resulting uproar throws her into the KKK’s ring of hatred, but also into the NAACP’s limelight.
The Women of Brewster Place
(Complete Miniseries)Oprah Winfrey, Cicely Tyson, Robin Givens, Lynn Whitfield, Leon
Directed by: Donna Deitch
Oprah Winfrey heads an all-star cast in this hit 1989 miniseries concerning a group of strong-willed, idealistic women who rebuild their shattered lives with one another’s support.
“Engaging portrait of seven women in a ghetto tenement who are struggling to overcome the hardships of poverty and the disappointments of shattered dreams.” -Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Sudie and Simpson
Louis Gossett Jr., Sara Gilbert, Frances Fisher, John Jackson
Directed by: Joan Tewkesbury
A white 12-year-old girl becomes friends with a shy, lonely Black man who has been ostracized from their rural Georgia town. Eventually, the small community becomes enraged about their friendship, and Simpson is unjustly accused of child molestation. Based on Sara Flanigan Carter’s semi-autobiographical novel.
A Woman Called Moses
Coming to BD! Harriet Tubman is the face of the new U.S. $20 bill!Cicely Tyson, Will Geer, Orson Welles, Lorne Greene, John Getz
Directed by: Paul Wendkos
This sprawling miniseries tells the true story of Harriet Tubman, a founder of the underground railroad, who led hundreds of slaves to freedom in the North before the Civil War.
“One of the most moving evocations of the Black Experience”-Newsweek
Mahalia Jackson: The Power & The Glory
MAJOR HOLLYWOOD BIOPICS in the works!Mahalia Jackson, Studs Terkel, Jessie Jackson, George Avakian, Brother John Sellers
Directed by: Jeff Scheftel
Meet the gospel great who has influenced many of today’s pop superstars. This special edition DVD combines the outstanding documentary Mahalia Jackson: The Power & the Glory, with over two hours of vintage kinescope performances from the 1961 series, “Mahalia Jackson Sings”.
“An incredible film” – Paul McCartney
Race to Freedom: The Story of the Underground Railroad
Glynn Turman, Tim Reid, Courtney Vance, Janet Bailey
Directed by: Don McBrearty
Four slaves flee the oppressive clutches of their plantation and begin a harrowing trek to Canada.
“A moving, exciting historical melodrama”—Chicago Tribune