Juneteenth is a time to reflect on history and uplift the voices that shape our present. To honor the holiday, check out the Juneteenth collection from Kanopy for a wide variety of powerful and impactful films that celebrate freedom.

“Kanopy offers a powerful Black Cinema collection alongside a rich catalog of documentaries exploring the Black experience in the United States. This year’s Juneteenth collection brings together some of our most popular titles with compelling new additions—curated to honor the ongoing struggle for freedom and equality, while celebrating the voices, stories, and creativity of Black Americans,” says Ellen Mitchell, Kanopy Content Programming Specialist.

We invite you to explore the full collection or find a few of our recommendations below to help you reflect and observe the day.

The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman
TV-PG | 1974 | 1hr 49min

Beginning during the racial turmoil of 1960s Louisiana, 110-year-old ex-slave Jane Pittman (Cicely Tyson) grants an interview to a persistent journalist and relates the remarkable story of her life. Orphaned early, she toils on a plantation until a chance meeting with a white Union soldier named Brown changes her outlook. Jane's emancipation marks only the beginning of an arduous and heartbreaking odyssey, framed by the horrors of slavery and the justice of the civil rights movement.

🥇This television adaptation of the famous novel won 9 Emmy Awards.

Miss Juneteenth
PG-13 | 2020 | 1hr 39min

“Developing Kanopy's Juneteenth collection prompted mindful reflection on the battle towards emancipation as well as voices from African American filmmakers expressing Black joy in liberation,” says Joy Annorzie, Kanopy Content Programming Analyst and a member of the Kanopy team that developed this year’s film collection.

Joy is excited to watch this unique film as it follows a single mom and her daughter who's competing for the local Miss Juneteenth pageant. The film was an official selection at the Sundance and SXSW Film Festivals and was released on June 19th, 2020, to coincide with the 155th anniversary of the holiday in the U.S.

Fences
PG-13 | 2016 | 2hr 18min

Set in 1950s Pittsburgh, the film adaptation of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play takes a passionate look at former baseball player Troy Maxson as he fights to provide for those he loves in a world that threatens to push him down.

Roots
TV-14 | 2016 | 6hr 28min

A four-night, eight-hour event series, Roots is a historical portrait of one family's journey through American slavery and their will to survive and preserve their legacy in the face of unimaginable hardship.

Slavery and the Making of America
TV-PG | 2004 | 3hr 28min

A four-part documentary series on the history of American slavery from its beginnings in the British colonies through the years of post-Civil War Reconstruction. Narrated by Oscar-winner Morgan Freeman, the series examines the integral role slavery played in shaping the new country and challenges the long-held notion that it was exclusively a Southern enterprise. The remarkable stories of individual slaves offer fresh perspectives on the slave experience.

🥇Winner of a News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Historical Programming - Long Form.

The Black Church
TV-14 | 2021 | 3hr 39min

Trace the history of the Black Church in America. From enslavement to today, the series explores key events shaping an institution at the heart of African American communities on the frontlines of hope and change.

John Lewis: Good Trouble
PG | 2020 | 1hr 37min

This intimate account of legendary U.S. Representative John Lewis’s life and legacy takes us through his more than 60 years of activism—from the bold teenager on the front lines of the Civil Rights’ movement to a legislative powerhouse in Congress.

The Uncomfortable Truth: The History of Racism in America
2016 | 1hr 25min

When the son of a Civil Rights Hero dives into the 400-year history of racism in America, he’s confronted with the shocking reality that his family was involved from the very beginning. A comprehensive and insightful exploration of the origins and history of racism in America—from slavery to Jim Crow era, from lynchings to protests—told through a very personal and honest story.

🥇Winner of Best Documentary at the Utah Film Awards, National Black Film Festival, and the Park City International Film Festival.

Black Stories Collection
2021 | 7hr 48min

This collection comprises 30 episodic short stories curated by University of Southern California Cinematic Arts and offer brief, yet compelling glimpses of American life.

Episode 2: “Beads”
13 min

Dalia, a young African American girl, moves to a new town with her family and encounters racism during her first day at school.

Episode 9: “Radical Joy”
12 min

In a time of mounting social unrest, a young Black woman faces a life altering choice.

Episode 19: “Violets”
24 min

This is a short film about love, and how one African American family is transformed when its patriarch is revealed to be transgender. It follows John, a faithful father, son, husband, and LAPD officer grappling with gender identity and her journey as she and her wife Violet struggle to navigate love and life within their predominately Christian, African American community in South Central, Los Angeles.

New to Kanopy? With just your library card, you can stream films, TV series, documentaries, and more to your preferred devices with no fees and no commercials, thanks to your public library. Everyone from film scholars to casual viewers will discover remarkable and enriching films with new titles added every month. Check with your local library to see if they offer access to Kanopy.

*Access to films may vary.

RELATED READ: America’s first Juneteenth: A reflection & reading list