Movies Like Hattie McDaniel: or A Credit to the Motion Picture Industry

If you liked Hattie McDaniel: or A Credit to the Motion Picture Industry (2004), a movie directed by Ina Diane Archer, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
And the Oscar Goes To... (2014)
★ 6.8/10
The story of the gold-plated statuette that became the film industry's most coveted prize, AND THE OSCAR GOES TO... traces the history of the Academy itself, which began in 1927 when Louis B. Mayer, then head of MGM…
2
Till (2022)
★ 7.3/10
The true story of Mamie Till Mobley's relentless pursuit of justice for her 14-year-old son, Emmett Till, who, in 1955, was lynched while visiting his cousins in Mississippi.
3
Respect (2021)
★ 6.8/10
The rise of Aretha Franklin’s career from a child singing in her father’s church’s choir to her international superstardom.
4
Being the Ricardos (2021)
★ 6.5/10
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz face a crisis that could end their careers and another that could end their marriage.
5
The Banker (2020)
★ 7.6/10
In the 1960s, two entrepreneurs hatch an ingenious business plan to fight for housing integration—and equal access to the American Dream.
6
Glory Road (2006)
★ 7.4/10
In 1966, Texas Western coach Don Haskins led the first all-black starting line-up for a college basketball team to the NCAA national championship.
7
The Ron Clark Story (2006)
★ 7.6/10
Passionate and innovative teacher Ron Clark leaves his small hometown to teach in one of Harlem's toughest schools. But to break through to the students, he must use unconventional methods, including his…
8
Selma (2014)
★ 7.4/10
"Selma," as in Alabama, the place where segregation in the South was at its worst, leading to a march that ended in violence, forcing a famous statement by President Lyndon B. Johnson that ultimately led to the signing…
9
Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999)
★ 6.4/10
An acclaimed stage performer, Dorothy still struggled with the challenge of her color, in a time that wouldn't let some stars in by the front door. Yet against the odds she beat out many more famous rivals for the role…
10
Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché (2018)
★ 7.2/10
The epic life story of Alice Guy-Blaché (1873–1968), a French screenwriter, director and producer, true pioneer of cinema, the first person who made a narrative fiction film; author of hundreds of movies, but banished…
11
Richard Jewell (2019)
★ 7.4/10
Richard Jewell thinks quick, works fast, and saves hundreds, perhaps thousands, of lives after a domestic terrorist plants several pipe bombs and they explode during a concert, only to be falsely suspected of the crime…
12
The Great Debaters (2007)
★ 7.3/10
The true story of a brilliant but politically radical debate team coach who uses the power of words to transform a group of underdog African-American college students into a historical powerhouse that took on the…
13
I Know That Voice (2014)
★ 7.1/10
Filmmaker Lawrence Shapiro discusses voice-over acting with the talented people behind the characters.
14
The Watermelon Woman (1997)
★ 7/10
A young black lesbian filmmaker probes into the life of The Watermelon Woman, a 1930s black actress who played 'mammy' archetypes.
15
Nickel Boys (2024)
★ 6.6/10
Chronicles the powerful friendship between two young Black teenagers navigating the harrowing trials of reform school together in Florida.
16
On the Basis of Sex (2018)
★ 7.3/10
Young lawyer Ruth Bader Ginsburg teams with her husband Marty to bring a groundbreaking case before the U.S. Court of Appeals and overturn a century of sex discrimination.
17
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)
★ 7.7/10
What was supposed to be a peaceful protest turned into a violent clash with the police. What followed was one of the most notorious trials in history.
18
Something the Lord Made (2004)
★ 8/10
A dramatization of the relationship between heart surgery pioneers Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas.
19
Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)
★ 7.3/10
Bill O'Neal infiltrates the Black Panthers on the orders of FBI Agent Mitchell and J. Edgar Hoover. As Black Panther Chairman Fred Hampton ascends—falling for a fellow revolutionary en route—a battle wages for O’Neal’s…
20
John Candy: I Like Me (2025)
★ 7.9/10
Those who knew iconic funnyman John Candy best share his story, in their own words, through never-before-seen archival footage, imagery, and interviews.