Movies Like The Jazz Ambassadors

If you liked The Jazz Ambassadors (2018), a documentary movie directed by Hugo Berkeley, 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
The Green Book: Guide to Freedom (2019)
★ 7.8/10Also documentary
In 1936, Victor H. Green (1892-1960) published The Negro Motorist Green Book, a book that was both a travel guide and a survival manual, to help African-Americans navigate safe those regions of the United States where…
2
Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool (2019)
★ 7.1/10Also documentary
An immersive look at the eventful life and brilliant artistic career of visionary American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis (1926-1991).
3
I Am Not Your Negro (2017)
★ 7.7/10Also documentary
Working from the text of James Baldwin’s unfinished final novel, director Raoul Peck creates a meditation on what it means to be Black in the United States.
4
Muscle Shoals (2013)
★ 7.2/10Also documentary
In a tiny Alabama town with the curious name of Muscle Shoals, something miraculous sprang from the mud of the Tennessee River. A group of unassuming, yet incredibly talented, locals came together and spawned some of…
5
Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021)
★ 7.6/10Also documentary
During the same summer as Woodstock, over 300,000 people attended the Harlem Cultural Festival, celebrating African American music and culture, and promoting Black pride and unity. The footage from the festival sat in…
6
Amy (2015)
★ 7.6/10Also documentary
A documentary on the life of Amy Winehouse, the immensely talented yet doomed songstress. We see her from her teen years, where she already showed her singing abilities, to her finding success and then her downward…
7
When We Were Kings (1996)
★ 7.6/10Also documentary
It's 1974. Muhammad Ali is 32 and thought by many to be past his prime. George Foreman is ten years younger and the heavyweight champion of the world. Promoter Don King wants to make a name for himself and offers both…
8
Searching for Sugar Man (2012)
★ 7.9/10Also documentary
Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock 'n' roller, Rodriguez.
9
Sidney (2022)
★ 6.9/10Also documentary
This revealing documentary honors the legendary Sidney Poitier—iconic actor, filmmaker, and civil rights activist. Featuring interviews with Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Halle Berry, and more.
10
What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015)
★ 7.4/10Also documentary
The film chronicles Nina Simone's journey from child piano prodigy to iconic musician and passionate activist, told in her own words.
11
13th (2016)
★ 7.8/10Also documentary
An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.
12
Let's Get Lost (1988)
★ 7.2/10Also documentary
Documentary about jazz great Chet Baker that intercuts footage from the 1950s, when he was part of West Coast Cool, and from his last years. We see the young Baker, he of the beautiful face, in California and in Italy…
13
My Mom Jayne (2025)
★ 8/10Also documentary
Through deeply personal interviews with her siblings and an examination of the photographs, letters, and belongings left behind, Mariska assembles a new portrait of her mother Jayne Mansfield, an extraordinary and…
14
Coded Bias (2020)
★ 6.9/10Also documentary
Exploring the fallout of MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini's startling discovery that facial recognition does not see dark-skinned faces accurately, and her journey to push for the first-ever legislation in the…
15
Salinger (2013)
★ 6.4/10Also documentary
An in-depth investigation into the private world of the American writer J. D. Salinger (1919-2010), who lived most of his life behind the impenetrable wall of a self-imposed seclusion: how his dramatic experiences…
16
John Candy: I Like Me (2025)
★ 7.9/10Also documentary
Those who knew iconic funnyman John Candy best share his story, in their own words, through never-before-seen archival footage, imagery, and interviews.
17
Supersonic (2016)
★ 7.4/10Also documentary
Supersonic charts the meteoric rise of Oasis from the council estates of Manchester to some of the biggest concerts of all time in just three short years. This palpable, raw and moving film shines a light on one of the…
18
Gilbert (2017)
★ 6.7/10Also documentary
The life and career of one of comedy's most inimitable modern voices, Mr. Gilbert Gottfried.
19
Whitney (2018)
★ 7.3/10Also documentary
Examines the life and career of singer Whitney Houston. Features never-before-seen archival footage, exclusive recordings, rare performances and interviews with the people who knew her best.
20
Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown (2014)
★ 6.9/10Also documentary
James Brown changed the face of American music forever. Abandoned by his parents at an early age, James Brown was a self-made man who became one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, not just through his…