The Depiction of African American Females in Film Productions

An evaluation of films such as Tyler Perry’s A Mad Black Woman (2005), Theodore Melfi’s, Hidden Figures (2016), Tate Taylor’s The Help (2011), and Steve McQueen’s Widows (2018), will reveal varying images of black women depicted in recent films. The presentation includes plot overviews and analysis of symbolic features. It also features a comparison and contrast that examines both the destructive and uplifting stereotypes black women face. An image or stereotype can be strong and cause someone to change everything about herself, even if it takes her out of her culture of origin. The image of black women today may not be as horrifying as it was during the 1600s; however, talented filmmakers (both Black and white, both male and female) struggle to depict Black women accurately and compassionately