Within Our Gates (1920), directed by Oscar Micheaux (pictured), is the oldest film by an African-American filmmaker of which a surviving print is known to exist. A strong early cinematic statement against white supremacy and its often violent enforcement, it is believed to have been made in response to D.W. Griffith's groundbreaking but virulently racist The Birth Of A Nation.
Warning: This movie contains depictions of lynching and sexual assault that some viewers, even today, may find disturbing.