Check Out These Actors and Directors Working the Big Screen This Fall

Happy October, folks!

A few hours into the month, and things are shaping up nicely for black filmgoers.

One of the most buzzed-about releases is Nate Parker’s The Birth of a Nation, the harrowing film about Nat Turner's rebellion, focusing on themes of freedom and resistance. But if you’re not into Parker, the rumors surrounding him or another slave film, you’ve got options. Can you say “Ava DuVernay”?

Yes, you've heard correctly. The 13th, a documentary directed by Ava DuVernay, focuses on the criminalization of blacks in America and is set to premiere Oct. 7. For the dramatist, there’s Moonlight, a film by Barry Jenkins that explores themes of love, identity and masculinity.

For those who need a bit of levity in their lives, there’s Kevin Hart: What Now?—which is essentially 90 minutes of Hart and his stand-up shenanigans. Where's the popcorn? Guaranteed to be a classic in a black-comedic-stand-up kind of way. For the Madea fan, assuming that they still exist, there’s Boo! A Madea Halloween! Yes, really. No judgment.

Did you know that a documentary about the incomparable Maya Angelou, which was co-directed by Rita Coburn Whack, a black woman, will be released this month? Indeed, the film is set to hit theaters Oct. 14.

Here are some of the black film folks you can enjoy in front of and behind the camera this October.

Felice León is multimedia editor at The Root.

Ava DuVernay, Director

Upcoming film: The 13th

Release date: Oct. 7 (Netflix)

Omar Sy, Actor

Upcoming film: Inferno

Release date: Oct. 28

Andre Holland, Actor

Upcoming film: Moonlight

Release date: Oct. 21

Trevante Rhodes, Actor

Upcoming film: Moonlight

Release date: Oct. 21

Mahershala Ali, Actor

Upcoming film: Moonlight

Release date: Oct. 21

Gregory Alan Williams, Actor

Upcoming film: The Accountant

Release date: Oct. 14

Retta, Actress-Comedian

Upcoming film: Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life

Release date: Oct. 7

Gabrielle Union, Actress

Upcoming film: The Birth of a Nation

Release date: Oct. 7

Dwight Henry, Actor

Upcoming film: The Birth of a Nation

Release date: Oct. 7

Colman Domingo, Actor

Upcoming film: The Birth of a Nation

Release date: Oct. 7

Rita Coburn Whack, Director

Upcoming film: Maya Angelou and Still I Rise

Release date: Oct. 14

Kevin Hart, Actor-Comedian

Upcoming film: Kevin Hart: What Now?

Release date: Oct. 14

Tyler Perry, Actor-Producer-Director

Upcoming film: Boo! A Madea Halloween!

Release date: Oct. 21

Cassi Davis, Actress

Upcoming film: Boo! A Madea Halloween!

Release date: Oct. 21

Patrice Lovely, Actress

Upcoming film: Boo! A Madea Halloween!

Release date: Oct. 21

Barry Jenkins, Director

Upcoming film: Moonlight

Release date: Oct. 21

Naomie Harris, Actress

Upcoming film: Moonlight

Release date: Oct. 21

Janelle Monáe, Actress-Singer

Upcoming film: Moonlight

Release date: Oct. 21