| Black Boys | |
| Director: | Sonia Lowman |
| Producer: | Steve Clark, Malcolm Jenkins, Elliot V. Kotek, Sonia Lowman, Scott McCreary, Jon-Thomas Royston, Chad Williamson |
| Cinematography: | Jeanne Tyson |
| Editing: | Evald Ridore |
| Music: | John Hendicott, D'Anthoni Wooten |
| Studio: | Peacock |
| Runtime: | 95 minutes |
Black Boys is a 2020 American documentary film directed by Sonia Lowman.[1]
The documentary is split into four sections (Body, Mind, Voice, and Heart), exploring the generational toll that racism has on each.[2] It addresses the dehumanization of young Black men by showing they are worthy of respect and care which have been denied to them systemically in the United States. Interviews are conducted with athletes including Carmelo Anthony and Greg Scruggs who discuss commodification of Black men in professional sports. It also documents how schools in districts with mostly Black students receive $1,800 per less per student in funding; and, how only two percent of educators are Black men, emphasizing that lack of role models.[3]
The song "Black Beauty" was written and performed by Ben Harper and used as the theme song for the film.[4]
The New York Times stated that director Sonia Lowman "takes a commendable poetic approach," and that the film has "moments of joy."[5] The Suffolk Journal stated it was "a remarkable documentary that dove into exploring the trials of Black men in a country that isn't always willing to listen to or acknowledge them. The variety of stories were deeply-moving and added extra depth to the documentary by sharing the perspectives of both young and old Black men."[3] In 2020, Black Boys received the Public's Choice Award for best Feature Length Documentary at the Montreal International Black Film Festival[6] as well as the Best Documentary Award at the Twin Cities Film Fest.[7] In 2021, it won both the Best Overall Film award and the award for the Best People of Color Film at the Fort Smith International Film Festival,[8] receiving a Hermes Creative Award the same year.[9]