Shaft (1971)

At a time when Hollywood doubted the commercial viability of films with predominantly African American casts, Shaft shattered expectations and proved that Black stories, led by Black actors, could succeed at the box office.

Directed by renowned photographer Gordon Parks, Shaft stars Richard Roundtree in a breakthrough role as John Shaft, a tough, street-smart NYPD detective navigating the gritty streets of Harlem.

The film follows Shaft as he’s hired to rescue a crime boss's kidnapped daughter, diving deep into a world of mobsters and local gangs. Shaft wasn’t just an action-packed crime drama—it was a cultural milestone, cementing the rise of the Blaxploitation genre and showing that Black-led films had a powerful voice in mainstream cinema.