The Criterion Collection, a streaming platform for classic and contemporary cinema, is removing its paywall on films and documentaries about Black experience in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and anti-racism protests happening worldwide. 

“The anguish and fury unleashed all across the country are rooted in centuries of dehumanization and death. This pattern must stop,” a statement from Criterion Collection said. 

A selection of titles by Black filmmakers are available now on the Criterion Channel, including classics by Maya Angelou, Charles Burnett, Julie Dash, Oscar Micheaux and more. Contemporary works by Khalik Allah and Leilah Weinraub, as well as documentaries on Black lives by white filmmakers Shirley Clarke and Les Blank, are also currently free. 

“We’ve met as a company and a community to talk openly about the work we need to do to build a better, more equitable, more diverse Criterion, beginning with education and training for our ownership and our staff,” the statement continued. “We are also committed to examining the role we play in the idea of canon formation, whose voices get elevated, and who gets to decide what stories get told.”

Notable films include:

• Shakedown (Leilah Weinraub, 2018)

• Down in the Delta (Maya Angelou, 1998)

• Body and Soul (Oscar Micheaux, 1925)

• The Watermelon Woman (Cheryl Dunye, 1996)

• Black Panthers (Agnès Varda, 1970)

• Daughters of Dust (Julie Dash, 1991)

Furthermore, president Peter Becker and CEO Jonathan Turel also announced the establishment of an employee-guided fund with an initial contribution of $25,000 USD and a monthly commitment of $5,000 USD to organizations fighting racism in America, including bail funds and advocacy groups against police brutality. 

No subscription is needed to gain access to these acclaimed works by Black filmmakers and portraits of Black experience, so start watching these films here. 

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On the Criterion Channel, we're highlighting films that focus on Black Lives, and have taken down the paywall on as many of these titles as we can, so even if you aren’t a subscriber you can watch them for free. Head to criterionchannel.com/browse to see all of the films streaming now. Included here: THE WATERMELON WOMAN (1996) MY BROTHER'S WEDDING (1983) BLACK MOTHER (2018) PORTRAIT OF JASON (1967) SYMBIOPSYCHOTAXIPLASM TAKE ONE (1968) LOSING GROUND (1982) BLACK PANTHERS (1970) DOWN IN THE DELTA (1998) CANE RIVER (1982) DAUGHTERS OF THE DUST (1991) BODY AND SOUL (1925)

A post shared by Criterion Collection (@criterioncollection) on Jun 5, 2020 at 12:30pm PDT