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Shaka King Selects
The Judas and the Black Messiah director selects the films that inspire him from BFI Player Subscription.
A Prophet [Un prophète] A Prophet [Un prophète]
Crime 2009 156 mins Director: Jacques Audiard
Jacques Audiard’s award-winning crime drama chronicles the rites of passage and eventual rise to power of a young French Arab. Tough, taut, truthful.
"I saw this for the first time with my brother Jabari (RIP). One of my favorite movie going experiences ever. Never had an old man terrify me quite like Niels Arestrup. The way he alternates between the carrot and the stick. Chilling."
Dogtooth Dogtooth
Drama 2009 93 mins Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Yorgos Lanthimos' scary, witty tale of a dysfunctional Greek family is original, ingenious and sadly relevant as a study of parent-child relationships
"Shout out to the woman at Sundance who told me to "stop laughing" when the lights came up. One of my favorite endings to a movie ever. And on that note..."
Mother Mother
Thriller 2009 129 mins Director: Bong Joon-ho
Acclaimed Korean actor Kim Hye-ja is outstanding as a mother who will do anything to protect her son, in Bong Joon Ho’s fourth feature.
"My favorite ending to any movie EVER. The framing of the shot from outside of the bus, the choice to go handheld, the silhouette reveal, the music, the little shimmy she does... God-level tier filmmaking."
King of New York King of New York
Crime 1990 103 mins Director: Abel Ferrara
Christopher Walken is the dogged drug-lord determined to keep his empire together, in Abel Ferrara's brutally gritty crime thriller.
" 'Where the chicken at, huh? Yo Black!' Fishburne is in a 1930's gangster flick and I LOVE that shit. This movie is so arch and yet so real. What an incredible feat of balancing tone."
Short Term 12 Short Term 12
Drama 2013 97 mins Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
A care-worker is confronted by a troubled teen whose case history provokes an unwelcome reminder of her own concealed and traumatic past.
"I saw Lakeith Stanfield in this and knew I had to work with him someday. His performance lent the movie a real authenticity."
The Battle of Algiers The Battle of Algiers
Drama 1966 121 mins Director: Gillo Pontecorvo
Gillo Pontecorvo’s masterpiece about the last years of French colonial rule in Algeria, seen from the perspective of both the revolutionaries and the French authorities.
"The greatest political film of all time."
The Harder They Come The Harder They Come
Drama 1972 103 mins Director: Perry Henzell
The cult classic, acknowledged as the catalyst for the popularisation of reggae in the US, sees Jimmy Cliff traversing the underbelly of Jamaican shanty-town life.
"Never give up on your dreams."
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
Gangster 1976 109 mins Director: John Cassavetes
John Cassavetes’s uncompromising character study of a gangster, with Ben Gazzara as the small-time club owner whose life begins to spin out of control.
"Another movie with a great takeaway: the importance of being comfortable."