This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s fall editorial intern Alayna Thomas. Find her on Instagram at @ratatoolie. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
I am a total cinephile. I love to leave Letterboxd reviews for all 13 of my followers to enjoy. I have even written about movies academically in college. Even though I enjoy the classics and films made by big studios, I equally enjoy low budget films. I love movies that are so bad, they deserve an Oscar. I love movies that show passion, even if it may not have the best acting, writing, or directing. If I’m entertained, it’s not a total waste of time.
Enter Tubi movies. This is not a concrete genre of films, but a term put together by Black social media users. These are movies that are found on the free streaming platform, Tubi. These movies are low budget and are produced independently or by small studios. Tubi movies often have bizarre plots, with eccentric writing and… interesting acting. However, me and many others have found a love and appreciation for these movies. It’s as if we found a haven for Black film to thrive and gain a following, especially as diversity efforts in mainstream films looks like a mixed bag right now. As I looked more into Tubi movies, I realized that they fell into a long tradition of Black filmmaking.
How Black Films Started
Black movies have a long history here in the states. Between the 1910’s and the 1950’s, ‘race films’, or ‘race movies’, were created for Black audiences. There is not a strict definition for race films. However, many historians agree that these films were marketed for Black moviegoers and had predominantly Black casts. Many of these films are lost and the proof that we have of them consists of artifacts such as posters, flyers, and newspaper clippings. These flyers and clipping emphasized the ‘Blackness’ of the films. The peak of these movies was in the 1920’s.
Similar to Tubi movies, race movies were often low budget. Filmmakers had to work extra hard in order to procure funds for their films because it barely garnered any mainstream attention. There were Black owned studios, such Amegro Films, which was made by Spencer Williams.
Audiences would poke fun at these films because the acting or editing wouldn’t be the best, but it provided a way for Black people to see themselves on the screen. Also notable is that race films would often focus on middle and upper class Black people, which was not the reality of most Black people in segregated America.
Blaxploitation
Then, in the early 1970’s, we saw the proliferation of Blaxploitation movies. These were movies that my mom and other older Black adults told me to watch or else I’d ‘lose my Black card’. Some of these films may be known to audiences that aren’t Black, as these have achieved a bit more mainstream attention. Some of these films include Shaft, Coffy, and Blacula. This includes Blaxploitation inspired generations of filmmakers regardless of race; Quentin Tarantino has been extensively inspired by those movies.
Blaxploitation films were also often independently produced, had predominantly Black casts, and were for Black audiences. Many genres fit under this umbrella, from action, comedy, and horror. Not much different from Tubi movies and race films.
As these films came out right as the Civil Rights movement was coming to an end, a lot of them focused on ‘fighting the man’ and celebrating Blackness. Many of these films featured violence, drugs, sex, and took place in the ghetto. Because of this, there were mixed reactions towards Blaxploitation. For example, the NAACP was against Blaxploitation and called for these movies to stop being made. This genre came to an end by the late 1970’s.
Black New Wave
In 1986, Spike Lee released She’s Gotta Have It, which kickstarted what I will refer to as Black New Wave. From the late 80’s to the late 90’s, I would argue that Black filmmaking entered somewhat of a golden era. Movies from this era also include Friday, New Jack City, and Menace II Society. I also grew up watching these movies and some of them are among my favorite movies of all time.
These movies are an immediate reaction to the war on crime and the crack epidemic. Many focus on inner-city life and Black masculinity. Similar to Blaxploitation, there were drugs, violence, and sex which garnered criticism. But, what sets Black New Wave apart was that there was big studio support for many of these films. They were not as low budget as Black movies in the past. Unfortunately, by the late 90’s film studios went back to financing mostly White films and we have not seen a prolific run of Black movies since.
Tubi is Tradition
As you can see, Tubi movies have a lot in common with many of the Black film making movements that came before it. They are low budget, independently made, and feature predominantly Black casts. Many films focus on what modern Black America is going through. Tubi movies cover a breadth of genres and topics. If you can think of a topic, there’s probably a Tubi movie made about it.
Tubi eventually caught on to the fact that independent Black films were very popular on their platform, so they eventually started making original content that mirrors those independent films. I love that they embraced this audience and cater to them. This is especially important as now, many films that have Black characters and cast members often face backlash. Black actors, as well as actors of other disadvantaged groups, are often called DEI hires and face racist comments online. This is a far cry from the 70’s-90’s, where we saw Black films increasingly enter the mainstream, just to be shut back out.
We have had minor mainstream victories with movies such as Black Panther, Moonlight, and Girls Trip. However, I think that these Tubi movies show that Black films can thrive in spite of mainstream attention. Detroit, which recently held its fifth annual Black film festival, is a backdrop to a ton of these movies. This also shows that we don’t need to rely on major cities and production hubs to create movies. Black filmmakers, writers, and actors can get exposure outside of traditional means.
I first found out about Tubi movies in 2021. I would see clips circulating online of shotty camera work, questionable plots, and wooden acting. My friends and I would make fun of these clips, finding them absolutely hilarious.
However, I watched my first Tubi movie in 2022. I remember a time during the pandemic where PPP loans were all the rage on social media. People were giving advice on how to falsify information and how to game the system. And guess what? The government obviously found out and started making people pay them back. Someone made a movie about the aftermath, appropriately titled PPP Loan Gone. This is a Tubi classic, I don’t care what anyone says.
Now I know you’re wondering: where can I get started? What are some of the best Black Tubi movies? Some of my favorites include the aforementioned PPP Loan Gone, The Assistant, The Only Child, He Played Me, and These Men For Everybody.
So, even though audiences make fun of Tubi movies and highlight the outlandish nature of them, we have a lot of love for them. They encapsulate what makes Black filmmaking so unique. If you are looking for a way to unwind and have some laughs, cut on a Tubi movie. I promise you will enjoy it.
What do you think about Tubi original movies? Let us know in the comments below!
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