Our friends at SnagFilms.com, the website that offers hundreds of free, full-length documentaries, recently added a slew of African-American inspired films in honor of Black History Month. While the films featured in this post only scrape the surface of movies we'd recommend, the site offers countless hidden gems that both entertain and enlighten. Our friends at SnagFilms.com, the site that offers hundreds of free, full-length documentaries, recently added a slew of African-American inspired films in honor of Black History Month. While the films featured in this post only scrape the surface of movies we'd recommend, the site offers countless hidden gems that both entertain and enlighten. Among the highlights:


'A Century of Black Cinema' (1997): Trying to sum up the contributions of African-Americans in film in a few hours is admittedly a fool's errand, but 'A Century of Black Cinema' provides an insightful compendium into numerous filmmakers, actors and films that have shaped the African-American experience in film, from the turn-of-the-century filmmaker Oscar Micheaux to Spike Lee. Everyone from Sidney Poitier and Eddie Murphy to Whoopi Goldberg and James Earl Jones are interviewed for 'Century,' which features scenes from 'Cotton Comes to Harlem,' 'Waiting to Exhale,' and 'Porgy and Bess' among others.

'Adjust Your Color: The Truth About Petey Greene' (2009): It's a shame that D.C. radio and television personality Petey Greene isn't a household name. The former inmate turned radio DJ was Eddie Murphy, Howard Stern and Richard Pryor all rolled into one. Willing and able to speak at length on virtually any subject, 'Adjust Your Color' details the the life and death of this colorful personality.

'Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Man of Peace in a Time of War' (2007): While this documentary features interviews with such notable figures as Jesse Jackson and Colin Powell, the highlight of this film is a rare interview King himself did in 1967 with host Mike Douglas. Not seen for more than 40 years, King discusses the civil rights movement and African-Americans' participation in the Vietnam War.

'The Blues Live On: the Delta Blues Museum' (2003): While smaller and of less renown than the Met or MOMA, the Delta Blues museum in Clarksdale, MS remains as vital and influential a building for its own unique art: the blues. This documentary looks at both the people (Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson) and the places (the infamous "crossroads" where Robert Johnson sold his soul to the Devil) that helped shape the most influential genre in 20th century music.