20 Black Films That Show The Soul Of Chicago

May 27, 2025

Chicago is one of the most beloved cities in America, respected for its rich history and deep connection to Black culture. That’s probably why Hollywood has made it a go-to destination when it comes to choosing the filming location for an array of projects over the years.

Whether moviegoers knew it or not, the trend popped up most recently in the blockbuster vampire thriller, Sinners. Although the film is in fact based in Clarksdale, Mississippi circa 1932, the lead characters (both played by Michael B. Jordan) are hailing from a long stint of working for the infamous Chicago crime family. Everything about their appearance — dress, demeanor and dialect combined! — is rooted from a pivotal time of Chicago culture.

Take a look below at what director Ryan Coogler had to say about the underlying influence of Chicago on Sinners, via The Movie Blog:

“‘Sinners is a Chicago movie as well as it is a Mississippi Delta movie,’ Coogler told us. ‘You know, the Delta blues… it’s like Highway 61. It’s like the artery.’

For Coogler, the connection between Chicago and the South isn’t just musical—it’s familial. During our conversation, he revealed that his wife’s father, a lifelong Chicagoan, played a special role in the early development of the film.

‘My wife’s father is from Chicago. He’s 93 years old,’ Coogler said. ‘And yeah, he read the script before we took it out and got feedback—and he gave it his stamp of approval.’”

If you can get that much Chi-Town inspiration based on the backstory alone, just imagine how it shaped the many films that literally use the city as a character itself. From making history as the location for the first African American film to be made with sound to simply being the backdrop for silver screen classics ranging from comedy and drama to horror and documentaries, Chicago has always been in the focus.

While the eras may change drastically from one film to another, and Alfre Woodard just so happens to appear more often than expected for someone not born in the Windy City, one thing that will become clear as day is that Chicago can without question be a beautiful place to call home.

Take a look at 20 films with settings based in Chicago that truly were able to recapture everything we love about the Windy City:

The Exile (1931)

Cooley High (1975)

Mahogany (1975)

The Big Score (1983)

Native Son (1986)

Candyman (1992)

Mo Money (1992)

Blue Chips (1994)

Hoop Dreams (1994)

To Sir, with Love II (1996)

Love Jones (1997)

Soul Food (1997)

Down In The Delta (1998)

Holiday Heart (2000)

Hardball (2001)

Barbershop (2002)

Roll Bounce (2005)

Southside With You (2016)

Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)

We Grown Now (2023)

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