HOME / ENTERTAINMENT / TV

'They've Gotta Have Us': Release date, plot, cast, and all you need to know about the Netflix docuseries

The show will chronicle art, activism, and race in black cinema through in-depth interviews with some of Hollywood’s most iconic voices.

The 'film collective' ARRAY, founded by Ava DuVernay in 2010  is dedicated to the 'amplification of images by people of color and women directors.' The collective is set to premiere its Netflix series 'They've Gotta Have Us' early in February and has acquired distribution rights in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Africa.

Release date

The docuseries is set to premiere on February 5, 2020.

Plot

The official description of the show states it "will chronicle art, activism, and race in black cinema through in-depth interviews with some of Hollywood’s most iconic voices." The docuseries will include interviews from iconic filmmakers and stars of the industry. It will further include clips from films such as 'Carmen Jones', 'Claudine', 'Lilies of the Field', 'Do the Right Thing', 'Boyz in the Hood', 'Hollywood Shuffle', 'Black Panther' and 'Moonlight.'

"As a company whose mission is to amplify the voices of people of color, They’ve Gotta Have Us speaks directly to our highest ideas of inclusion, cultural context and community. Not only are we introducing an exciting artist like Simon Frederick to a new audience, but his project shares the stories of black cinema’s most influential filmmakers and actors," said Array president Tilane Jones in a statement.

Cast

The in-depth interviews will include Barry Jenkins, John Boyega, Whoopi Goldberg, Laurence Fishburne, David Oyelowo, Diahann Carroll, Kasi Lemmons, Harry Belafonte, Robert Townsend, and the late John Singleton.

Whoopi Goldberg

The actress, producer and writer is no stranger to fame. She came to prominence with her HBO special and one-woman show Moms and Mabley and since then there has been no looking back. She had her first big film starring role in The Color Purple (1985)for which she even received an Oscar nomination. Sister Act(1992) was one of her smash hits as well. She currently co-hosts the talk show 'The View' on ABC.

Laurence Fishburne 

One of Hollywood's most talented and versatile performers and the recipient of a truckload of NAACP Image awards, Laurence John Fishburne III is a face one can hardly forget. In 1973, at the age of 12, Laurence won a recurring role on the daytime soap One Life to Live (1968) that lasted three seasons and subsequently made his film debut in the ghetto-themed Cornbread, Earl and Me (1975). His Film and TV credit is quite expansive and includes famous hits like 'Boyz and the Hood' 'The Tuskgee Airmen', The Matrix', 'Predators' and more. His TV credits include CBS drama CSI(2001) and Man of Steel (2013).

Creators

Simon Frederick

'They've Gotta Have Us' was created, produced and directed by Simon Frederick, a British artist, photographer, filmmaker, and broadcaster. Frederick was recently honored among 2019's '100 'Most Influential Black Britons' in the media, publishing, and entertainment category.

Trailer

The trailer for the docuseries has not been released, stay tuned for updates.

Where to watch

Catch 'They’ve Gotta Have Us' on Netflix on February 5, 2020.

If you like this, you'll love these:

'Hip-Hop Evolution'
'The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross'
'Eyes on the Prize'
'The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975'
'Dark Girls'