Black Star: Straight Outta Compton 
Join us in celebrating some of cinema’s greatest talents in Black Star, a major new season from the BFI.
Our season concludes in December with a reissue of Oscar® winning classic In the Heat of the Night; an all-day celebration of hip-hop; and a season of films featuring music icons from Diana Ross to Beyoncé.
In the mid-80s, the streets of Compton, California, were some of the most dangerous in America. When five young men (including Dr. Dre, Easy E and Ice Cube) translated their experiences into brutally honest rhymes that rebelled against abusive authority, they put their anger about life into the most powerful weapon they had: their music.
Following the meteoric rise and fall of seminal rap group N.W.A, Straight Outta Compton tells the astonishing story of a music and pop culture revolution that ignited a cultural war and gave an explosive voice to a silenced generation. With their rise to fame comes all the problems that come with it - meanwhile, their manager goes from friend to enemy and Los Angeles explodes during the 1992 Rodney King riots.
It's a powerful story thrillingly told - and the young actors playing their real life counterparts are all hugely charismatic - but above all, this is an explosive piece of hip-hop history that speaks urgently to right now.
Other films in the BFI Black Star: Wild Styles programme are:
