Queen Latifah stars in the biopic of Harlem blues singer Bessie Smith, a bisexual performer known as the Empress of the Blues during the Jazz Age. The movie is directed and written by filmmaker Dee Rees, who also directed Pariah, another film on this list. Smith had a dramatic life, facing racism, stigma around her sexuality, and the ups and downs of a career in show business. The film won four Emmy awards, including one for outstanding television movie.
