Title DossierDocumentary

The Black Godfather

DocumentaryBiography

Follows the life of Clarence Avant, the ultimate, uncensored mentor and behind-the-scenes rainmaker in music, film, TV and politics.

Year

2019

Duration

1h 58m

IMDb

7.5

Poster Feed

Cast

Reginald Hudlin

Director

Clarence Avant

Self

Hank Aaron

Self

Cast

Reginald Hudlin

Director

Clarence Avant

Self

Hank Aaron

Self

Gwen Adolph

Self - Clarence Avant's Biographer

Dina R. Andrews

Self

Alex Avant

Self - Son of Clarence, Founder of All Star Entertainment

Jacqueline Avant

Self - Wife of Clarence

Nicole Avant

Self - Daughter of Clarence Avant

Irving Azoff

Self - Former Chairman of MCA Records

Danny Bakewell

Self - Civil Rights Activist

Candace Bond-McKeever

Self - Former Executive at Motown Records

Jim Brown

Self - Legendary Pro Football Hall of Famer

Cherrelle

Self

Bill Clinton

Self - 42nd President of the United States of America

Oscar Cohen

Self - President of Associated Booking Corporation

Sean 'Diddy' Combs

Self

Shakim Compere

Self - Film Producer, Co-Founder of Flavor Unit Entertainment

Tony Cornelius

Self - Son of Don Cornelius

Clive Davis

Self - Founder of Arista Records

Trailer

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Comments

10 Comments

LP Shimwetheleni 🇳🇦Jun 14, 2025

I had never heard of him until I saw the movie. Great character. Biography of a man that brought me to tears.

♡Jun 14, 2025

As far as documentaries go, this is simply a gem. Inspiring, entertaining, funny, thoughtful and very well made. It shines light on a real positive side of Hollywood and the music business that is rarely talked about... people connecting people, not for financial gain, but for art. This film has some excellent interviews with some of the most influential figures of the 20th and 21st century. I doubt that Reggie (the director) considers him a national treasure... but he is. I recommend this documentary to everyone on earth.

Tyler Kamau MbayaJun 14, 2025

For the first half of the film, it seemed as if I was watching a neverending trailer: bits and pieces of testimonials praising him in vague terms, without explaining what Avant's craft and magic consisted of. Which is a pity, because the movie fails to do justice to such an extraordinary professional who challenged social and racial standards and managed to highlight so many raw talents. I am sure some insightful and researched interview question would have helped the people featured in the film be more eloquent and explicit. Also from a cinematic point of view, it seemed to me the movie tries to hard to paint a one-dimension character, by praising too much and creating an aura around him, while failing to add depth and neutrality to the story. One relevant example is the story of Sixto Rodriguez in which Avant was glorified for discovering and even making personal sacrifices for Sugarman, without discussing the controversy of artists' recognition and fair payment (which was incidental to many Motown artists back in the days). The movie's probably only merit, in my opinion, is to have brought in the spotlight a pioneer of the artistic world, one who pierced boundaries and open the door for those who followed. And the merit belongs to Clarence Avant.

Swagg ManJun 14, 2025

I was inspired the entire time and finished feeling ready to take on the world. Clarence Avant is a name I never knew, but a name I now will never forget!

mankrankJun 14, 2025

It appears 2019 is a great year for recording history, dramatised or not. We had When They See Us and Chernobyl already deeply acclaimed for their accuracy and raw exposure of events; now we have this documentary. It's great that we're made aware of this power figure in the industry; it is paramount that African Americans and black people all over the world have this record of History, and are aware that this man lives to move his community and his people forward in more ways than one. It's a great portrayal of how social entrepreneurship can be a major thing in the big money leagues and move entire generations forward. It was delightful to learn that one man has proven the institution of prejudice wrong just by living a good life.

IKGHAMJun 14, 2025

I reckon if you are not too informed in the music business there are certain figures who pull the strings behind the scenes, you may not know. Here is one of them. And documentaries are a good tool to get to know them. This really was enlightening. So many people from the industry that I do know give praise and tell us there story and encounters. A really well made documentary, that might be specific for certain people or likings, but still very well made and a showing of a man most might not have gotten to know otherwise.

Taha.vlogsJun 14, 2025

Though I enjoyed all the references and the chronological narration, I feel a bit torned about the veracity of all the praising and the Samaritan portrayal of Clarence Avant. For instance, the example of Sixto Rodriguez... where all the money went ? ... Evolving myself in the music business I can tell you one thing for certain, you don't get anything for free.

Ihssan kadaJun 14, 2025

I was hooked within minutes of watching. I'm convinced the most interesting man in the world is really Clarence Avant.

PaaQueci DukerJun 14, 2025

"The Black Godfather" is off the wall. An incredible and informative film that will surprise you and make you wish you could have a friend like Clarence Avant. In this documentary, follow the life of Clarence Avant; the ultimate mentor behind-the-scenes of the music, film, and TV industries and politics. Uncensored and uninterrupted, "The Black Godfather" digs deep into the life of a man not many people know of. This film talks about the struggles he faced and the successes that came after deliberately never giving up. Avant is admired by all the people you look up to. He's the rock and mentor to many of those people. Overall, a fascinating doc that everyone should see. Stream it now on Netflix.

user9416103087202Jun 14, 2025

So the guy is famous, yet unknown to the general public. That's a good base. And everything goes downhill from there. Because someone calls him "the godfather". Why make it racial? If it's racial it means that he killed as many people as Don Corleone? No. Just someone generating click bait. Than the famous singers are cut short. The less famous singers have a hard time putting a sentence. That's okay, they are skilled at putting out musical notes, not words. But what's the point to have them there if they can't speak? A picture and a mention would suffice. And that is the key of this documentary. Amateurs wanted to get to movers and shakers and used this documentary as the vehicle. And that's fine. A crap documentary as an excuse for doing some networking. But what's the thing with the politicians? One frame with a collage and itemized mentions would have sufficed.