7 Best David Oyelowo Movies

By Vlad Zakh · January 7, 2026

David Oyelowo has built a career on real historical figures and quiet moral conviction, favouring films that grapple with race, faith and justice. Queen of Katwe has him mentoring a gifted chess player from the Kampala slums, A United Kingdom follows an African prince’s marriage to a white British woman, Come Sunday sees an evangelical pastor lose his congregation after a theological reckoning, and The Water Man sends a boy into the wilderness on a quest. Selma, Lincoln and The Help round out the list.

The Water Man (2020)

TMDB ★ 5.8

David Oyelowo features in this adventure about a boy who sets off into the wilderness on a quest for a mythical figure said to hold the cure for his mother's illness.

Directed by David Oyelowo · 1h 32m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Come Sunday (2018)

TMDB ★ 6.4

A prominent evangelical pastor's controversial theological reckoning costs him his congregation and reputation.

Directed by Joshua Marston · 1h 46m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Queen of Katwe (2016)

TMDB ★ 7.4

A girl from the slums of Kampala discovers a gift for chess that offers a path out of poverty.

Directed by Mira Nair · 2h 04m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

A United Kingdom (2016)

TMDB ★ 7.1

An African prince's marriage to a white British woman sparks an international political storm in 1940s Botswana.

Directed by Amma Asante · 1h 51m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Selma (2014)

IMDb ★ 7.5 RT 99% Metacritic 79

Martin Luther King Jr. organises the pivotal Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights marches.

Directed by Ava DuVernay · 2h 08m · Rated PG-13

Won 1 Oscar59 wins & 92 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads, Starz Apple TV channel · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Lincoln (2012)

TMDB ★ 7.3

The president fights to pass the 13th Amendment in the final, exhausting months of the Civil War.

Directed by Steven Spielberg · 2h 30m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Help (2011)

TMDB ★ 8.1

A young writer works with Black domestic workers to expose the injustices they face in the segregated South.

Directed by Tate Taylor · 2h 26m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, YouTube TV, FXNow, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

7 Best David Oyelowo Movies

The Water Man (2020)

Come Sunday (2018)

Queen of Katwe (2016)

A United Kingdom (2016)

Selma (2014)

Lincoln (2012)

The Help (2011)

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