Harlem and its streets—the gritty and the beautiful—have served as the backdrop in a long list of memorable films, from classic blaxploitation flicks like "Shaft" to Oscar-winning gems such as "If Beale Street Could Talk" (Regina King won for Best Supporting Actress).
Happily, many can now be streamed on subscription services, including Amazon Prime and Hulu. Two on this list—"Claudine" and "Paris Is Burning"—can even be found for free.
Here, then, are 15 notable movies filmed in Harlem—as well as the neighborhood locations to look out for:
In descending chronological order:
Passing (2021)
Notable Harlem locations: 137th and 138th Sts between Adam Clayton Powell Jr and Frederick Douglass Blvds, Graham Court
Summer of Soul (2021)
Notable Harlem location: Marcus Garvey Park
The Forty-Year-Old Version (2020)
Notable Harlem locations: W 142 St between Convent and Amsterdam Aves, Broadway and 135th Street, Morningside Park
The Irishman (2019)
Notable Harlem locations: Alhambra Ballroom, 416 E 115th Street
Motherless Brooklyn (2019)
Notable Harlem location: 773 St. Nicholas Ave (which burned down during filming)
If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
Notable Harlem locations: 52 Edgecombe Ave, Showman's Jazz Club, 422 St. Nicholas Ave, Lenox Ave between W 122nd and W 123rd Sts
Precious (2009)
Notable Harlem locations: M&G Diner (closed in 2008), Riverside Park stairs (12th Avenue and W 135th Street), and many more
American Gangster (2007)
Notable Harlem locations: Lenox Ave at W 122nd St, 3330 Broadway, Lenox Lounge (demolished in 2017), Mount Olivet Baptist Church, St. Martin's Episcopal Church
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
Notable Harlem locations: 339 Convent Avenue at W 144th Street, Trinity Church Cemetery and Mausoleum
Malcolm X (1992)
Notable Harlem locations: Lenox Lounge (demolished in 2017), 125th Street
Jungle Fever (1991)
Notable Harlem locations: Strivers' Row, Sylvia's Restaurant, Graham Court
New Jack City (1991)
Notable Harlem locations: Graham Court, Grant's Tomb, St. Nicholas Park
Paris Is Burning (1990)
Notable Harlem location: Imperial Lodge of Elks
Claudine (1974)
Notable Harlem locations: Edgecombe Ave at W 142nd St, Broadway at W 125th St
Shaft (1971)
Notable Harlem locations: The Apollo, 125th Street
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