The Hate U Give (2018)

“The Hate U Give” stands for “THUG”, part of the acronym of THUG LIFE, coined by Tupac in the 90s. Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter (played by Amandla Stenberg) moves between two worlds – one is the poor, mostly black neighbourhood called Garden Heights where she lives, and the other is at the school she attends, where the students are mostly white and from privileged families.

It’s an uncomfortable situation for Starr, but she makes it work — but all that changes when a childhood friend is shot and killed by a police officer. Not only is Starr suffering from severe PTSD, but the community is in an uproar and she finds herself at the centre of a media frenzy. Meanwhile, her classmates in nearby Williamson seem oblivious to the events that are upending her world.

The Hate U Give is an important centrepiece in the #BlackLiveMatter conversation and is based on the bestselling novel by Angie Thomas in 2017.