The historic election of Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States had a significant impact on both America and the world at large. Obama s presidency also spurred a cultural shift, notably in music, television, and film. In this volume, David Garrett Izzo presents a varied collection of essays that examine films produced since the 2008 election. The contributors comment on a number of films in which race and otherness are pivotal elements. In addition to discussing such films as Beasts of the Southern Wild, Black Dynamite, The Blind Side, The Butler, Django Unchained, The Help, and Invictus, this collection also includes essays that probe racial elements in The Great Gatsby, The Hunger Games, and The Mist. The volume concludes with several essays that examine the 2013 Academy Award winner for best picture, 12 Years a Slave. Moviemakers have long responded to the changing times, so it is inevitable that the Obama presidency would spark an increase in films that comment, either subtly or overtly, on the current cultural climate.