His most popular films include Killer of Sheep (1978), My Brother's Wedding (1983), To Sleep with Anger (1990), The Glass Shield (1994), and Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation (2007).

The community, which gained notoriety in 1965 when violent riots in the area caused the deaths of 34 people and injured more than 1,000, again made the news in 1992 when protestors turned to looting and arson following the acquittal of police officers tried for the beating of Rodney King.

Some fellow students include filmmaking greats like Larry Clark, Julie Dash, Haile Gerima, and Billy Woodberry.

[6] The students' involvement in each other's films is highlighted by Burnett's work as a cinematographer for Haile Gerima's 1979 movie Bush Mama, as a crew member for Julie Dash's 1982 Illusions, and as a writer and cameraman for Billy Woodberry's Bless Their Little Hearts.

[8] His professors Elyseo Taylor, who created the department of Ethno-Communications, and Basil Wright, a British documentarian, also had a significant influence on his work.

[9] The independent writers and directors strayed away from the mainstream and won critical approval for remaining faithful to African American history.

The club joined with other organizations in a successful campaign to break the American boycott banning all forms of cultural exchange with Cuba.

[8] At the time the movement flourished, many countries in the Third World were involved in a struggle for revolution, inspiring them to create films expressing their own indigenous views of their history and culture.

[8] The main character was played by Henry G. Sanders, a Vietnam veteran who had studied cinema at Los Angeles City College and was enrolled in several classes at UCLA.

[8] Sanders went on to a career in films and TV, including roles in Rocky Balboa, ER, Miami Vice, and The West Wing.

[8] The lead female character in Killer of Sheep was played by Kaycee Moore, who went on to act in former UCLA classmate Julie Dash's film Daughters of the Dust.

[14] The soundtrack of ballads, jazz, and blues includes artists Faye Adams,[15] Dinah Washington, Gershwin, Rachmaninov, Paul Robeson, and Earth Wind & Fire.

The film was only screened occasionally because of its poor 16mm print quality[8] and failed to find widespread distribution due to the cost and complexity of securing music rights.

[2] The grant he received from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation helped Burnett support his family while working on the film.

[2] The lead actors include Danny Glover, Paul Butler, Mary Alice, Carl Lumbly, and Vonetta McGee.

[2] A box-office favorite known for his role in the Lethal Weapon films, Glover continued to star in many successful productions including The Royal Tenenbaums, Dreamgirls, 2012, and Death at a Funeral.

[4] It was Burnett's first film catering to a wider audience, featuring Ice Cube, the rap artist, as a man wrongfully convicted of murder.

[4] The film is based loosely on the memoirs of Namibia's first president, Sam Nujoma, the former leader of the South West Africa People's Organization SWAPO.

[4] Burnett has made many documentaries including America Becoming (1991), Dr. Endesha Ida Mae Holland (1998), Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property (2003), For Reel?

[2] Dr. Endesha Ida Mae Holland was a short documentary about a civil rights activist, playwright, and professor who fought hard to overcome obstacles caused by racism and injustice.

[12] Halle Berry and Carl Lumbly star in this drama surrounding the wedding of a wealthy African American woman and a poor white musician.

[23] The award was given to Burnett to honor his commitment to presenting cultural and historical content that he felt needed to be discussed, rather than focusing on commercial success.

[1] In September 2017 it was announced that Burnett was to receive a Governors Award – known as an "honorary Oscar" – from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

[16] Burnett has told critics that he makes films that deal with emotions coming out of real problems like maturity and self-identity.

[26] He also found a recurring theme in liberation and struggle perhaps after the influence from the UCLA's Third World Film Club that championed the revolutions occurring worldwide in the 1960s and 1970s.

Burnett and two other directors, Barbara Martinez Jitner and Gregory Nava, directed the television series American Family.