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James Baldwin On-Screen

James Baldwin On-Screen

3 Episodes

Towering literary lion, fierce social critic, and inimitable cultural icon James Baldwin opened up a new space for the frank discussion of race, sexuality, and identity in American society. He also left behind a dynamic cinematic legacy, as seen in these portraits that capture his electrifying presence, passionate eloquence, and incisive commentary on everything from art to religion to love to liberation to his most personal experiences as a gay Black man who lived much of his life abroad but who never stopped examining his own complex relationship to the United States.

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James Baldwin On-Screen

3 Episodes

  • Baldwin’s Nigger
    45:52
    Baldwin’s Nigger
    Episode 1

    Baldwin’s Nigger

    Episode 1

    Directed by Horace Ové • 1968 • United Kingdom
    Starring James Baldwin, Dick Gregory

    In this riveting short documentary by pioneering Trinidadian-British filmmaker Horace Ové, James Baldwin and comedian-activist Dick Gregory speak to a group of radical West Indian students in London about everyth...

  • Meeting the Man: James Baldwin in Paris
    27:16
    Meeting the Man: James Baldwin in Paris
    Episode 2

    Meeting the Man: James Baldwin in Paris

    Episode 2

    Directed by Terence Dixon • 1970 • France, United Kingdom
    Starring James Baldwin, Terence Dixon

    In 1970, a British film crew set out to make a straightforward literary portrait of James Baldwin set in Paris, insisting on setting aside his political activism. Baldwin bristled at their questions, ...

  • James Baldwin: From Another Place
    12:03
    James Baldwin: From Another Place
    Episode 3

    James Baldwin: From Another Place

    Episode 3

    Directed by Sedat Pakay • 1973 • Turkey
    Starring James Baldwin

    Strikingly shot on the streets of Istanbul, this portrait of the writer and thinker finds him discussing his work, sexuality, and complex feelings about the United States.

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