Raoul Peck’s Oscar-nominated documentary I Am Not Your Negro explores the history of racism in the United States, through the reminisces of author James Baldwin about prominent Civil Rights leaders like Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King.
Baldwin’s observations, narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, are lifted from his unfinished manuscript Remember this House, which to this day remains unpublished. Baldwin’s literary work can be described as experimental, and also very autobiographical, perfectly capturing the unrest, energy and outrage of the United States in the ‘60s. It is no wonder then that filmmaker and socio-political commentator Raoul Peck was drawn to Baldwin’s material when making his documentary and crediting the author as the writer of the film.
Whilst anchored in the struggle for equality in the 50s and 60s, I Am Not Your Negro is about what it means to be black in America today.
★★★★ “Peck has crafted a cinematic experience to both savour and learn from” - Matthew Eng, Little White Lies
★★★★ “Lets James Baldwin’s searing work soar” - Geoffrey Macnab, The Independent
★★★★ “Vivid and vital” - Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
