BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL: THE KWAME BRATHWAITE STORY

Available: 11/14/25 12:00 AM - 11/30/25 11:59 PM

 

Showings

SVA Theatre Thu, Nov 13 9:15 PM
Village East by Angelika Mon, Nov 17 7:45 PM
Film Details
Year:2025
Running Time:99
Language:English
Director:Yemi Bamiro
Executive Producer:Alicia Keys
Kasseem 'Swizz Beatz' Dean
Moby
Kwame S. Brathwaite
Robynn Brathwaite
Andee Ryder
Robin Bronk
Lindsay Hicks
Jamey Heath
Steve Sarowitz
John Logan Pierson
Producer:Joanna Boateng
Lizzie Gillett
Ian Bonhôte
Andrew Calof
Editor:Otto Burnham
Cinematographer:Jean-Louis Schuller
Nathan Ray Salter
Composer:Marli Wren
Kwes
Cast:Kwame Brathwaite
Kwame S. Brathwaite
Sikolo Brathwaite
N'dola Brathwaite
Robynn Brathwaite
Accessibility:Sound-Amplification Headphones upon request
DOC NYC
Event Years:2025
Festival Section:SPECIAL PRESENTATION
Film Genres:Africa
Black Director
Black Stories
Celebrity
Cities
Activism
Family
History
Inequality
NYC
Photography
Race
US Premiere

Description

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE Photographer Kwame Brathwaite, who used his art as activism, captured the joy of Black American life, documenting jazz musicians, celebrities, everyday Harlem scenes, and more—while popularizing the phrase "Black is Beautiful,” amplifying the movement that redefined Black pride. Through interviews with his family and celebrities like Jesse Williams, Gabrielle Union, and Alicia Keys, the film honors this unsung, prolific artist’s profound contribution to photography and culture. - Karen McMullen

The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Yemi Bamiro, producer Joanna Boateng, and film participants Kwame Brathwaite and Robynn Brathwaite.

All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.