James Baldwin

James Baldwin

1924-08-02 Harlem, New York, USA 32 Credits

Biography

James Arthur Baldwin was an African-American novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic. His essays, as collected in Notes of a Native Son, explore palpable yet unspoken intricacies of racial, sexual, and class distinctions in Western societies, most notably in mid-20th-century America, and their inevitable if unnameable tensions.

Known For

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Complete Filmography

BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions

BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions

2025

as Self (archive footage)

6.2
Acting

Preeminent West African curator and scholar Funmilayo Akechukwu’s magnum opus, The Resonance Field, leads her to the heart of the Atlantic Ocean, draw...

James Baldwin Abroad

James Baldwin Abroad

2023

as Self

10.0
Acting

Showcasing three short films by American writer James Baldwin, wherein he muses about race, sexuality and civil rights, among other topics, in Istanbu...

James Baldwin Abroad

James Baldwin Abroad

2023

Writer

10.0
Writing

Showcasing three short films by American writer James Baldwin, wherein he muses about race, sexuality and civil rights, among other topics, in Istanbu...

Brother, Where Are You?

Brother, Where Are You?

2022

Original Story

10.0
Writing

Two brothers, separated by time and prison bars, reestablish contact. Inspired by James Baldwin's short story, 'Sonny's Blues.'

Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues

Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues

2022

as Self (archive footage)

6.6
Acting

An intimate and revealing look at the world-changing musician, presented through a lens of archival footage and never-before-heard home recordings and...

Madonna: Madame X

Madonna: Madame X

2021

as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

7.5
Acting

Filmed in Lisbon, Portugal, the film captures the pop icon’s rare and rapturous tour performance, hailed by sold out theatrical audiences worldwide. T...

i ran from it and was still in it

i ran from it and was still in it

2021

as Self (voice) (archive footage)

6.0
Acting

I ran from it and was still in it poetically interweaves personal family memories with original and found footage to offer a more complex portrait of ...

De Cabral a George Floyd: Onde Arde o Fogo Sagrado da Liberdade

De Cabral a George Floyd: Onde Arde o Fogo Sagrado da Liberdade

2020

as Self

Acting

Through clippings, the film draws a narrative line between the construction of racism in Brazil and the United States, having as base the European inv...

If Beale Street Could Talk

If Beale Street Could Talk

2018

Novel

6.9

After her fiance is falsely imprisoned, a pregnant African-American woman sets out to clear his name and prove his innocence.

Robert Penn Warren: A Vision

Robert Penn Warren: A Vision

2018

Acting

A documentary profile of 3-time Pulitzer winning author Robert Penn Warren, featuring Harold Bloom, David Blight, Natasha Trethewey, David Milch, Gabr...

Mr. SOUL!

Mr. SOUL!

2018

as Self (archive footage)

7.0
Acting

On the heels of the Civil Rights Movement, one fearless black pioneer reconceived a Harlem Renaissance for a new era, ushering giants and rising stars...

Target: St. Louis Vol. 1

Target: St. Louis Vol. 1

2018

as Self (archive footage)

Acting

TARGET ST. LOUIS Vol. 1© tells the story of how the United State Military conducted secret chemical testing on citizens of St. Louis's Northside. Told...

I Am Not Your Negro

I Am Not Your Negro

2017

as Self (archive footage)

7.7
Acting

Working from the text of James Baldwin’s unfinished final novel, director Raoul Peck creates a meditation on what it means to be Black in the United S...

I Am Not Your Negro

I Am Not Your Negro

2017

Writer

7.7
Writing

Working from the text of James Baldwin’s unfinished final novel, director Raoul Peck creates a meditation on what it means to be Black in the United S...

The Madding Crowd

The Madding Crowd

2017

as Self (archive footage)

Acting

"A great many conundrums." An assemblage of found footage.

A Person Is More Important Than Anything Else

A Person Is More Important Than Anything Else

2014

as Self (archive footage)

Acting

"A person is more important than anything else…," is driven by the cadence and intonation of James Baldwin’s voice, for Baldwin was also an orator who...

Public Speaking

Public Speaking

2010

as Self (archive footage)

7.0
Acting

A feature-length documentary starring Fran Lebowitz, a writer known for her unique take on modern life. The film weaves together extemporaneous monolo...

The James Baldwin Anthology

2003

Acting

The James Baldwin Anthology consists of internationally known writer James Baldwin's historic speech at UC Berkeley in 1979, his answers in a dialogue...

Where the Heart Is

Where the Heart Is

1998

Original Film Writer

6.2
Writing

From the director of Marius et Jeannette, this story of two working-class families is a fable with an optimist streak. A young black man, Francois, is...

Toc Storee

Toc Storee

1992

Novel

The film utilizes the story-telling format to create a multilevel narrative that explores the relations between speech, language, and desire. Addresse...

James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket

James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket

1989

as Self (archive footage)

1.5
Acting

James Baldwin was at once a major 20th century American author, a Civil Rights activist and, for two crucial decades, a prophetic voice calling Americ...

The Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty

1985

as Self - Writer

6.7
Acting

For more than 100 years, the Statue of Liberty has been a symbol of hope and refuge for generations of immigrants. In this lyrical, compelling and pro...

Go Tell It on the Mountain

Go Tell It on the Mountain

1985

Novel

6.4

This film adaptation of James Baldwin's celebrated novel tells the journey of a family from the rural South to "big city" Harlem seeking both salvatio...

I Heard It Through the Grapevine

I Heard It Through the Grapevine

1982

Acting

Renowned Black writer James Baldwin retraces his time in the South during the Civil Rights Movement, reflecting with his trademark brilliance and insi...

I Heard It Through the Grapevine

I Heard It Through the Grapevine

1982

Writer

Writing

Renowned Black writer James Baldwin retraces his time in the South during the Civil Rights Movement, reflecting with his trademark brilliance and insi...

James Baldwin: From Another Place

James Baldwin: From Another Place

1973

as Self

6.5
Acting

In Istanbul, American writer James Baldwin muses about race, the American fascination with sexuality, insights into his interrupted writing decade in ...

Meeting the Man: James Baldwin in Paris

Meeting the Man: James Baldwin in Paris

1971

as Self

7.1
Acting

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 politic...

King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis

King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis

1970

as Self (archive footage)

7.1
Acting

Constructed from a wealth of archival footage, the documentary follows Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from 1955 to 1968, in his rise from regional activi...

Baldwin's Nigger

Baldwin's Nigger

1968

as Self

6.6
Acting

James Baldwin and Dick Gregory discuss the Civil Rights Movement in 1960s Great Britain.

Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley

Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley

1965

as Self

Acting

The Cambridge Union Society debates the motion "Has the American Dream Been Achieved at the Expense of the American Negro?" on its 150th anniversary. ...

Take This Hammer

Take This Hammer

1964

as Self

10.0
Acting

Take This Hammer features KQED's mobile film unit following author and activist James Baldwin in the spring of 1963, as he's driven around San Francis...

James Baldwin, A Stranger In The Village

James Baldwin, A Stranger In The Village

1962

as Self

Acting

James Baldwin, a stranger in a Swiss village in 1962, reflects on ordinary and universal racism.