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
Complete Filmography
BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions
2025
as Self (archive footage)
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
2023
as Self
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
2023
Writer
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?
2022
Original Story
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
2022
as Self (archive footage)
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
2021
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
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
2021
as Self (voice) (archive footage)
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
2020
as Self
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
2018
Novel
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
2018
A documentary profile of 3-time Pulitzer winning author Robert Penn Warren, featuring Harold Bloom, David Blight, Natasha Trethewey, David Milch, Gabr...
Mr. SOUL!
2018
as Self (archive footage)
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
2018
as Self (archive footage)
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
2017
as Self (archive footage)
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
2017
Writer
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
2017
as Self (archive footage)
"A great many conundrums." An assemblage of found footage.
A Person Is More Important Than Anything Else
2014
as Self (archive footage)
"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
2010
as Self (archive footage)
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
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
1998
Original Film Writer
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
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
1989
as Self (archive footage)
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
1985
as Self - Writer
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
1985
Novel
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
1982
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
1982
Writer
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
1973
as Self
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
1971
as Self
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
1970
as Self (archive footage)
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
1968
as Self
James Baldwin and Dick Gregory discuss the Civil Rights Movement in 1960s Great Britain.
Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley
1965
as Self
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
1964
as Self
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
1962
as Self
James Baldwin, a stranger in a Swiss village in 1962, reflects on ordinary and universal racism.