There have been numerous compelling documentaries highlighting image makers: Vivian Maier. Maybe cinematic storytelling particularly shines when showcasing particularly vivid photographs. Here we have a new remarkable case, by writer-director Yemi Bamiro, chronicling the remarkable professional journey of Kwame Brathwaite—a creative force, performer and African American activist who represented a distinct politico-aesthetic vision.
Alongside his sibling Elombe, he effectively created the expression “Black Is Beautiful” in the 1960s by photographing the Harlem models in New York: young African American women who became the sensational template for aesthetics, moving beyond conventional cosmetic products and the predominant white standard of womanhood.
The Impact of a Simple Phrase
Black Is Beautiful became a transformative call to action, an inspired concise prose poem for transformation. Just declaring that people of color were beautiful became a empowering power in art, politics and the arts. Brathwaite became part of the civil rights global Black struggle by photographing Muhammad Ali prior to his historic championship fight in the seventies.
He served as the exclusive photographer for the Jackson 5's continental journey, and subsequently became the resident artist for the legendary Harlem venue, creating an amazing collection of African American artists. In collaboration with his brother, he emerged as the driving force behind securing the anti-apartheid icon to speak in New York.
Family Legacy
Brathwaite's son the younger Brathwaite is interviewed the personal campaign to achieve due acknowledgment for his father's legacy after he was painfully ignored in the prestigious National Museum of African American History and Culture, opened by the former president in 2016.
The film additionally explores the profoundly sorrowful origin of Brathwaite's interest in photography: the horrendous photographs of the young victim, the teenage African American murder victim whose mourning family member boldly demanded an public viewing so the brutal truth of racial hatred could not be hidden.
Through Darkness to Beauty
In this vision of horror, Brathwaite discovered a kind of transformative realization that guided him toward photographs of aspiration. His photographs were eloquent of empowering beauty and frequently subtle in messaging: he established a fresh visual language of strength around which political movements could mobilize.
The documentary stands as an inspiring record of cultural impact that continues to inspire through the years.
