There have been numerous compelling films focusing on photographers: Vivian Maier. It could be the film medium particularly shines when displaying exceptionally powerful still images. Now arrives a new exceptional case, directed by writer-director Yemi Bamiro, exploring the extraordinary career of Kwame Brathwaite—an artist, musician and social justice champion who represented a special cultural-activist approach.
Alongside his brother Elombe, he virtually invented the expression “Black Is Beautiful” during the 1960s by capturing the Grandassa Models in Harlem: young women of color who became the groundbreaking archetype for visual appeal, moving beyond typical beauty standards and the usual Caucasian model of female beauty.
The Impact of a Simple Phrase
This powerful statement evolved into a radical rallying cry, an inspired three-word prose poem for change. Merely stating that black people radiated beauty emerged as a empowering power in society, politics and the arts. The artist grew into part of the civil rights global Black cause by documenting the legendary boxer prior to his historic Zaire bout in the seventies.
He served as the exclusive visual documentarian for the band's African tour, and later assumed the role of the house photographer for the legendary cultural institution, building an incredible archive of black musicians. Alongside Elombe, he was the central figure behind bringing the anti-apartheid icon to address the public in the community.
Historical Recognition
His son Kwame Jr shares the family's quest to ensure proper recognition for his parent's achievements after he was painfully overlooked in Washington DC's cultural museum, established by Barack Obama in 2016.
This documentary also recounts the profoundly sorrowful genesis of Brathwaite's passion for visual storytelling: the disturbing photographs of the lynching martyr, the adolescent African American lynching victim whose grieving mother defiantly insisted on an open coffin so the horrific reality of bigoted brutality might not be covered up.
Through Darkness to Beauty
Through this representation of horror, the visionary encountered a form of profound understanding that led him toward images of beauty. His work beautifully expressed empowering beauty and typically not overtly political: he established a innovative visual language of pride upon which political movements could unite.
This represents an inspiring chronicle of creative genius that still resonate decades later.
