There have been countless fascinating documentaries focusing on image makers: Vivian Maier. Perhaps cinematic storytelling truly excels when displaying particularly vivid photographs. Here we have another exceptional example, directed by writer-director Yemi Bamiro, documenting the impressive life's work of Kwame Brathwaite—a photographer, musician and social justice champion who embodied a unique cultural-activist vision.
In partnership with his family member Elombe, he effectively created the phrase “Black Is Beautiful” throughout the mid-century era by photographing the Grandassa Models in New York: youthful African American women who transformed into the sensational standard for visual appeal, abandoning conventional grooming practices and the predominant white model of femininity.
The Influence of a Simple Phrase
The iconic phrase evolved into a radical rallying cry, an brilliant concise prose poem for change. Merely to assert that black people radiated beauty emerged as a liberating force in culture, social movements and culture. The photographer grew into integral to the civil rights global Black cause by photographing Muhammad Ali leading up to his iconic championship fight in 1974.
He was appointed the official visual documentarian for the musical group's international performances, and eventually was named the house photographer for the legendary Apollo theatre, creating an amazing collection of black musicians. In collaboration with Elombe, he was the driving force behind bringing the anti-apartheid icon to address the public in the community.
Personal Journey
Brathwaite's son his namesake shares the personal mission to achieve due acknowledgment for his parent's achievements after he was painfully overlooked in the nation's capital's Smithsonian institution, opened by the former president in this century.
The feature additionally explores the deeply tragic inspiration of Brathwaite's interest in visual storytelling: the shocking images of the lynching martyr, the young African American murder victim whose grieving mother defiantly demanded an uncovered casket so the brutal truth of bigoted brutality might not be hidden.
Through Darkness to Beauty
In this vision of horror, the visionary found a form of anti-epiphany that guided him toward photographs of community. His work beautifully expressed community pride and typically not overtly political: he curated a innovative symbolic representation of empowerment through which activist groups could mobilize.
The documentary stands as an exhilarating chronicle of cultural impact that still inspire decades later.
