I Am Not Your Negro (2017)
91%RT Audience Score: 83%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
33 wins & 52 nominations total
I Am Not Your Negro offers an incendiary snapshot of James Baldwin’s crucial observations on American race relations — and a sobering reminder of how far we’ve yet to go.
I Am Not Your Negro” is a must-see movie that brilliantly captures the essence of James Baldwin’s work and the racial politics of the 1960s and ʼ70s. The film is a visual essay that distills centuries of black history into 95 minutes, using news footage, movie clips, and archival talk show tape to drive home Baldwin’s points. The absence of talking heads is a refreshing change, and the intercutting of posters and graphics with the narration is as fluid as jazz. While the film’s only shortcoming is its almost complete erasure of Baldwin’s homosexuality, it remains an essential work of art that’s as important today as it was yesterday. So, grab some popcorn, sit back, and get ready to be galvanized and moved by this startlingly original and moving portrait of a cultural icon.
Production Company(ies)
Columbia Pictures, Huayi Brothers Media, National Geographic World Films,
Distributor
Magnolia Pictures, Amazon Studios
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for disturbing violent images, thematic material, language and brief nudity
Year of Release
2017
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Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.78 : 1
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Runtime:1h 35m
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Language(s):English, French
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Feb 3, 2017 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 2, 2017
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
documentary, James Baldwin, race relations, Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., unfinished manuscript, Raoul Peck, Rémi Grellety, Hébert Peck, PG-13, English, Magnolia Pictures, Amazon Studios, Samuel L Jackson, narrator, box office, $7.1M, budget, critic reviews, reviewed by Amelia Ayrelan Iuvino, Linda Marric, Bilge Ebiri, Violet Lucca, Stephen Romei, Paul Byrnes, Cole Smithey, Jason Shawhan, Ed Morales, Olly Richards, Richard Crouse, audience score, 83%, MPAA rating, documentary genre, writer, directed by, produced by
Worldwide gross: $8,345,298
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $10,066,399
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,966
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 1,097,753
US/Canada gross: $7,123,919
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $8,593,128
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,664
US/Canada opening weekend: $686,378
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $827,934
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,297
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Raoul Peck – Director
James Baldwin – Writer
Rémi Grellety – Producer
Raoul Peck – Producer
Hébert Peck – Producer
Director(s)
Raoul Peck
Writer(s)
James Baldwin
Producer(s)
Rémi Grellety, Raoul Peck, Hébert Peck
Film Festivals
Berlin, Toronto
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
33 wins & 52 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (211) | Top Critics (57) | Fresh (208) | Rotten (3)
It’s an undeniably excellent film and a much-needed tribute to both Baldwin and the racial politics of the 1960s and ʼ70s… The only shortcoming of Peck’s film is its almost complete erasure of Baldwin’s homosexuality.
February 18, 2021
Amelia Ayrelan Iuvino
Bitch Media
TOP CRITIC
Its themes are as important today as they were yesterday, especially in the current climate of radical right-wing ideas and racist sentiment sweeping Trump’s America.
July 31, 2020 | Rating: 5/5
Linda Marric
The London Economic
TOP CRITIC
Baldwin’s fury and his despair come through in vivid fashion, making this film not just an important social document, but an essential work of art.
March 23, 2020
Bilge Ebiri
Spirituality & Health
TOP CRITIC
While I Am Not Your Negro remains an astounding statement about race, a sequel that makes his queerness visible is sorely needed.
December 28, 2017
Violet Lucca
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
This is a must-see movie.
September 22, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
Stephen Romei
The Australian
TOP CRITIC
I Am Not Your Negro is an utterly brilliant film – bold, galvanising, even gripping…
September 13, 2017 | Rating: 4.5/5
Paul Byrnes
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
…as bold and forthcoming as its uncompromising title.
March 29, 2022 | Rating: A+
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
I Am Not Your Negro, an essential documentary about writer/theorist/cultural and film critic/icon James Baldwin, is well worth anyone’s time, but especially so during the chaos of The Now.
September 10, 2021
Jason Shawhan
Nashville Scene
A startlingly original and moving portrait…
June 28, 2021
Ed Morales
The Nation
It’s an extraordinary visual essay, distilling decades – centuries, in fact – of black history into 95 minutes.
May 4, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Olly Richards
NME
With no talking heads Peck relies on news footage, movie clips and archival talk show tape, intercutting them with the fluidity of jazz. Posters and graphics punctuate the narration, subliminally driving home Baldwin’s points.
March 4, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Richard Crouse
Richard Crouse
An astonishment.
June 29, 2020
Euan Ferguson
Observer (UK)…
Plot
In 1979, James Baldwin wrote a letter to his literary agent describing his next project, “Remember This House.” The book was to be a revolutionary, personal account of the lives and assassinations of three of his close friends: Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. At the time of Baldwin’s death in 1987, he left behind only 30 completed pages of this manuscript. Filmmaker Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features narration by Samuel L. Jackson.
Raoul-Peck.jpg
