Raoul Peck’s Oscar nominated documentary I Am Not Your Negro is a passionate film based on the unpublished manuscript Remember This House by the late, great James Baldwin.
The writer penned thoughts and expressions to his literary agent after the assassinations of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. With the voice of Samuel L. Jackson narrating the words of Baldwin, archival footage, and Peck’s confident steering we travel back to the 1960’s then along the treacherous historical path of race relations in America until we reach the present day civil rights movement with Black Lives Matter.
Despite Peck’s work (read more here) being well respected, from Murder in Pacot, Moloch Tropical, Lumumba and Sometimes in April starring Idris Elba, as is often the case with independent and Black film distribution I Am Not Your Negro has not reflected its award nomination or the critics reviews; receiving 4 stars across US and UK mainstream media (The Independent, Daily Express, The Sun, The Scotsman, The Financial Times, The Guardian) and a rare 99% score from Rotten Tomatoes. Caramel Film Club was motivated to hold a special screening as part of their strategy to promote films made by or featuring Black creatives to debunk the notion that such films do not have a significant audience, are therefore an unnecessary financial risk but rather encourage the making of this work and a range of cultural narratives, having championed Moonlight, Fences, The Fits and Hidden Figures previously.
TBB’s Be Manzini and organizer of Caramel Film Club has hosted multiple sold out events from those featuring independent UK film to buying out a cinema screen for Jordan Peele’s Get Out for over 130 people on opening night and the film going on to be a the highest grossing directorial debut. “It felt vital that we gave this important film the support and space it deserves, Baldwin’s poetic eloquence is as painful as it is inspired and inspiring, Pecks vision is clear and uncompromising and with the wonderfully nuanced voice of Samuel L. Jackson, we have a combination that makes this an unforgettable documentary that I’m very much looking forward to talking about…” says Manzini.
This special Caramel Film Club screening will be followed by an audience discussion with invited guests including Ligali founder and passionate social rights activist and filmmaker, Toyin Agbetu, emergent freelance broadcast journalist for The Huffington Post and The South African, Anaïs Mutumba, and talented thespian (Chariots of Fire, Hampstead Theatre; Tide, Arcola; La Ronde, The Bunker; Macbeth, Shakespeare’s Globe) and screen actor (Silent Witness, Call The Midwife) Leemore Marrett Jr.
The Caramel Club screening of I Am Not Your Negro will take place on Saturday 29th April @ The Institute of Light  7.45pm. Find out more and book tickets here.