Baldwin’s N****r + Step Forward Youth

James Baldwin speaks to a group of radical West Indian students in Horace Ové’s short doc, and Menelik Shabazz’s first film offers a portrait of Black British youth.

Featuring an introduction by series programmer Ashley Clark preceding the screening on May 5.

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Baldwin’s N****r (1968)
Dir. Horace Ové
46min, DCP

From seminal Black British filmmaker Horace Ové, this documentary follows James Baldwin and comedian-activist Dick Gregory as they speak to a group of radical West Indian students in London about everything from the state of the civil rights movement to the perils of false consciousness.

Step Forward Youth (1977)
Dir. Menelik Shabazz
30min, digital

Made to counter the British media's torrentially negative portrayals of young Black people, this short documentary—the first film project by the pioneering Menelik Shabazz—carves crucial space for its cast of participants to speak openly about their hopes, fears, dreams, and lived experiences.