Starting from Harlem in the 1950’s and working until his death in 2023, Kwame Brathwaite took half a million photos including many of “regular” people on the street but also thousands of intimate and unexpected photos of stars including Stevie Wonder, Muhammad Ali, Marvin Gaye, Roberta Flack, Nina Simone, and the Jackson Five.
This documentary covers the incredible surge in popularity of Kwame’s work since 2020 including being embraced by Rihanna and Beyonce. Alicia Keys, Jesse Williams, Gabrielle Union, and Tyler Mitchell speak emotionally and personally about discovering and championing Kwame’s work in this documentary which finally gives Kwame Brathwaite (called “the soul” of the Black is Beautiful movement) his shine.
“When you see Kwame’s work you’re like: ‘that’s my childhood, like that’s it’.” – Alicia Keys
“To be free and Black is political. To capture for all eternity the beauty and the freedom of Blackness is the most radical act there is.” – Gabrielle Union