The Black Audio Film Collective’s seventh film envisioned the death and life of the African American revolutionary as a seven part study in iconography as narrated by novelist Toni Cade Bambara and actor Giancarlo Espesito. The stylized tableaux vivants that memorialise Malcolm’s life referenced the early 20th century funeral photography of James Van der Zee’s The Harlem Book of the Dead and the elemental static cinematography of Sergei Paradjanov’s The Colour of Pomegranates.
Directed by John Akomfrah
IMDB
N/A
Letterboxd
3.6 / 5
Cast
Olamide Faison
Young Malcolm
Giancarlo Esposito
Autobiography Reading (voice)
Coco Fusco
FBI Files Reading (as Coco Fusco)
Spike Lee
Yuri Kochiyama
Robin D.G. Kelley
(as Robin Kelley)
James Farmer
Crew
John Akomfrah
Director
John Akomfrah
Writer
Arthur Jafa
Director of Photography
Popular Reviews
1 review
Roxsy Lee wood
8.0★ · 09/15/25
The very experimental theatrical shots built in this creates such an amazing and necessary contrast from the otherwise mundane talking heads and historic footage. Really reels you into the film and creates such a beautiful experience you don’t normally get with documentary.
The very experimental theatrical shots built in this creates such an amazing and necessary contrast from the otherwise mundane talking heads and historic footage. Really reels you into the film and creates such a beautiful experience you don’t normally get with documentary.
