James Baldwin was more than just an icon, he was an outspoken and in your face truth talking black man. Someone that should be celebrated for his brazen representation of his own people.

And Baldwin didn’t tone things down, he said it proud and loud.

Now, a movie based on his unfinished book Remember This House has hit the Toronto International Film Festival and won the People’s Choice Award.

With a tough time getting studios to finance a true representation and access to the Baldwin families personal archive Haitian born Raoul Peck has put together a movie described as “One of the most artistic and daring political statements at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)”

In short, I just gotta see this!

Kolumn Magazine wrote:

The filmmaker took 10 years to bring this masterpiece to the screen, after being rejected by every American studio he approached. Public agencies said, “This is public money so you have to present both sides!” Thus his ability to produce this film through his own successful company and a supportive French TV station ARTE allowed him to make it exactly as he wanted, with no censorship and no one telling him to rush the film or mellow the message.

Peck “didn’t want to use the traditional civil rights archives.” He chose to avoid the talking-heads format and picked Samuel L. Jackson to embody the spirit of Baldwin in the potent narration. The film’s powerful structure utilizing rare videos, photos and personal writings of Baldwin, at the same time aligning them with contemporary issues of police brutality and race relations, creates a mesmerizing awareness of continuity in the struggle for civil rights.

And below is the trailer.

Will you be watching this movie?

Read more here.