Black Is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story

Everyone knows the phrase “Black is Beautiful,” but few know of the man who helped popularize it. Little-known Harlem-based photographer, freedom fighter and activist Kwame Brathwaite took 500,000 photos across his 70-year career, always devoted to celebrating the joy and beauty of African American life. This feature documentary tells the story of Kwame and the “Black is Beautiful” movement.

Starting from Harlem in the 1950s 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.

At a time when this was deemed radical, Kwame’s photos of Black communities and people focused on beauty and joy instead of trauma and conflict. Kwame also pioneered grassroots fashion shows that celebrated natural Black beauty, heralding a new dawn across the globe.

Photographer to the greats, collaborator in African liberation movements and archivist of Harlem culture, Kwame Brathwaite’s impact on Black culture is undeniable, but he was largely forgotten by history until his son uncovered his vast archive of photos. This documentary covers the incredible surge in popularity of Kwame's work since 2020, including being embraced by Rihanna and Beyoncé. 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.

BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL: THE KWAME BRATHWAITE STORY dares to present an uplifting, cinematic and bold story rooted in Blackness that will leave audiences feeling energised and inspired.