James Earl Jones narrates this fascinating and moving documentary about the life of the assassinated Black leader through various sources, focusing mostly on newsreels, archival footage, riveting public appearances, and speeches by the man himself.
Poet Rajnii Eddins hosts the film as part of his duo of screening selections, which concludes with Spike Lee’s summer-in-Brooklyn coming-of-age story Crooklyn on Sunday, October 13.
Director Arnold Perl originally wanted to make a dramatic film about the life of Malcolm X, but found that several close sources were uninterested in talking to him about a fictional project. The script that he wrote for that film—with huge input from Alex Haley’s classic The Autobiography of Malcolm X—become the basis for Spike Lee’s film Malcolm X thirty years later.
Malcolm’s widow, Betty Shabazz, served as an advisor on the film, which was nominated for an Oscar as Best Documentary Feature in 1972. Sadly, director Perl died during the editing of the film, and did not see its release and positive critical reception.
PROGRAMMER: RAJNII EDDINS
Originally from Seattle, Washington, spoken-word poet/emcee and teaching artist Rajnii Eddins has been engaging diverse community audiences for over 30 years. He was the youngest member of the Afrikan American Writers Alliance at age 11, and has been actively sharing with youth and community in Vermont since 2010.
Rajnii’s diverse talents and passions allow him to offer a wide variety of powerful experiences that foster connection, learning, and mutual growth. He thrives at creating spaces that are educational, explorative, and celebratory, whether in a classroom, a conference hall, a community center, or online.