Directed by St. Clair Bourne • Documentary • 1983 • 60 minutes
IN MOTION: AMIRI BARAKA profiles the outspoken representative - formerly LeRoi Jones - of the Black consciousness movement who has been a major figure on the American literary and political landscape for three decades. Set in Newark, Greenwich Village, and Harlem, this documentary follows Baraka from before his trial for 'resisting arrest' and ends with his conviction despite allegations of police harassment.
The film visits Baraka at home preparing for the American Writers Congress, teaching a college class, hosting a jazz and commentary radio show, reading poetry, and speaking at an anti-apartheid rally. Interviews with writers Allen Ginsberg, Joel Oppenheimer, and A.B. Spellman, and activists Ted Wilson and Askia Toure provide insight into the modern day revolutionary, and the period which fostered him.
Accessible and informative, IN MOTION: AMIRI BARAKA takes a provocative look at an important chapter in modern American political history.
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