Bristol Ideas screens three films celebrating James Baldwin's life and work in three cities: Istanbul, London and Paris. This event anticipates the 2024 celebrations of the centenary of the great writer.

BALDWIN’S N****R, 1968, Dir: Horace Ové, 46 mins

Horace Ové – called the Godfather of Black British filmmaking – shows Baldwin at the top of his game, funny and in good spirits, with his friend comedian/activist Dick Gregory, in conversation at the West Indian Student Centre, a cultural hub and social organization for Caribbean students living and studying in London.

MEETING THE MAN: JAMES BALDWIN IN PARIS, 1971, Dir: Terence Dixon, 26 mins

Baldwin lived in Paris for nine years after leaving New York — a decision he said was ‘a matter of life and death.’ He had to leave to escape American racism and to write. ‘ I didn’t know what was going to happen to me in France, but I knew what was going to happen to me in New York. If I had stayed there, I would have gone under, like my friend on the George Washington Bridge.’ This film is also about his battle of wills with Dixon, the director, about the film he wants made. Dixon wanted to separate Baldwin’s writing and politics. Baldwin prevails and a remarkable film is created.

JAMES BALDWIN: FROM ANOTHER PLACE, 1973, Dir: Sedat Pakay, 12 mins

James Baldwin: From Another Place shows a relaxed Baldwin over a three-day period at home in Turkey, walking in parks and on the city’s streets and on a boat ride on the Bosphorus. He talks about the difficulties of being a writer in America, love, and his family.

Edson Burton, Roger Griffith and Madhu Krishnan will also talk about what Baldwin’s life and work means to them in between the films. Their essays on Baldwin will appear on Bristol Ideas from Mon 16 Oct.

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