Stamped from the Beginning

Friday, November 10 - Thursday, November 16, 2023

Please note that there are additional showtimes of STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING that screen with open captions (on-screen display of dialogue and sounds). For those showtimes, click here.

Oscar-winning director Roger Ross Williams brings Dr. Ibram X. Kendi’s New York Times bestseller to the screen with STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING. Published in 2016, Dr. Kendi’s National Book Award winner chronicles the entire story of anti-Black racist ideas and their staggering power over the course of American history.

Williams’ documentary adaptation uses an innovative animation process that blends live action with the art of the era to illuminate figures and moments both well-known and obscure, both historical and contemporary. Leading female academics and activists such as Dr. Angela Davis, Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, Brittany Packnett Cunningham, Dr. Jennifer L. Morgan, and Dr. Kendi guide viewers through a searing account of how racist tropes and imagery were developed and enshrined in American culture. Directed and produced by Williams (Cassandro, Music by Prudence, Love to Love You, Donna Summer), Stamped From the Beginning is executive produced by Dr. Kendi and NAACP Image Award winner Mara Brock Akil (Girlfriends, The Game, Being Mary Jane).

Country USA
Running Time 91 minutes
Format DCP
Distributor Netflix
Director Roger Ross Williams
Cast Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, Dr. Angela Davis, Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, Brittany Packnett Cunningham, Julian Joseph, Alexa Rachelle Jennings
Accessibility Assistive Listening, T-Coil, Closed Captioning

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.