Black Is… Black Ain’t

"A personal journey through Black identity"

1995 1h 27m EN

😐

5.8

MID

★5.8TMDB · 13

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

African-American documentary filmmaker Marlon Riggs was working on this final film as he died from AIDS-related complications in 1994; he addresses the camera from his hospital bed in several scenes. The film directly addresses sexism and homophobia within the black community, with snippets of misogynistic and anti-gay slurs from popular hip-hop songs juxtaposed with interviews with African-American intellectuals and political theorists, including Cornel West, bell hooks and Angela Davis.

“A personal journey through Black identity”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Marlon Riggs
Self
Angela Davis
Self
bell hooks
Self
Essex Hemphill
Self
Cornel West
Self
Maulana Karenga
Self
Barbara Smith
Self
Michele Wallace
Self

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Marlon Riggs
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

87 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

31 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Marlon Riggs, shot by Robert Shepard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Christiane Badgley shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Marlon Riggs and Angela Davis and bell hooks carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A personal journey through Black identity".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0109285 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Marlon Riggs directs. Robert Shepard behind the camera. Christiane Badgley cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

187 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
231 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Marlon Riggs, shot by Robert Shepard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Christiane Badgley shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Marlon Riggs and Angela Davis and bell hooks carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "A personal journey through Black identity".
8IMDB entry: tt0109285 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 13 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.