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Stamped From the Beginning

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Stamped From the Beginning

R

Released Nov 10, 2023

1h 31m

Documentary

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100%

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29 Reviews

65%

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100+ Ratings

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.

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Critics Consensus

Looking pointedly to the past in an effort to help illuminate the present, Stamped from the Beginning is an outstanding documentary achievement.

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Murtada Elfadl

Variety

The film does not pretend to be presenting radical or new beliefs. Yet by the end, it reveals the myths, the distortions and the made-up fallacies that have been presented as truth for centuries. And that is the most radical thing it could have done.

Nov 25, 2023

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Lisa Kennedy

New York Times

In addition to interviews and archival images, film clips and news footage, Williams (“Cassandro” “Life, Animated”) leans into animation.

Nov 20, 2023

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Eric Deggans

NPR

Won't necessarily surprise those who already know this history, but may still be tough to watch for those sensitive to stories about the exploitation of marginalized people.

Nov 20, 2023

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David Bax

Battleship Pretension

Stamped from the Beginning may be chock full of examples and evidence of racism and stereotypes from history but this is not a film about the past.

May 13, 2025

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Edward Frumkin

The Film Stage

Unlike most racism-occupied documentaries that often conclude on a dark note, Williams uplifts his end with an honest, enlightened meaning of unity and an anti-racist society. There’s so much improvement and hope for a better nation.

Rated: B

Apr 5, 2024

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Robert Roten

Laramie Movie Scope

'Black people know what they want. They know what freedom and liberation will look like. And it doesn't look like this radical utopia. It looks a lot like the world that white people live in. The world that white people living in never question.'

Rated: B

Jan 11, 2024

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Bob B

Seemed appropriate to take up my time and attention on the weekend before MLK day.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/13/24

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Jay B

"interesting. but it would be nice if we could stop living in a past that doesn't affect us" That is not a review as much as a statement about themselves. It has nothing to do with the quality of the film and should be ignored when looking at the audience score.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/24

Full Review

dave d

A documentary feature that us heavy-handed at times, but with a purpose to open eyes and give a different perspective. There is no doubt certain shades of people have been given a disadvantage and this film makes that case very well. It might be hard for some majorities to hear that they may have been given more money for passing GO than their neighbor. What will be more difficult for those same people: to accept it. It's a very necessary documentary feature for the flaws on being very one-note. Final Score: 7/10

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/25/23

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B. S

This is a film which harms society with its absurdity.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/17/24

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Robert B

Ibram X. Kendi is the biggest grifter in the world.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

12/09/23

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Jonathan B

Let's elevate each other, not divide.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

12/09/23

Full Review

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Roger Ross Williams

Director

Ibram X. Kendi

Self

Angela Davis

Self

Honorée Fanonne Jeffers

Self

Brittany Packnett

Self

David Teague

Writer

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Synopsis

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.

Director: Roger Ross Williams
Producer: Alisa Payne, David Teague, Roger Ross Williams
Screenwriter: David Teague
Distributor: Netflix
Production Co: Netflix, One Story Up Productions
Rating: R (Nude Images|Language|Drug Content|Racism|Some Violent Content)
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 10, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 20, 2023
Runtime: 1h 31m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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