Recently, there were several celebrations around the globe of the life and legacy of Frantz Fanon, the legendary freedom fighter and revolutionary psychiatrist, who died in 1961.
A coterie of activists and concerned citizens assembled at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theater at Symphony Space on Manhattan’s Upper West Side on July 19 for Rico Speight’s “Rediscovering Fanon,” the latest documentary by the prolific filmmaker. A few film buffs may recall some of his previous works, such as “The People United,” “Who’s Gonna Take the Weight,” or “Robeson and Dunham: Art & Activism 101.”
The 101 also marks what would have been Fanon’s birthday and the cause for the various celebrations, and Speight has done a remarkable job capturing some of his considerable contributions. No one film can harness Fanon’s phenomenal achievements in medicine, politics, literature, and global affairs. Speight’s approach wisely chooses to focus on how violence played out in Fanon’s life and how it permeated so many killings of young Black men, including Amadou Diallo, Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, and George Floyd.
Using archival film footage, reenactments, and a collection of interviews, Speight has woven an engrossing tapestry of history. In many respects, it brought to mind Isaac Julien’s “Black Skin, White Masks,” which, when combined with Speight’s work, is a broad swath showcasing Fanon’s birth in Martinique, his fight against the island’s Vichy government during World War II, and his military commitment to end colonialism in Algeria.
Both Julien and Speight are mindful of Fanon’s ingenuity in the medical realm, particularly his innovative treatments at the Blida-Joinville, Algeria’s largest psychiatric hospital. Where Stuart Hall is Julien’s expert on camera, Speight finds great utility in the commentaries by Lewis Gordon, and their insights often converge most meaningfully with members of Fanon’s family, especially his daughter, Mireille, on Speight’s behalf.
Dr. James McIntosh, Monifa Bandele, and Omowale Clay complemented the film with powerful afterwords and the points they raised about Malcolm X cries out for a film that would highlight the commonalities between the great thinkers.
The event was sold out, but Speight and the producers promised a second screening in November. Like Fanon, it’s not to be missed.
