African Diaspora: History and Cinema

Paris Noir: African Americans in the City of Light

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Available August 28, 2026 11:00 PM UTC
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Paris Noir - African Americans in the City of Light is an exciting, enlightening documentary on the presence of African Americans in Paris from WWI to the early 1960s.


The film touches on:

- Josephine Baker, Bricktop and Sidney Bechet

- Writers Langston Hughes and Claude McKay

- The connections forged with top African and Caribbean writers and intellectuals Leopold Senghor, Aimé Cesaire, and the Nardal Sisters

- The achievements and challenges of artists in Montparnasse

- The exploitation and growing self-determination of people of color from and in France's vast overseas empire

Looking back today at their astounding achievements and the beneficial cultural exchange between France and Black America stirs up lively conversation. These jazz musicians, writers, artists, intellectuals - they launched the appreciation of Black culture worldwide.

  • Year
    2016
  • Runtime
    62 minutes
  • Language
    English, French
  • Country
    France, United States
  • Subtitle Language
    English
  • Director
    Joanne Burke
  • Producer
    Phylssa Koshland
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