James Baldwin at 100: If Beale Street Could Talk

In association with Dark Matter and Penguin Classics, join us to celebrate 100 years of writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin. 

We're giving away 100 books from James Baldwin's backlist. A bundle of books have been selected for each screening and will be hidden under randomly selected seats. Book your ticket today and try your luck!

Academy Award-winner Barry Jenkins' follow up to Moonlight was an adaptation of James Baldwin’s stunning novel, If Beale Street Could Talk. In early 1970’s Harlem, Tish, a nineteen-year old girl, is in love with a young sculptor, Fonny, the father of her unborn child. When Fonny is falsely accused of rape and imprisoned, Tish and their families race to clear his name before the baby is born. A story about love persisting in the face of racial oppression and injustice, Jenkins brings together a talented young cast which includes Stephan James (Selma, Race) as Fonny and Kiki Layne as Tish.

‘James Baldwin is one of the most important writers of the 20th century and his work resonates as profoundly today as when it was first published. It has been an enormous privilege and honour to witness the renewed interest in his work over the past ten years. We are absolutely thrilled to celebrate the centenary of his birth – and to bring his timeless works to a new generation of readers.’

Josephine Greywoode, Publishing Director at Penguin Press

Dark Matter is an inclusive marketing agency that works collaboratively to connect Black audiences with culture and the arts. Find out more here.