Haitian-born director Raoul Peck long dreamed of making a film about his literary hero, writer and activist James Baldwin. When he approached the late author's sister to get the rights to do it, she agreed right away, even though he had no clear vision of how he would tackle his subject. A decade later, his documentary I Am Not Your Negro is in Oscar contention and Peck is finding Baldwin's words more relevant than ever.
Photo: James Baldwin in I Am Not Your Negro (Dan Budnik/Magnolia Pictures)