Film Forum

“Brothers an sisters rocking / A dread beat pulsing fire...” opens Dread Beat an Blood, the 1975 poem—and album—by the Jamaican-born, British-based dub reggae artist and activist, Linton Kwesi Johnson. He created the genre of dub poetry—militant, passionate verse detailing the struggle for Black liberation in Britain, set to heavy rhythms. The 1979 documentary portrait, DREAD BEAT AN BLOOD, directed by Franco Rosso (BABYLON), captures Johnson in the recording studio, performing live poetry, and protesting the wrongful imprisonment of Black Briton George Lindo. Beautifully restored by the British Film Institute, this is its U.S. theatrical premiere.

1979     46 MIN.     UK     SEVENTY-SEVEN

PLUS
Linton Kwesi Johnson In Concert
Directed by Roger Thomas

The rarely-shown 1985 performance featuring Johnson with the Dennis Bovell Dub Band (the backing group on his seminal 1984 album, Making History), filmed for Channel 4 in the UK.  

1985     26 MIN.     UK     SEVENTY-SEVEN

Presented with support from The Roy Lichtenstein Foundation Fund

Trailer

Reviews

About DREAD BEAT AN BLOOD:
“[A] gem... a portrait of the artist as principled activist.”
– Sasha Frere-Jones, 4Columns

“Fantastic... An amazing snapshot of the time of the pre-Brixton riots... This is so relevant a movie. That’s what makes it so good.”
– Gilles Peterson, BBC

“A fascinating document of LKJ in his time and place, touring with the sound systems, strolling through the market and visiting Tulse Hill schools, vividly capturing black British culture in a country on the cusp of Thatcherism, just a few months before the Brixton uprising.”
– Stephen Troussé, Uncut

“An invaluable document of Brixton, an area that was already at the front lines of the anti-racist struggle, the streets in which people would soon rise up in rebellion. That sense of latent frustration simmers in every frame. It is Johnson himself who articulates that frustration, honing that anger into art via his poetry.”
– Kevin Mccaighy, The Quietus

About Linton Kwesi Johnson:
“If any young artists need to know about longevity and integrity, Linton Kwesi Johnson is the one to look to... He knew his path and he walked it. His words are still relevant and that reggae bass is still vibrating.”
– Steve McQueen

“Linton Kwesi Johnson’s impact on the cultural landscape over the last half-century has been colossal and multi-generational.”
– The Guardian

“He’s written the anthems for a generation who felt oppressed and victimized... He’s now celebrated as one of this country’s most influential cultural commentators.”
– BBC

“A revolutionary poet for our times.”
– Jacobin

“The Poet Laureate of Black Britain.”
– Paul Gilroy

“The roots of hip-hop run deep, and among the deepest branches remains Linton Kwesi Johnson, the Jamaican-born, British-raised poet, writer, and performer often hailed as the father of dub poetry.”
– David Browne, Rolling Stone

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