(United States, 2023, 102 minutes, color)

Directed by Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson. Starring Nikki Giovanni, Taraji P. Henson, James Baldwin

 

This acclaimed documentary follows the life of beloved American poet Nikki Giovanni — firebrand, radical, healer, sage — across the turbulent 20th and early 21st centuries, from the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter. Giovanni reckons with the inevitable passing of time in intimate vérité and revealing archival footage. The film is a collision of memories, moments in American history, live readings, and visually innovative treatments of her poetry.

 

The film won both a Primetime Emmy and the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.

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Nikki Giovanni visited the NYS Writers Institute in 1990, 2019, and 2020.

 

Meet trailblazing filmmakers Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson at the Albany Film Festival on Saturday, March 28th. Brewster and Stephenson are cofounders of Rada Studio, a production company that foregrounds the stories of communities neglected by the mainstream media.