What happened, Miss Simone?

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Movie
Original title What happened, Miss Simone?
Country of production United States
original language English
French
Publishing year 2015
length 101 minutes
Rod
Director Liz Garbus
production Liz Garbus
Amy Hobby
Jayson Jackson
Justin Wilkes
music Tammy Douglas
Vincent Gregorio
Daniel Timmons
Tony Volante
camera Igor Martinović
cut Joshua L. Pearson
occupation

What happened, Miss Simone? is an American biographical documentary with music from 2015 by Liz Garbus about and with Nina Simone , an American jazz and blues singer , pianist and songwriter .

content

Shown are the different phases of the life of the American jazz and blues singer , pianist and songwriter Nina Simone , who was born as Eunice Kathleen Waymon in the state of North Carolina . She herself always referred to her music as Black Classical Music . She chose her last name “Simone” because she admired the French actress and writer Simone Signoret .

Liz Garbus put together many different film documents that resulted in a detailed portrait of an artist who was driven. The film shows Simone performing differently and is accompanied by numerous songs by Simone. Liz Garbus had many one-on-one conversations, for example with Lisa, the daughter of Nina Simone, and with the artist's long-time guitarist, Al Schackman. These conversations also reveal the contradiction that went with the person Nina Simone. The interview with Lisa Simone Kelly and her memories of her childhood with a mother who is not able to love her unconditionally is particularly moving.

A fixed point in Simone's life was the murder of Martin Luther King , which prompted her to appear in front of an exclusively African-American audience and to shout into the crowd: “Are you ready to use weapons? Are you ready to kill? ”At this point the talented singer had already become a fighter for human rights who did not mince words and thus also offended. When everything became too much for her, she went to Liberia for two years .

Also shown are the last years of the artist's life, which she spent in Europe, torn between celebrated star and close to bankruptcy, often lonely and sick.

Nina Simone (1965)

background

Nina Simone (1933–2003) was the sixth of eight children of a Methodist preacher and a craftsman. For racist reasons she was not admitted to the Curtis Institute of Music after completing her studies as a classical concert pianist at the Juilliard School in New York , where she wanted to finish her music education. Simone became involved in the civil rights movement early on , in which she became a musical leader with her songs. Not only was her private life complicated, it was also increasingly considered difficult in the music industry. In 1961 she married the New York police officer Andrew Stroud. She was friends with Malcolm X , Stokely Carmichael and Langston Hughes . She is said to have told Martin Luther King, with whom she was also friends, that she was not non-violent.

In 1993 the singer moved to the south of France, where a doctor diagnosed her with bipolar disorder . She lived there until her death from cancer in 2003.

publication

Another title of the film: Untitled Nina Simone Movie . It was first presented in the United States on January 22, 2015 at the Sundance Film Festival . In Germany it ran at the Berlinale in February 2015 . It also ran at the following festivals:

  • USA: March 5th, 2015 True / False Film Festival
  • USA: April 24, 2015 San Francisco International Film Festival
  • Canada: April 29, 2015 Hot Docs International Documentary Festival
  • USA: May 6th, 2015 Montclair Film Festival
  • USA: June 2015 Nantucket Film Festival
  • USA: June 19, 2015 AFI Docs Festival
  • USA: June 24, 2015
  • Belgium: June 26, 2015 (Internet)
  • Netherlands: June 26, 2015 (Internet)
  • Japan: September 2, 2015 (Internet)
  • Netherlands: November 18, 2015 IDFA Festival
  • Russia under the title Что случилось, мисс Симон?

criticism

In a report from the Berlinale it is said that the documentary filmmaker Liz Garbus used many film documents to interweave the various phases in Simone's life into a detailed and atmospheric portrait of a driven artist .

Christoph Petersen Screenrush .com was of the view that a filmmaker of the genre implementing rarely mastered so impressive was how now Liz Garbuz: "In her documentary film, What Happened, Miss Simone ' Via the black jazz singer Nina Simone, she not only dares to explore the less glorious facets of the artist's life, but also celebrates the indissoluble contrasts in the vita of her protagonist. You can quickly feel that this is not about trying to find a common thread, but rather about creating a canvas monument for a unique personality with all its contradictions. ”Conclusion:“ Liz Garbus transfers her fascination and enthusiasm for Nina Simone to that Audience, but never touches her ambivalent protagonist with kid gloves: brave, provocative, rousing! "

Awards

Won

Nominations

  • 2015: International Documentary Association: IDA Award in the "Best Feature" category, Liz Garbus, Amy Hobby, Jayson Jackson, Justin Wilkes and Video Source Award Liz Garbus
  • 2015: Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival: Audience Award in the category "Best Documentary", Liz Garbus (8th place)
  • 2016 : Oscar in the category "Best Documentary" , Liz Garbus, Amy Hobby , Justin Wilkes
  • 2016: Alliance of Women Film Journalists: EDA Award in the category “Best Documentary”, Liz Garbus
  • 2016: Black Reel Awards : Black Reel in the category “Outstanding Documentation”, Liz Garbus
  • 2016: Chlotrudis Awards : Chlodrudis Award in the category "Best Documentary"
  • 2016: Cinema Eye Honors Awards, US: Cinema Eye Audience Choice Prize Liz Garbus
  • 2016: Directors Guild of America Award , USA: DGA Award in the category “Outstanding Achievement in the Making of a Documentary” Liz Garbus
  • 2016: Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association (GALECA): Dorian Award in the category "Documentary of the Year"
  • 2016: Grammy Awards : Best Music Film
  • 2016: Image Awards : Image Award in the category "Outstanding Documentary"
  • 2016: Motion Picture Sound Editors , USA: Golden Reel Award in the category “Best Sound Editing” Tony Volante

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Kai Wichelmann: Nina Simone: Trailer for the documentary 'What Happened, Miss Simone?' at rollingstone.de, April 29, 2015,
    accessed on February 10, 2016.
  2. ↑ What Happened, Miss Simone? at berlinale.de, accessed on February 10, 2016.
  3. ↑ Christoph Petersen: What Happened, Miss Simone? at filmstarts.de, accessed on February 10, 2016.
  4. ↑ Outstanding Documentary Or Nonfiction Special: Emmy 2016
  5. ↑ Prize of the German Record Critics: Award for Nina Simone Documentation
  6. ↑ The 88th Academy Awards | 2016 at oscars.org (English)