SONGS FOR NINA (DOCUMENTARY WIP) | TRAILER | EXPECTED 2020
A documentary work-in-progress
Produced by M. Asli Dukan
GENRE: documentary | music | travel
http://songsfornina.com
SYNOPSIS: TIn 2009, 18 women traveled to Paris, France, to pay tribute to the one-of-a-kind singer, songwriter, and pianist Nina Simone (1933-2003). Known during her long and storied career as the High Priestess of Soul, Nina Simone was revered for her uncompromising musical genius. Her outspoken lyrics about the politics, race, and gender, her refusal to be confined to a single genre or style in order to meet the demands of the marketplace, and her willingness to take creative and personal risks are models for the black women musicians who have organized a concert in her honor. Part of the Sons D’Hiver Music Festival, the “Daughters of Nina” tribute presented more than a dozen of her songs, and featured an all-female slate of instrumentalists and vocalists.
The documentary film, SONGS FOR NINA documents this historic event, tracing the concert from the planning stages through rehearsals to its performance while introducing and following the artists who are executing the show. The result is a layered film that features interpretations of songs associated with Nina Simone—for example, “To Be Young, Gifted & Black,” “Sugar in My Bowl,” “Lilac Wine,” and “I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to Be Free”— and biographical information about Nina Simone, embedded in a story about the ways contemporary black women pursue their creative work and draw inspiration from an important foremother like Nina Simone. SONGS FOR NINA shows the continuities between these different generations of black women artists and also show the ways things have changed for black women in the 21st century, in part because of the trailblazing work done by activist artists like Nina Simone. (Written by Maureen Mahon)
TAGLINE: "18 women, 3 concerts, 1 legend"
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Mizan Media Productions LLC
PRODUCERS: M. Asli Dukan, Maureen Mahon, LaRonda Davis
DIRECTOR: M. Asli Dukan
EDITOR: Rie Ito
STARRING: Tamar-kali, Maya Azucena, Lisala Beatty, Pam Fleming, Jenny Hill, Angela Johnson, Joi, The Maine Attraction, Toli Nameless, Amali Premawardhana, Tarrah Reynolds, Portia Rolle, LaFrae Sci, Luren Sevian, Dawn Smith, Mazz Swift, Tara Thierry and Imani Uzuri.