Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project / Film School Radio interview with Co-directors Michele Stephenson & Joe Brewster

Co-directors Michele Stephenson & Joe Brewster’s insightful and entertaining Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project pushes the boundaries of biographical documentary film to reveal the enduring influence of one of America’s greatest living artists and social commentators. Combining parallel cinematic story editing with visually innovative treatments of her poetry, along with intimate vérité, rich archival footage, and Giovanni’s own captivating contemporary performances, Going to Mars recounts the story of the artist and her works of resistance through the tumultuous historical periods in which she lived—from the Civil Rights Movement, to the Black Arts Movement, to present-day Black Lives Matter. Co-directors Michele Stephenson and Joe Brewster join us for a conversation on the life and times of a poet / author / philosopher who has, over the course 50 years, articulated the brazen truth about race, sex, patriarchy, social revolution and the nature of love and their hyper-cinematic approach to telling Nikki’s story. For more go to: hbo.com/going-to-mars-the-nikki-giovanni-project