The writer appears in the HBO documentary film “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project,” which will be available to stream on Max on Monday, January 8. Produced by Confluential Films and Rada Studio, in association with JustFilms | Ford Foundation, the documentary tells the story of Giovanni’s life through archival footage, new interviews, still photography, and stunning afrofuturistic visuals. The project, which took seven years to film, is beautifully crafted and shows not only Giovanni’s journey, but also the struggles many Black people — especially Black women — face while navigating life in America. These fights for equality are juxtaposed with stories and images of Black joy and love that encompass the community and have shaped Giovanni’s life. “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project” evokes such strong emotion that audience members both laughed and cried at a Los Angeles screening of the film on Friday, January 5.
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The intimate screening, hosted at West Hollywood’s San Vicente Bungalows, was followed by a Q&A discussion with producer (and co-creator of “Black Love”) Tommy Oliver, married couple writers-directors and producers Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson, and executive producer Taraji P. Henson, who also provides her voice in the film. During the discussion, Giovanni said that she was “delighted” to share her work with other creatives, who could then build on her writing to create the documentary.
“I thought, if I was going to let [Brewster and Stephenson] do [the documentary], I had to trust their artistic vision,” Giovanni shared. “I had to get out of their way because I’ve seen so many people — and they’re in the industry — who have decided ‘I know more about it than they do.’ Well I’ve done what I could do. So I need to let them do it and I trusted them to do so. One artist has a right to create from what another artist does. I think that’s a good idea. I think it’s been working out.”
Henson, who has been vocal in recent weeks about the mistreatment and pay inequity Black women face in Hollywood, offered her own insights into why she chose to help bring “Going to Mars” to life: “When I did get the call, my instinct knew as a Black woman in this industry, that this queen deserves the best of the best so I showed up. That’s what we have to do in this industry. We have to show up for each other, especially when you’re African American, because they don’t see the importance of our stories. We have to fight day in and day out to tell these stories because they’re important.”
Writer-director Brewster was inspired to bring Giovanni’s story to the big screen based on Giovanni’s “jazzy voice,” lifelong dedication to human rights, and her thought-provoking writing. That inspiration continued after filming wrapped during negotiations with Hollywood executives about financing and creative control. Brewster shared that Giovanni’s “unapologetic spirit” helped the creative team to turn down low-ball offers from financiers who didn’t see the value in Giovanni or her story.
“We had multiple options of raising money,” Brewster explained. “But we met Nikki and she was unapologetic. And so, we became unapologetic and that really drives the money away. We decided we weren’t changing [the film]. We don’t care if you don’t know her. We’re not putting Brad Pitt in this movie. That was a turnoff for some people. So thank you [Giovanni] for your unapologetic spirit. It’s infectious.”
Oliver added, “[Brewster and Stephenson] were making this movie before I was a part of it. And for all sorts of reasons, there were people who did not understand how special what they were trying to make was, or the value of somebody like [Giovanni] to the community. [The documentary] should have been over funded; it should have been oversubscribed; there should have been no space at all. They very graciously invited me into the [project] and we became a trio. And we’ve been on this journey ever since.”
Giovanni didn’t expect a documentary to be made about her life — “I always thought that a documentary about people’s lives was for after they were gone” — but she’s happy with the final product. “I think it’s a wonderful film. I’ve seen it three times. Every time, you learn a little differently and you keep learning… January 5, which is today, is my mother’s birthday. She was born in 1919. I’m sorry she’s not physically here with us [because] I know she’d be thrilled.”
“Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project” premieres on Max on January 8 at 9 p.m. ET.
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