The Nina Simone documentary What Happened, Miss Simone? will premiere June 26 on Netflix and play in theaters as well.
Liz Garbus’ film, which includes previously unreleased recordings and rare archival footage, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January. The film will next play Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, which runs April 23 to May 3 in Toronto.
Sundance Review: ‘What Happened, Miss Simone?’ Details Nina Simon’s Troubled Life & Legacy
Netflix is presenting Simone as a “classically trained pianist, dive-bar chanteuse, black power icon and legendary recording artist [who] lived a life of brutal honesty, musical genius and tortured melancholy.”
At Sundance, where the film played on opening night, Simone’s legacy was celebrated at a tribute concert featuring Common, Aloe Blacc, Leon Bridges and others. John Legend performed three of Simone’s best-known songs — “Lilac Wine,” “I Wish I Knew How It Feels to Be Free” and “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” — at the premiere.
